The 19th century playwright and poet famously observed that `there is one worse than being talked about, it is not being talked about.’
As witty remarks go it isn’t one of Wilde’s best, but it is especially true in today’s fame monster world, where celebrity net worth depends on constant publicity and PR campaigns. So IE says salutes Dead Happy’s bold step of upsetting those who live to take offence at everything and no doubt incur the wrath of the ASA.
Even when the ad is withdrawn, it will be remembered – and so will the brand. That’s great advertising; you don’t have to book space and it still gets coverage.
In any case, the Dead Happy Shipman campaign is no more provocative than the constant stream of climate change and grievance card wokery that many insurance brands now crowbar into their marketing. Some might say a poor taste joke does no lasting damage to society, unlike green policies which transfer wealth to the tax-dodging rich, collapse society via mass migration and lock up the poor in 15 minute cities.
Here’s the GlobalData take on the Dead Happy Life insurance campaign;
Following the news of UK life insurer, DeadHappy, has run into anger over its recent advertising campaign featuring an image of Harold Shipman accompanied by the line “because you never know who your doctor might be”;
GLOBALDATA VIEWBenjamin Hatton, Insurance Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:
“DeadHappy has positioned itself as a new and creative player in the life insurance industry through its blunt but often humorous branding. With straplines such as “life insurance to die for” and “please die responsibly”, the insurer is clearly looking to bring life insurance to younger consumers with its unique branding and website design featuring skulls and graffiti-style writing. It uses very direct and simple language, and everything can be done online, as it looks to engage millennials in the life insurance market. According to the insurer itself, 8.5 million UK adults do not have life insurance, so there is clearly large, untapped potential within the market.
Note: Halo Insurance, Marshmallow, Kudo, and Locket were not asked about in 2020.
“One of the most significant barriers to growth for insurance startups is consumer recognition. According to GlobalData’s 2022 UK Insurance Consumer Survey, the most well-known insurtech brand in the UK, Marmalade, was recognized by just 14.4% of consumers. DeadHappy is in second place on this list, growing from 9.3% recognition in 2020 to 14.3% in 2022. DeadHappy’s advertising campaigns and strategies, although evidently not universally popular, is clearly helping it to grow its brand.
“DeadHappy is looking to change consumer attitudes towards death and make conversations surrounding life insurance less arduous than many believe is currently the case. This advertising campaign is quite on-brand for the company, which has already been in trouble once for allegedly ‘trivializing suicide’ in an advert in 2019.
Perhaps stepping over the line again, this will continue to drive interest in the band, and perhaps ultimately, grow interest in purchasing life insurance when people see it treated in a different light to traditional players. Despite the current negative headlines featuring in publications beyond the insurance press, DeadHappy may feel the publicity will be beneficial in the long run.”
HOW MANY ARE ACTUALLY OFFENDED?
Insurance Edge looked on Twitter, spiritual home of pile-ons and I Am Offended campaigns, to gauge the level of outrage.
We found one tweeter who said “Fair play” thinking it was funny. No other outrage.
On Facebook we found that a user calling himself Rod Glen hoped “the ad fallout destroys your company.” The Shipman post on FB had 25 comments but IE cannot view them as we don’t do Facebook.
Browsing the comments on Mail Online, who covered the story, several users noted that many GPs have been paid a fee to inject the vx into people for two years, so perhaps that is a bigger risk than meeting a criminal GP intent on altering your Will and profiting from your demise. The best rated comment on Mail Online was “Good marketing tbh.” One user noted; “You are quite safe these days, dificult to commit murder over Zoom.”
Most of the mainstream media complaints seem to come from within the insurance sector itself, who feel the ad is in poor taste.
Be the first to comment