RACQ's Animal Observers Return With Fresh Queensland Humour in New Campaign

RACQ has launched the latest instalment of its ‘You with RACQ?’ brand platform, which features Queensland animals as witty observers of everyday life. The two new spots, ‘Echidnas’ and ‘Geckos’ mark a return to humour for the brand and feature 3D-rendered animals with subtly human expressions.

Developed with creative agency VML and production company Chop Shop, the ads use local colloquialisms and scenarios tested with members for reliability.

Tim Cochrane, RACQ general manager marketing membership and digital told LBB that a “Queensland ... laid-back attitude” inspired the work.

“We’re unrivalled in our love for good friends, good times, good family, and a good laugh,” Tim said. ”Queensland is also beautiful, vast, and volatile and throws a lot at us.

“Our lovable animal characters observing and commenting on Queensland moments is a strong foundation. Animals are a proven creative asset that delivers high levels of emotion and captures higher levels of attention of the consumer."

Tim also stressed that animals playing a significant role in the brand platform is no accident.

“They’re observers of the world we live in,” he said.

“They don’t quite understand everything that goes on in our world, but they are keenly interested … They converse like regular humans -- they don’t have silly voices that sound like animals talking. Our animals have many authentic everyday human mannerisms, but at their heart, they are still animals with animalistic instincts.”

The geckos, for instance, watch on as a couple reverse into their own letterbox, and a dad and daughter echidna see RACQ rescue a member from a prickly driveway breakdown.

“When we’re setting an ad in a Queensland backyard, or on a Queensland road, we should use animals that are present here. Animals don’t have to be native; they just have to be the animals that live around us Queenslanders daily.”

The key to the craft of this campaign was to ensure our characters connected with audiences.

“We wanted the performance of the voice talent to be reflected in the faces, movements and gestures of our animals,” Tim continued.

“The challenge was to not make the final expressions too human but also to find the perfect middle ground where the animal had heightened nuances such as eyebrow expressions or little smiles that wouldn’t be 100% realistic.”

Tim says the creative brief stemmed from initial research conducted by the insurer. The resulting spots are tailored to maximise “relevance, authenticity, and engagement.”

This next chapter builds on the success of our initial animal ambassadors, reinforcing RACQ's commitment to being there for our members, no matter what life throws their way.

“This research informed the creative brief,” Tim said. “Once RACQ settled on the big creative idea, further concept research and multi-layered testing with members, non-members, and employees were conducted to hone the execution.

“We were able to gather all of VML’s experts into one space regularly to discuss, solve and grow challenges and opportunities. Early on, we decided to create bespoke assets to facilitate programmatic and give us wider reach to our members and audience. This also gives us triple the assets to work with.”

Brisbane-based production and post company Chop Shop were brought on board as production partners, after RACQ sought a partner with international capabilities based locally in the Queensland market.

“Directors, Mike and Lav, really understood the ask from the VML creative team, and they offered a ‘one stop shop’ where we could collaborate from the early stages of pre-production, through to the shoot, and then onto post seamlessly and at speed,” Tim said.

“The benefit of housing this at Chop Shop meant that all creative experts contributed to the outcome of a fantastic mixture of humour and emotion coupled with well-crafted and considered animal characters, which have really taken on a life of their own and will continue to grow on as the campaign further expands.”