![]() While the insurer’s core demographic tends to be financially established adults ages 35 to 64, the selection of the hit 1980s song allowed the company to connect with a wider range of people. With the Rickroll campaign, CSAA hoped to increase awareness and consideration among consumers ages 18 and up, and ultimately to generate more quotes and policies, Goldstein says. “The video has taken on a life of its own.” “We had scans from all over the country and even the world, which indicates that people were sharing the commercial themselves,” Goldstein says. In addition to appearing in the TV spot, the code also appeared on billboards, murals, and at sports stadiums in the 17 markets where CSAA operates. To bring the prank to life, consumers had to be intrigued enough to scan the QR code-and surprised when they reached the video. Getting the Rickroll aspect of the campaign right was equally important, Krahl adds. “We wanted to pay homage to the original experience.” “If we hadn’t executed the campaign carefully, there was a risk that we would ruin something people love,” Krahl says. Within 48 hours of the ad going live, a content creator had posted a side-by-side comparison of the original video and the new version, highlighting the similarity of the dance moves, characters, and other details. ![]() First, CSAA did not change the words to the song, as the insurer has done in previous ads based on pop hits, and second, it chose to recreate the iconic music video scene for scene. Two creative decisions were crucial to the campaign’s success, according to Goldstein. You can see in his smile that he genuinely enjoys performing the song.” “He was sharing stories from the original video with us,” Goldstein recalls. He shot the commercial in one day while in Boston-with a brief break to perform a live concert. Astley, who happened to be on tour that summer, was enthusiastic and agreed to participate. Once CSAA decided to pursue the idea of recreating “Never Gonna Give You Up,” the next step was to bring Rick Astley on board. “Reimagining ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ allowed us to continue the musical theme while creating a very unique experience-because the song is not just a song, it’s an experience.” “As we entered our third year of the insurAAAnce campaign, we wanted to expand the concept,” says Milton Correa, US Co-Head of Creative, Brand & Advertising for Deloitte Digital. Since that commercial, CSAA has produced several ads that put an insurance twist on the lyrics of popular songs, including “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence, which aired in the 2022 Super Bowl. “But we needed to make the word insurAAAnce catchy and teach people how to pronounce it. “The term conveys CSAA’s association with AAA, a brand that many people know and trust,” explains Jones Krahl, US Co-Head of Creative, Brand & Advertising for Deloitte Digital, which serves as agency of record for CSAA. The musical theme first emerged in a 2020 ad set to the song “All My Life” by K-Ci & JoJo, which introduced the concept that CSAA sells “insurAAAnce,” rather than insurance. This isn’t the first time CSAA has used popular music to break through to its audience. We can’t outspend our competitors we have to outsmart them.” “Yet our budget is in the millions, not billions. “We have to make sure people understand what differentiates our brand,” she says. Goldstein says the campaign has enabled CSAA to capture consumers’ attention-no small feat in the highly competitive insurance industry. People don’t expect a 100-year-old company to use QR codes, or to reference an internet meme.” ![]() “By Rickrolling consumers, we were able to contemporize the brand in an engaging and surprising way. “The words of this song bring our brand purpose to life in a way that we couldn’t articulate better if we tried,” says Linda Goldstein, CMO of CSAA, which provides auto, homeowners, and other personal insurance to AAA members. Ads featuring the QR codes ran on TV, online, and in outdoor placements, propelling the 60-second video to more than 5 million views in three months.įor CSAA, the song, the singer, and the unexpectedness of the Rickroll concept perfectly encapsulated the company’s aspirations. In the video, the modern-day Astley performs the song-complete with his signature toe taps, finger snaps, retro sunglasses, and trench coat-in a fictional CSAA office filled with employees dancing in white polos and khakis. This summer, CSAA Insurance Group took the surprise and delight of the Rickroll to a new level, with simple ads featuring just a QR code-topped by an undulating red hairline-that led viewers to a frame-by-frame recreation of the original music video.
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