Talking Pets Judge Owners’ Mishaps in Humorous Insurance Ads

Most insurance ads tend to overwhelm audiences with complex language and fear-based messaging. Based on in-depth research revealing barriers to adoption, Lowe Lintas’ ‘Achha Kiya Insurance Liya’ for the General Insurance Council of India aimed to engage audiences with an approachable route instead.

Through a series of ten humorous spots, narrated by doting pets including dogs, cats, buffaloes, and fish, the stories highlight why insurance matters when life gets messy.

Voiced by renowned Indian talents such as Ila Arun and Archana Puran Singh, the campaign was designed to reach every corner of India. With robust media coverage as well as on-ground activations across over 200 rural and semi-urban towns, supported by multilingual communication in 12 Indian languages, the campaign reached over 800 million people, helping spark conversations and adoption of general insurance.

In this interview with LBB’s Sunna Coleman, Sarvesh Raikar, president of creative at Lowe Lintas shares what it was like working with animal actors, turning victims of tragedy into victors, and how they picked up so much traction across the country.

LBB> Tell us about the brief from the General Insurance Council (GIC) and the challenge they came to you with.

Sarvesh> The brief from the GIC was to change India’s beliefs and behaviour towards general insurance. The problem wasn't lack of awareness about insurance, but rather deeply entrenched barriers in people's minds.

LBB> How did you come up with the idea of using pets as narrators for the campaign?

Sarvesh> The category has often leaned on inducing fear or guilt to deliver the message. But over time they have turned into overexploited emotions and also blind spots. We wanted to tell the relatable, super positive stories of everyday people through the eyes of someone very close to them – their pets. And thus make everyday stories disruptive and engaging to watch.

LBB> How did you approach the challenge of making insurance feel relatable and engaging, especially in regions where lack of awareness and perceived complexity are major barriers to insurance?

Sarvesh> The most relatable aspect of this campaign is the casting. It’s the story of people all around us. But instead of them coming across as victims of tragedy, the protagonists emerge as victors – people who triumphed over inevitable bad times with a simple decision – to get insurance.

The storytelling style adopted is also deliberately more content series-like, where the human interest pulls you in and the points around insurance are landed subtly but effectively.
Our idea was to flip the narrative. Insurance can not only save homes and life savings but it can also make you feel vindicated – because you took the bold decision of getting insurance against conventional wisdom, especially in rural areas, where people don’t traditionally believe in the power of insurance.

LBB> What did collaboration look like between Lowe Lintas, the General Insurance Council and the production team?

Sarvesh> This is perhaps the most complex project I have ever worked on. The GIC has a CMO sub-committee where the CMOs of India's biggest insurance companies guide the working on an everyday basis. Once they are happy, the work is passed to the CEO committee for a final approval.

Dealing with so many people in power can be overwhelming and also a decision-making nightmare. But the CMO committee was fantastic in the way they structured the feedback and orchestrated the entire process along with the GIC members. The series of 10 films were shot across different parts of India and made ready within a month.
This was an incredible feat very few accomplished partners could pull off but our production partners, director Shirish Daiya and producer Mekala Krishnaswamy of Jamic Films, did.

The trust the CMO and CEO committees reposed in us gave us the freedom to take creative leaps and make changes in the script depending on how animals were responding on the floor while shooting.

LBB> How did you come up with the idea of launching the campaign during the IPL season, and what impact did this timing have on its reach and effectiveness?

Sarvesh> As media is getting more and more fragmented – IPL is a true spectacle, where the nation unites and comes together. The campaign caught attention instantly – not just of audiences but of several companies and independent insurance brokers. It was owned by the community.

LBB> How did you tailor the campaign's messaging to effectively reach people in rural and semi-urban areas, specifically in tier three regions where non-life insurance penetration remains low?

Sarvesh> We crafted stories across geographies and socioeconomic backgrounds. The buffalo as the pet and the style of writing (use of idioms, for instance) made the stories extremely entertaining for rural regions too. We deployed radio campaigns too – to reach people on media they consume the most.

LBB> Can you share any behind-the-scenes insights into the production? Were there any surprising moments or challenges while working with the animals?

Sarvesh> There are tons of stories. We were all set to shoot the main climax of the film, where Barfi the dog is supposed to charge towards Mary aunty when she returns home. But no amount of convincing made Barfi run – he only majestically walked or strolled to her. Finally, someone had the brainwave and we dressed his trainer as the auto-driver. So the moment the auto arrives he dashes towards it! And so we finally got the shot we wanted.

LBB> Cricket is a huge part of Indian culture, and you’ve incorporated it into the campaign in a fun and engaging way. Can you elaborate on how you took something people are passionate about, like cricket, and connected it to insurance?

Sarvesh> In India, gully cricket is a huge phenomenon. People don’t always go to the playground, but they play the game even in the narrowest of lanes. Naturally then, accidents are bound to happen and we used this setting smartly to speak about the three kinds of insurance – motor, home and health – as one simple shot ends up breaking the windshield, TV screen and bones in an unfortunate turn of events.

In the 10 second clips we have exploited the commentary stereotypes that all of us have grown up listening to. They make the simple static-led creatives so much more entertaining and clutter-breaking.

LBB> You mentioned that you took a risk by selecting uncommon heroes for this campaign. How did it contribute to the campaign’s success?

Sarvesh> There was a time when we were asked to propose celebrity names. We thought a lot and even had separate routes presented. But in today’s times when celebs are in almost every second ad – we thought the animals could really help us break clutter. A big kudos to the clients who backed our decision and went ahead with a non-celeb approach – much against conventional, safe wisdom.

LBB> What feedback have you received about the campaign? Is there a particular part, such as the use of pets as narrators, that people consistently mention or connect with?

Sarvesh> There has been all kinds of feedback and the campaign has gained astonishing traction on various social media pages. But a few things have been consistent – people love the return of classic storytelling. Or the fact that an insurance ad could be so evocative, rubbishing the thinking that insurance can only be sold through fear or guilt. And lastly, the use of Indies and #DogMoms. The conversations in these communities are simply unbelievable and also a treasure to uncover.

LBB> What impact do you hope this campaign has on how people view insurance in India?

Sarvesh> Tough times are inevitable – no one can escape them. But when they present themselves, if every Indian can thank himself or herself for staying prepared, what a wonderful thing that would be!

And of course, if this campaign makes a substantial contribution towards the Indian Government's goal of insuring every Indian by 2047, that would definitely feel very very satisfying for us.