Accelerating Change with a Smile: The AA and The Gate’s Joyride to Success

Carving out a niche in the crowded world of brands isn’t easy. While many struggle to make their mark, The AA has found a distinctive space alongside their creative partner, The Gate, breaking away from traditional, straightforward service advertising.

Since kicking off their partnership just two years ago, The AA and The Gate have made a significant impact, reshaping how the brand is viewed in the bustling marketplace. This collaboration has not only sparked a 14 per cent rise in spontaneous awareness of The AA as a multi-service brand in just four months, but it has also boosted its trust score to 85 per cent according to internal market research by the The AA's brand and market tracker, run quarterly with c.1500 nat rep sample.

Last year's introduction of the creative platform 'I'm OK, I'm With The AA' campaign has proven a spectacular success with chief executive Jacob Pfaudler describing the last financial year when it launched as being "a game changer" for the organisation, reversing an ongoing decline in membership to achieve growth of 5 per cent. And it continues to strengthen, reporting a 14 per cent increase in revenue for the first half of this year, generating £712 million.

The work has even won industry accolades, including Campaign of the Year at the Marketing Society Awards 2024 and the work reached new heights in July with the follow-up campaign.

Consequently, The Gate has also clinched The AA's CRM account, further strengthening this collaboration.

This partnership highlights that even established brands can break free from the norm by embracing creativity, camaraderie, and a cheeky sense of humour.

Why The Partnership Works

A key ingredient in the partnership’s success is the shared creative vision between both teams. They're after the same thing—making work that stands out, is effective, and truly makes an impact. Will Harrison, group marketing director at The AA, explains that their campaigns aim to be “the most distinctive,” intentionally challenging the norms of the breakdown category.

This shared purpose has allowed the teams to collaborate effortlessly, with both sides fully invested in delivering advertising that pushes boundaries and breaks through the noise.

They didn’t just make minor adjustments to the brand’s advertising—they took a bold leap forward. Before this partnership, The AA’s ads focused on direct-response strategies, showcasing vans crisscrossing the country with reassuring messages about reliability. But this collaboration opened the door to a completely new direction, fuelled by humour and exaggerated scenarios. A memorable moment was the campaign featuring bank robbers making a successful getaway thanks to their AA membership.

Kit Altin, chief strategy officer at The Gate, reflects on this shift, calling it a "gigantic leap" for a brand like The AA. "You can imagine the sort of conversations we had around that,” she reflects. “Especially for an iconic, traditional British brand. That’s pretty cheeky."

This boldness has paid off. By stepping away from predictable service advertising, The AA has redefined itself—not just as a breakdown provider, but as a brand that inspires confidence and trust while entertaining its audience.

But for a brand and its creative agency to reach such a level of success in their partnership, the foundation of clarity and openness is essential. Harrison believes this is a key factor in their collaboration. Both teams are enthusiastic about delivering impactful work, and this shared purpose has built trust and collaboration. They tackle each new project to surpass their previous efforts, keeping the work fresh and engaging.

This open communication has empowered them to take creative risks, like incorporating humour, while staying focused on the goal of standing out in a crowded market.

Connecting Through Comedy

One of the key creative tools in this partnership is humour with a purpose. It resonates because it’s grounded in real-life insights. Whether featuring bank robbers or exaggerated driving scenarios, these ads connect by tapping into the everyday truths of life on the road.

This ability to push creative boundaries while staying rooted in reality has been essential to the campaign’s success.

"It’s about ultimate confidence," says Harrison. "The fact that you're confident with The AA in these kinds of crazy scenarios really lets us push that humour, taking it from something driving-related to something that might not even be driving-related at all.

Rather than resting on the initial success of their work, The AA and The Gate have continued to evolve the approach. The creative executions under the theme “It’s Okay, I’m With The AA” have become a defining feature of the partnership. With each new iteration, the tagline grows in power and resonance and both teams are eager to explore new ways to engage audiences and keep the campaign fresh.

Consider activations like the partnership with LADBible, the Red Bull Soap Box Race, Korrupt FM and Street Fighter. The consistency of the brand's tagline, combined with a willingness to adapt, is one of the reasons the partnership has thrived in such a short time. They’re not standing still—they’re maintaining momentum by constantly seeking new ways to evolve.

Cultivating Creativity

The partnership has also significantly shaped The Gate's internal culture, exciting both agency and client as they share a common goal and move forward together. As a relatively young agency, it is fueled by a shared commitment to creating work that breaks away from generic norms and resonates deeply with audiences. This alignment has boosted their creative approach while also establishing a benchmark for future projects, keeping the team motivated and focused on delivering excellence.

The AA campaign stands as a testament to this ambition, showcasing how bold, innovative ideas can drive substantial success and retain and attract clients. This dedication to impactful work has become a defining characteristic of the agency's evolving culture, ensuring they continue to build on the achievements they have accomplished together.

