Direct Line enlist content creators for comedic campaign

Everyone knows Direct Line aren’t on price comparison sites, right? In a new piece of playful creative, acknowledging that not everyone knows this, Direct Line and advertising partners Saatchi & Saatchi UK challenged two of the UK’s leading content creators to use ‘everyone knows Direct Line aren’t on comparison sites’ as the world’s worst alibi.

Designed to raise awareness of Direct Line Motor insurance amongst under-35s, the campaign uses a creative construct called ‘Alibi’, a disruptive mode of storytelling where people use “looking for Direct Line insurance on a comparison site” as an excuse for their behaviour and inevitably get caught out. The work leverages this message, showing up in high reaching and natively relevant environments to this audience, including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

The creative, which includes an initial six pieces of content distributed to a combined following of over two million, saw Love Island star Chris Taylor and actor and comic Sophie Craig of @shesnotfunny undertake a series of sketches. Chris walks in on his mum in bed with fellow Love Island alumni Michael Griffiths, who claim to just be looking at Direct Line car insurance on a price comparison site before Chris rumbles their lie. Sophie, dressed as a witch on trial, attempts to get off with a similarly false alibi.

Wendy Moores, Marketing Director, Direct Line says, “We wanted to engage under 35s in a fun and playful way, working with content creators to do this was a natural fit. Fun and car insurance aren’t two things you’d usually put together but looking to social as a platform offered a more informal way to get our message across. We are constantly innovating as a brand and that includes how we create and promote content.”

Franki Goodwin, CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi adds, “It’s fun (if a bit terrifying) to hand over your campaign idea to creators and influencers to make their own, but it’s been a brilliant experience discovering their brilliant interpretation of ‘Alibi’. It is a classic advertising idea executed in a modern way to resonate with an acknowledged hard to reach audience.”

Campaign credits:

CLIENT: Direct Line

ADVERTISING AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi UK

CCO: Franki Goodwin

Senior Creative: Mia Silverman

COPYWRITER: Katy Stanage

ART DIRECTOR: Alice Marani

MANAGING PARTNER: Alice Flanagan

BUSINESS LEAD: Isaac Hickinbottom

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Felicity Litster / Jack Steer

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: Rebecca Snaith

MEDIA BUYING AGENCY: MediaCom

INFLUENCER AGENCY: Influencer