The Public House's Cinematic Campaign Furthers Brand Development for FBD Insurance

FBD have launched a new brand and car campaign, the second iteration of ‘What Does FBD Stand For?’. Created by The Public House, PHD Media, and Bodacious Films this campaign is the latest in FBD’s ‘Support. It’s what we do.’ brand platform..

Most insurance shoppers consider less than three insurers at renewal time, making it hard to stand out and hold attention in this highly competitive category. The campaign strategy is cleverly designed to keep three letters at the top of the mind, driving brand recall at consideration time.

The creative crux of this campaign uses a simple insight - although FBD has been a household name for over 50 years, many people don’t know what the FBD initialism stands for. Rather than reveal the true answer, The Public House got creative with weird, wonderful, humorous and cinematic false answers, only to reveal that FBD stands for support. Support that is demonstrated through great products, promotions, services and community initiatives. This is the first TV campaign in Ireland to have been shot entirely against a 360° volume wall, filming technology usually reserved for Hollywood blockbusters. That choice allowed FBD to create more outlandish, otherworldly, and cinematic scenes, free from the limitations of shooting on location.

Sharon Treanor, head of marketing for FBD Insurance, said, “Our ‘What Does FBD Stand For’ campaign has been incredibly effective for the brand to date, having picked up an Effie earlier this year. We are excited to launch the next iteration of this memorable construct and continue to build our ‘Support. It’s What We Do. platform.”

Mikey Curran, associate creative director at The Public House, said, “Thinking in FBD initialisms has to be one of the most fun briefs that can land on your desk. Our first campaign walked so that this one could run around battlefields, and float in space. We swapped fuschia lycra cycling gear for a black lycra bat outfit, so it’s nice to see skin-tight wardrobe will always find a natural home. If there was a Venn diagram of cinema and comedy, Chris Cottam’s directing landed us squarely in the middle. We think this campaign will again prove excellent at worming its way into people’s minds come renewal time. This is a creative well that never seems to run dry.”

Speaking of the campaign, Sarah Walsh, head of strategy at The Public House, said, “Humour is an incredibly effective device and surprisingly underutilised in advertising. After the success of our first campaign, we knew we had an opportunity to take this campaign idea to the next level.”

This campaign is an example of The Public House’s anti-formula approach to grabbing attention. The indie agency’s ‘Boring Doesn’t Sell’ philosophy can be seen throughout work for their diverse portfolio of ambitious clients including 48 Mobile, Dunnes Stores, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, and Irish Independent.