Looking ahead, both have made an ongoing commitment to creativity and collaboration that they believe positions them well for the future, aiming to further strengthen brand loyalty and enhance The AA's reputation as a key player in the UK driving experience. The foundation they’ve established allows for flexibility and adaptation in a rapidly changing market.

The partnership illustrates the potential of effective collaboration in advertising. The shared vision and commitment to creativity have enabled them to stand out in a competitive market. Through bold and humorous campaigns grounded in real-life insights, they have successfully engaged audiences and reshaped perceptions of The AA. As they continue to evolve this approach, the partnership serves as a noteworthy example of how creativity and camaraderie can drive meaningful results in the industry.

Creative Salon sat down with Harrison, Altin and The Gate's CCO Lucas Peon to explore the partnership and how it's holding strong.

How did the relationship come about?

Will Harrison: We were seeking two key outputs: an evolved brand platform and a brand expression. These elements would position us for both short- and long-term success at the AA, not just from a branding perspective but also across the broader business landscape. This need arose from the business adopting a new purpose focused on creating confidence for drivers, both now and in the future, alongside establishing group commercial objectives for the first time in years. We aimed to look beyond individual business units and consider the broader array of driving products and services the AA could offer, particularly in light of the UK market's evolving shopping behaviours.

With these three elements—business objectives, market shifts, and our new purpose—we required a new brand platform and expression that would distinctly differentiate us. It was essential to build upon the trust and confidence people have had in the AA since 1905. We were excited by the challenge and aimed to demonstrate real strategic and creative excellence. Our goal was to make things seem simple in a complex client landscape, emphasizing a collaborative approach with a focus on humility. I wanted to work with people I could easily connect with, whether through a quick phone call or a meeting, to discuss both long-term strategies and reactive needs.

The Gate exemplified all these qualities, and it was a pleasure to be part of the pitch process with them and to jump straight into the work that followed.

Lucas Peon: From our first meeting, we knew we wanted to collaborate with them. We love their ambition. As an agency, we strive to avoid category-generic work, and Will made it clear from the start that they felt the same way. It felt like a match made in heaven. Everything Will and his team communicated about their goals resonated with us, and we were eager to embark on this journey together.

Kit Altin: A lot of the time, brands come in and say they want change—they want boldness, they want to be radical. But it quickly becomes clear that they don't actually want any of those things; they just want small, incremental changes—almost nothing at all. Right from the start, it was evident that Will and the team were putting their money where their mouth was. They were genuinely ready for something transformative, and that was exciting. Will and his team have continued to deliver on that ever since.

When you first launched the rebrand, what strategies were employed to develop that platform?

Altin: It's one of those lovely and quite rare cases where you're running the campaign you pitched. The pitch strategy is the strategy. Nothing like a deadline to get you thinking clearly. There were a number of different elements in developing the strategy. We took a step back to look at the big picture, but also dug into the finer details.

When we stepped back, we looked at the last 100 years of motoring in the UK. What had happened? What was the AA's role in that? What was Britain's relationship with cars and driving, and how was that changing? And how will it continue to change? That was fascinating because it showed we're in a time of enormous transition in the driving world—there's going to be more change in the next decade than there’s been in the last century, in terms of how we engage with cars and driving. It’s incredibly dynamic. The AA will need to align itself with progress, staying on the front foot through all of that.

We knew the AA’s purpose was about confidence, so the third piece was figuring out what kind of confidence the AA needs to offer in this fast-changing world. That’s when we dug into it. We used a lot of unprompted research and social insights, looking at all the different stages of the driving experience—whether people are shopping for driving lessons, insurance, or getting their car serviced. We asked, what’s that experience like in Britain right now? How do people feel about it?

We explored different types of confidence and found that what really resonated with people was the feeling of being ahead of the curve. In a world where everything’s changing at nine million miles an hour, they don’t want to be left behind. That insight led us to the proposition: when you’re with the AA, you’re always ahead. That’s the promise. And the emotional takeaway is: I’m with the AA.

How did you collaborate to redefine the brand’s purpose and mission for today's market?

Harrison: It's very open and collaborative. Beyond our weekly status meetings and daily work communication, I appreciate how fluidly we discuss our ambitions. In those strategic conversations—whether about above-the-line, through-the-line, or CRM post-The Gate’s pitch win—we think collectively. It feels natural and collaborative.

The challenge now is to maintain that momentum. We need to drive measurable results in acquisition and retention while increasing awareness of our other products. That’s why we’re focusing on our accident assist service. We want to shout from the rooftops about its effectiveness—when people have an accident, they can reach out to The AA, and we manage everything from start to finish. Fingers crossed, this year will bring even more impact beyond just breakdowns.

Peon: It's had a huge impact. We're still a young team—we haven't been together as The Gate for that long. But from the moment you walk in, you believe in creating work that breaks away from the generic, from the category norms. And The AA campaign is proof of that for all of us. It’s a motivator. It shows that bold work can work, that it’s effective, that it helps clients succeed, and that it draws new clients in. We’ve had people approach us because of that campaign. It’s had a massive influence on our emerging culture. We want work that gets noticed, and that makes a real impact. The AA work is one of those projects that proves we’re heading in the right direction every single day.

