Direct Line Teams Up With King Valkyrie In Epic New Adventure

King Valkyrie from Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Love and Thunder”, which launches in cinemas July 7th, teams up with Direct Line as the insurer helps her take some time off.

The creative is the latest instalment in the ‘We’re On It’ advertising campaign, which highlights how customers have no need to worry because the insurer has everything covered.

In the spot, actor and producer Tessa Thompson reprises her role as King Valkyrie, who is in London attending a press conference. After hearing a troubling commotion in the distance, she leaps off Warsong and finds herself at a quaint cheese shop where a skateboard has crashed into its window. King Valkyrie is ready to challenge the skateboarders responsible, but is stopped by the shop owner who tells her not to worry as she’s covered by Direct Line business insurance. She suggests that our Super Hero relax and take some time off.

We next see King Valkyrie take an unexpected detour to the British seaside, where we see her lounging on the beach, devouring fish and chips, and chilling on a merry-go-round, while Warsong relaxes with some donkeys on the beach. We leave King Valkyrie as she gladly concedes that she can leave the people of the UK safe in the hands of the “Insurance Lords” at Direct Line.

In addition to cinema the campaign will run across TV, VOD, OOH and social. Mediacom is handling media planning and buying. The debut of the new advertisement will be Friday 1st July 2022 at 7am, on Direct Line’s Twitter and YouTube channels.

Wendy Moores, head of marketing, Direct Line, said: “Whatever happens we want our customers to know that our cover gives them the back-up they need to feel secure. What better way to reinforce we are there for our customers than by showcasing that when ‘We’re On It’, even the universe’s greatest Super Heroes need a break. In a world that faces huge challenges, we wanted our new advert to provide a moment of escapism, to entertain with an epically fun campaign that plays into the incredible Marvel Studio’s Cinematic Universe.”

Franki Goodwin, chief creative officer, Saatchi & Saatchi said: “Direct Line’s campaigns keep growing, and now we’re bringing in Marvel Studios, the biggest entertainment property of all. Best of all, we get to do it in a delightful and unexpected way, showing a Super Hero finally able to get some me-time. We’ve upped the entertainment, star factor, introduced a female hero and deepened our cultural reach through the addition of King Valkyrie as she comes to UK screens this summer.”

Richard Huntington, chief strategy officer, Saatchi & Saatchi added: “The Direct Line brand is built on fast, efficient problem solving. In this outing we wanted to give people the feeling of reassurance that comes with having Direct Line insurance.”

Mindy Hamilton, SVP of global partnership marketing for The Walt Disney Company said: “We jump at the opportunity any time we can delight our fans with relatable stories starring our heroes. And, as Direct Line understood, what’s more relatable than wanting some time off? Having our in-house creative team collaborate with Direct Line allowed us to create a story that feels true to everything King Valkyrie’s all about. Plus, Tessa really excelled at translating King Valkyrie’s strong personality and comedic timing into a fun new environment.”

Oliver Scargill, partner, MediaCom UK said: “We created a holistic strategic approach for the campaign based on delivering reach, first and foremost to ensure as many people viewed the ad as possible. This meant tapping into some of the most high-profile ad placements across OOH, TV, VOD, YouTube, Twitter and Cinema, all with a unified AV approach. Then identifying contextual media moments that resonated and tapped into Marvel’s vast, enthusiast audience, extending the campaign message even further. It came down to building the reputation of Direct Line, creatively showcasing the ad, and ultimately evolving the brand and media strategy.”

CREDITS

ADVERTISING AGENCY:

Saatchi & Saatchi

CSO: Richard Huntington

CCO: Guillermo Vega

CCO: Franki Goodwin

Senior Creative: Mia Silverman

Art Director: Rodrigo Castellari

Designer: Natalie Alves

Planner: Rui Ferreira / James Mitchell Business Lead: Alice Flanagan

Account Director: Isaac Hickinbottom Account Manager: Rebecca Snaith Executive Producer: Rebecca Williams Senior Production Assistant: Jade Mullem

PRODUCTION COMPANY:

Hungry Man

Director: Bryan Buckley

Producer: Hannah Stone

Executive Producer: Matt LeFebvre Executive Producer: Matt Buels DOP: Javier Aguirresarobe

1st AD: Craig Owens

Production Designer: David Skinner

EDIT

Cabin

Editor: Chan Hatcher

Editor Assistant: Brian Meagher Producer: Sarah Cassell

POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY:

Framestore

VFX Supervisor: Jay Khan

Compositing Supervisor: Ben Taylor

CG Supervisor: Joel Savage

Colourist: Matthieu Toullet

Executive Producer: Anna MacDonald VFX Production Co-Ordinator: Chloe Dunn

AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY:

String and Tins

Sound Design: Adam Smyth

Additional Sound Design: Joe Wilkinson Foley: Cobblestone

Audio Producer: Alina Miroshnichenko

LICENSING AGENCY:

Born Licensing

Licensing Director: David Born

Senior Licensing Executive: Amber Cheung

MEDIA AGENCY:

Mediacom

Media Planner: Robbie Coakley & Emily Rodie

DISNEY PARTNERSHIPS & PROMOTIONS

Senior Vice President of Global Partnership Marketing: Mindy Hamilton VP, Global Partnership Management & Ops: Holly Frank

VP, Marketing Partnerships & Promotions: Tina Goss

VP, Marketing Partnerships & Promotions: Chris Lisciandro

Director, Creative Marketing Partnerships & Promotions: A.J. Fierro Director, Creative Partnerships & Promotions: Andy Staub Director, Marvel International Partnerships: Heather Trail

Senior Manager, Corporate Alliances: Jon Mosier Writer/Producer: Evan Aronson

Art Director: Martin Nguyen

Director Marketing Partnerships, UK & EMEA: Owen Dommel Senior Campaign Manager, UK & EMEA: Catherine Douglas