esure returns to screens with ‘endeering’ campaign

Created by Guy & Co with media by VCCP Media, the ad plays on the success of the brand's previous long-running platform

By Creative Salon

15 April 2026

Today, insurance provider, esure, returns to the spotlight as it reveals a bold new campaign, ‘Calm Down, Deer’, created by creative agency Guy & Co, with media planning and buying led by VCCP Media.

The new campaign reimagines esure’s historic brand campaign, ‘Calm Down, Dear’, for today’s audiences, with the introduction of Dave O’ Deer, a lovable, animated character. Dave embodies the anxieties UK drivers and home owners can go through when faced with those dreaded panic moments when you might need to turn to your insurer, which are dispelled by the understanding and reassuring voice of esure - Lorraine Kelly. The campaign brings to life the brand’s promise: ‘Be sure with esure’, highlighting esure as the antidote to insurance customers’ anxiety and uncertainty.

After over a decade away from screens, as part of one of the top three insurance companies in the UK, it was time to start signalling big brand behaviour again, something which has been supported by Ageas UK, following its acquisition of esure in 2025.

Within a fiercely competitive and low-engagement category, there was an opportunity to create a real connection, tapping into the latent brand equity. So Guy & Co created Calm Down, Deer, a brand platform that sounds the same as esure’s ad from the noughties but this time with some sonic branding, fluency and a whole new meaning.

The lovable and panic-stricken Dave O’Deer, designed by boutique animator Cahoots Studios, with his ear-piercing scream, became the embodiment of customer vulnerability and anxiety. The famous and well-trusted voice of Lorraine Kelly became the voice of esure, bringing calm and reassurance to those panic moments.

The advertising features a panic moment for Dave O’Deer and showcases esure’s key proposition, SureSnap, demonstrating to customers the ability to upload photos digitally and speed up the process for their car insurance claim.

Placing testing at the core of all campaign development as part of its Unfair Advantageä agency system, Guy & Co worked through agile in-house research to test the creative strategy early, before then working through two waves of testing of the TVC with the gold-standard testing platform, System1. Tested against System1’s ad effectiveness database, the final ad ranked within the top 2% of over 1,000 consumer insurance ads, highlighting its potential to have incredible impact for the brand.

Impact also played a key role in the development of the media strategy, delivered by VCCP Media. Dave will scream onto screens across high-energy, sound-on environments – from noisy TV ad breaks to crowded social feeds, hijacking attention before resolving into a moment of calm, reinforcing esure’s role as a provider of confidence and control in a customer’s time of need. This unmissable presence will be further amplified through high-impact digital out-of-home, including large-format sites across the UK.

Gareth Haggerty, Head of Brand & Marketing at esure, said: “We wanted to remind people what esure is all about – being there when things feel stressful or uncertain. This campaign brings back a familiar idea in a bold, distinctive and highly memorable way, using humour and warmth to show how we help take the worry out of everyday insurance moments. It’s about making people feel calmer, more confident and reassured when they need us most.”

Sean Mulholland, Creative Director at Guy & Co, said: “When we sat down with the brief, it was clear esure were already sitting on marketing gold with the ad from the noughties. And objectively, that campaign shared similar ambitions to create reassurance. We spotted a brilliant opportunity to bring it to life in a completely different and refreshing way. At Guy & Co, we place a great emphasis on research as part of our Unfair Advantage™ agency system and early creative testing in-house combined with exceptional scores from System1, gave us and esure the confidence that the Calm Down, Deer campaign would be a powerful and ‘endeering’ way to create connection in what is traditionally a low-engagement category.”

Andrew Tindall, Chief Growth Officer at System1, said: “In a category starved of emotion, where half of consumers feel nothing towards insurance advertising, this is a brilliant example of how to win by going against the grain. Too many brands stick to category conventions because it feels safe and proven, but safe doesn’t build memory. Distinctiveness does. What esure shows is that real cut-through comes from zigging when others zag, breaking the patterns of the category and doing something genuinely different.”