Altin: The partnership brings so much joy because it feels like both sides—the agency and the brand—are on the same mission, on the same journey, and you're moving forward together, at the same pace. That’s incredibly exciting, and we genuinely love that.

It’s flagship work, but it’s also a benchmark for everything else we do. We have to ensure that whatever else we take on, we’re living up to what we’ve achieved with The AA. It keeps us on our toes in all the best ways.

What inspired you to integrate humour into the campaign?

Peon: We loved the focus of the mission, which was confidence. We wanted to connect with people, and we believed in it so much that we said, we’ve got to let them know everything they get with the AA. But if you deliver that as a corporate message, it’s really hard for people to connect with it. We wanted them to lower their guard and truly welcome what we were offering—to literally say, “There’s nothing to worry about if you’re with us.” That was our mission.

Then we asked, how do we do that in a way that really engages? Humour is one of the most engaging ways to deliver messages like this. It’s got the power to be tremendously emotional. When a brand makes you giggle, makes you laugh, you engage with it. That’s worked so well in today’s world. In that moment, you’re fully engaged with the brand—you’ve lowered your guard, they’ve made you laugh, and you believe. You feel it. And that’s exactly what we went for.

Altin: There are a few reasons why humour was the right strategy for this brief. At a category level, there’s a real opportunity for all brands because so much effectiveness research now shows the power of humour in making work engaging and effective. You can see that Cannes even introduced a whole humour category this year, so it’s something people are starting to recognize the value of.

On top of that, there’s an opportunity for the AA to show a different body language, signaling that this is a new chapter—we're reinventing ourselves as your partner across your entire driving world. It’s about showing a different stance, and this particular brand of humour fits perfectly. They’ve used lightness of touch before, with work like Tucker the dog, but this was about taking a different tone. It’s an opportunity to stand out, both at a brand level and within the category. From an effectiveness perspective, it just felt like the right move.

Were there any moments where you felt that using humor could be risky?

Harrison: I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel like it was a risk the whole time. But as Kit explained, it was a calculated risk. There's now considerable data proving that humor is an effective approach. We’re not saving lives; we’re doing advertising, so we must engage people in those brief moments between their daily activities. People don’t naturally engage with brands all the time, so we aimed to bring lightness to their day.

It’s about standing out while driving commercial results. There were vignettes and scripts I’d have loved to push further, but they were probably too bold for this stage. If you’re not pushing the boundaries a bit, you’re not really succeeding.

Peon: One key inspiration throughout this journey was Will’s clear vision from the start: he wanted bold work that wasn’t category-generic. He consistently pushed us, never backing down from the challenge of convincing anyone that this was what was needed. While not every script got approved, we tweaked them and presented again. Will’s belief in the work motivated us, making us feel that every idea had a real chance. Ideas tend to die quickly in the face of fear or doubt, but much of our success came from Will and his team defending those ideas throughout the process.

Going forward, what are your shared ambitions and expectations for the agency-client relationship?

Harrison: More of the same. Pushing each other, challenging each other, being open, being collaborative—no ego involved. It’s about how we really use this platform to make more people smile, more people laugh, and encourage more people to join the AA.

There’s so much more potential with It's Okay, and for however long I’m at the AA, I want to keep it going. Now that we’ve landed on a solid platform, it’s about being consistent with the idea and narrative, while also being bold and playful with the executions. We want them to resonate in those specific driving moments that are genuinely funny.

Take the Accident Assist service ads, for instance. They’re unexpectedly funny. It shouldn’t be that funny, but when someone reverses into a bollard in a supermarket car park—not a total disaster, but just a bad day—the AA is there to help. Those kinds of situations are relatable and funny to Brits. We love watching other people get into those awkward moments, whether it's from shows like You've Been Framed or reality TV. There’s so much humor to explore if we keep embracing that bold thinking. 

Peon: The idea is to keep pushing higher and higher. We want to create even stronger and bolder work, aiming to produce iconic pieces that really resonate. Our goal is to make that brand and that line stick in people's minds, so they instantly connect it to the AA for many years to come.

What is the one thing you believe makes a great creative partnership?

Peon: It's all about that honest, shared ambition. You've got to be truly clear about where you want to go, and then deliver together.

Harrison: Clarity on the mission and objectives is crucial, along with that shared focus and lack of ego. That’s the honest part of what Lucas is saying. There’s no ulterior motive—everyone wants to create great work together to achieve solid results. It’s about putting the group first, that mentality of us, for sure.

Altin: You can have the best creative partnership in the world, but if we don't have people on the brand side fighting for that work—engaging stakeholders and setting up the chain to get everyone on board—it's not going to fly. The AA are all about protecting that work, selling it, and bringing everyone along for the ride. That way, the magic from the creative partnership makes it all the way to the TV screen, the street fighter, the soapbox race, and whatever else we’re doing. Many agencies around town can produce fantastic work to a brief, but not many brands are willing to put in the effort to protect it.