I think we can all safely say that the Compare the Meerkats (Compare the Market) has been one of the most successful adverts in 2009. However, there is now a competitor in the form of Gio Compario (Go Compare) the slightly, ahem, rotund opera singer.
If you have not heard of Gio Compario then you will do soon. He looks like a slightly Italian Peter Kay – though i doubt he’s ever been to Bolton.
The world of car insurance has always been a particularly competitive one. The compare the meerkat campaign really has been a masterstroke and shows how a bit of clever linguistic charm and some coolio viral marketing has made the smaller brand a significant player in the insurance industry. I bet the shareholders are over the moon.
So, can an annoying, portly italian opera singer called Gio really compete with Aleksandr Orlov the amazing meerkat? Well, he does have a microsite to help promote him and you can always become a fan of his on FaceBook and he is already becoming quite popular. He has got a quirky catchline in the form that ‘he’s only a tenor’. However, i cannot personally see Gio Compario having the same impact as the Meerkat. The character does not seem as ‘friendly’ or ‘approachable’ as Aleksandr and the whole concept just seems to imitate the original far too much.
The Compare the Meerkat range has taken influence somewhere from some source as its very hard to design in a vacuum but will be seen as the original and the best and poor old Gio a mere imitation.