Direct life investment company FRANK.NET launched its multi million rand ad campaign with a daredevil stunt in Cape Town on Tuesday 9 November at the forecourt of the newly refurbished Cape Town Station. The stunt involved an an aerial skywalker who walked a tightrope between two cranes 60 metres high, in 35km winds and pouring rain, adding to the drama of the stunt, while a helicopter flew overhead with a banner saying “If he dies, we pay’. with a straight talking, “you die we pay’ approach, which is set to change the way people think about buying life insurance, investments and health insurance.
The stunt, which was conceptualised by FOXP2 and implemented by the company’s PR agency Tin Can, is aimed at creating viral talkability and adding momentum to the overall advertising campaign. (view the stunt here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnN8qsLlmSg)
“The brief for the new brand was to position and differentiate the brand to drive demand, create a new category, challenge the convention of complexity, engage and empower consumers with a genuine emotional connection and create high visibility and talkability,’ says Lenerd Louw, FRANK.NET’s CEO. “With this in mind we thought the name put forward by the agency namely FRANK, was a great fit and communicates this open, forthright and honest approach to long-term insurance and investment.’
He adds that the campaign needed to speak to consumers in an honest tone, without any of the emotional blackmail employed by many other brands in the category.
“A Life investment is about maintaining the quality of you or your family’s life, should you die, get seriously ill, be injured, or lose your job,’ Louw explains.
He says that there is a gap in the market for a life investment company that speaks simply, honestly and directly to consumers and points out that FRANK’s approach will be one of “telling it like it is’.
True to the straight talking FRANK brand, the launch will be backed up with a direct, tell it like it is, jargon-free, ad campaign underpinned with the simple, but direct message of “if you die we pay’, that will run across TV, radio, print, outdoor, mobile and online from tomorrow.
Cape-based ad agency FoxP2, who won the account in a six-way pitch has been responsible for developing the brand name and personality, corporate identity and advertising launch campaign.
“We developed a series of five TVCs with a production style that reflects the honesty of the brand,’ says Justin Gomes, creative director at FoxP2. “They do not use any big budget slow motion shots or tricksy camera techniques – what you see is what you get. The adverts entitled, DSX, Tshabalala, Days of our Lives, Mole and Friendweb, will run across all TV stations from 10 November.’
The television adverts were shot by award-winning director Pete Pohorsky, conceptualised by FoxP2 senior art director, Michael Lees-Rolfe and FoxP2’s senior writer Gavin Williams.
As well as the five TVCs, the agency has conceptualised and created an infomercial with “a never-before-seen style in this area of advertising’, by using animation with humorous undertones.
