Disco Ducks Waddle to a Win for AAA

Insurer AAA has a great history of making funny, entertaining ads with unlikely lead characters. From a gopher, to Rick Astley, to an entire boyband made up of former stars, the brand has mastered the art of doing the unexpected in its advertising and making people smile. It’s a similar route taken by competitors like GEICO, but AAA prefers to surprise with new stars every time, rather than invest in a brand mascot like the GEICO Gecko.

When the ads are good, that can make for some of the freshest and most joyful commercials going, which still manage to get across a message about insurance. Given that insurance isn’t naturally the most joyful subject, that’s quite a tightrope to walk, but AAA manages it consistently and well.

The latest AAA ad, “Ducklings”, is a brilliant example, mixing cute animals, a disco classic, a bit of drama, and a payoff which neatly sums up the emotional benefit of insurance. The ad focuses on some ducklings strutting their stuff, guided by their duck mom to the tune of The Whispers’ disco classic “And The Beat Goes On”. It’s a funny, cute, heartwarming vision – and then with a bang we zoom out to realize that the ducks are crossing a city street. They’ve stopped the traffic and caused a minor accident! No sweat, though, thanks to the AAA app the situation is well in hand – and of course the ducks get to their destination safely too.

The tagline? AAA are there for “Whatever crosses your path”, a great way to tie the ad back to its product. In only half a minute, the ad has plenty of elements which we know from Orlando Wood’s work in Look Out catch the attention of the right hemisphere of the brain (vital for long-term branding success). There’s animals, a strong narrative, non-verbal communication, a melodic song and a cultural reference.

The commercial is an instant heartwarmer for audiences, waddling its way to an exceptional 5.4-Star Rating among the general public. It also gets good scores on short-term Spike and Brand Fluency, but it’s the long-term Star Rating that’s AAA’s big winner here. It’s an especially good score given the average Star Rating for car insurance is a woeful 1.9-Stars – vindicating AAA’s decision to entertain for commercial gain, rather than trying to cram their 30 seconds with policies and persuasion.