Compare the Market
Compare the Meerkat
The Golden Thread
Problem: We cannot outspend GoCompare or Confused. But we can create a character that people actually like. Fame through entertainment, not frequency.
Tension: Reluctant switchers know they should compare prices but find insurance boring. They tune out shouty comparison ads.
Position: For people who find insurance tedious, Compare the Market makes the category entertaining because life is too short for boring ads.
Platform: Create a character world that people want to spend time with. Build intellectual property, not just awareness.
Definer
The Brief: A new price comparison site needed to build awareness fast in a cluttered market. Budget was limited versus established players.
Problem Reframe: We cannot outspend GoCompare or Confused. But we can create a character that people actually like. Fame through entertainment, not frequency.
Category Convention: Price comparison advertising is loud, repetitive and annoying. It hammers the name and the savings message.
Targeter
Audience: Reluctant Switchers
Tension: They know they should compare prices but find insurance boring. They tune out shouty comparison ads.
Positioner
Position Statement: For people who find insurance tedious, Compare the Market is the comparison site that makes the category entertaining because life is too short for boring ads.
We Are Not: Shouty. Repetitive. Annoying. Forgettable jingle.
Strategist
Direction: Create a character world that people want to spend time with. Make the ads something people seek out rather than skip. Build intellectual property, not just awareness.
Forge: Territory Exploration
Character World
Meerkats with backstories, families, drama. Soap opera structure.
Feel: Entertaining, loveable, expandable
Wordplay
Simple pun executed with craft and commitment.
Feel: Clever, simple, memorable
Rewards Programme
Characters unlock real value. Entertainment becomes utility.
Feel: Valuable, sticky, loyalty-building
What The Creatives Made
Aleksandr Orlov, a Russian meerkat aristocrat frustrated that people confuse his site (comparethemeerkat.com) with the insurance site. The character became a national treasure with merchandise, books and reward programmes.
"Simples."
Why It Worked
- Created intellectual property that competitors could not copy
- Made a boring category entertaining and talkable
- Character longevity allowed decades of storytelling
- Meerkat Meals reward programme turned fame into commercial stickiness