Colenso BBDO

Client: IAG
Product: NRMA
Title: Pavlova
Media: -
Country: Australia
Date Of Campaign: 02.12.2019-31.12.2019

Background: NRMA Insurance wanted an iconic and popular Christmas ad - something emotive and memorable to bring Australians closer to their brand. But the holiday season is a serious time for claims, with family and friends connecting over Christmas families must travel long distances, often on unfamiliar roads. The country needed a road safety reminder. How could we do that in a festive, engaging way? How do we connect with as many families as possible?

Idea: We uncovered a simple insight: ‘People don’t think twice when it comes to driving with their loved ones. But when you put a delicate dessert in the front seat, they’ll drive as carefully as they can.'We knew Australia needed reminding about what was really precious: their lives and their children. This insight was how we could communicate that, it was something every Australian could relate to. We set to capture the country’s attention with this idea.A TVC and cinema spot followed the tense journey of a family transporting the prized centerpiece dessert as they drove to Grandma’s lunch on Christmas day. The film juxtaposed the importance placed on protecting a delicate pavlova to that of the couple’s two young children – who are the real precious cargo. It asks Australians a simple question, why does it take a dessert to drive like our lives depend on it?

Results: In the first two days, 15.1 million impressions were generated. Channel 10 News ran a 3-minute story on the campaign and 111 pieces of coverage were published (KPI of 24) with 100% positive-neutral sentiment. NRMA spokesperson Sally Kiernan and consumer psychologist, Adrian Camilleri secured talkback radio interviews, while several radio stations conducted their own experiments. The story made headlines in the UK, New Zealand and Japan.Perhaps the most compelling statistic was seen in a parallel of behaviour, where NSW saw the lowest number of December road fatalities for the past 5 years, with child fatalities dropping by 67%.