Some categories are naturally high interest: technology, entertainment and even the latest sneakers have a head start on generating attention. Insurance? Not so much. The ultimate grudge purchase, it’s seen by most people as a necessary evil. As a result, it’s a sleepy category that not many people spend much time thinking about. That inertia is the reason many Canadians pay considerably more than they need to for coverage.

The launch of RATESDOTCA in early 2021 was designed to shake people out of their complacency and to begin creating a new expectation of more-competitive car insurance rates. The company, formed through the amalgamation of several smaller ones, is an insurance aggregator. Its online platform simplifies the process of comparing rates from multiple providers. In some countries, 40% of insurance is bought through aggregators. In Canada, only 5% of policies are purchased that way.

With a desire to bring clarity, simplicity and, most of all, competitiveness to the Canadian marketplace, RATESDOTCA debuted in Ontario in spring 2021. The company’s intent was to shake up a low-interest category and bring change to the way Canadians buy insurance.

The challenge was to launch RATESDOTCA as an insurance disruptor and encourage people to compare rates rather than willingly accept unnecessarily expensive premiums.

RATESDOTCA’s target is money-savvy, modern adults – responsible individuals hitting major life milestones, like getting married or purchasing a house. They appreciate brands that enable them to be productive and efficient, saving them both time and money.

Ironically, most of them don’t apply that thinking to insurance. Many think insurance is expensive, yet few put even minimal effort into seeking a better rate. Every year at renewal, they succumb to high rates because they perceive it’s a hassle to comparison shop. Or, worse yet, they don’t think about it at all. A Leger study commissioned by RATESDOTCA confirmed that fewer than 25% of Ontarians bother to shop around for lower premiums.

That lack of curiosity is costly. The same Leger study confirmed that when people do shop around and switch insurance providers, many save more than $600 annually. The contrast between the small effort required to find better rates and the size of the potential savings led to the insight at the heart of the campaign: the most expensive part of insurance is your own complacency.

What cures indifference? A jolt. One that could break through the insurance category’s inherent conservatism and overtly challenge consumers’ inertia.

That jolt came in the form of the “Don’t Get Milked” campaign. Embracing a common metaphor for overpaying, it provided not just the language to define the problem but also a vivid symbol of consumers’ complacency: a sack of cow udders. Large, pink and unapologetic. Zulu Alpha Kilo recognized this breakthrough approach would be polarizing, and they embraced it as a key strategy to rouse people out of their inertia.

In a series of TV and online videos set inside an auto repair shop, a woman’s car is hoisted in the air with an unlikely protuberance dangling from its undercarriage: udders. A wise, seen-it-all mechanic quickly diagnoses her problem: she’s getting milked on her car insurance, the consequence of never comparing insurance rates.

The campaign also includes digital and static OOH boards and radio as well as social and digital executions. The call to action across the campaign drove people to use the completely redesigned RATESDOTCA website to compare quotes and save on their rates.

All elements were tied together by a newly designed corporate identity, including the name RATESDOTCA itself. They recommended the new name for its clarity and simplicity and to reinforce the importance of consumers seeking a better rate. The new identity presented the brand in a bold black-and-red treatment that reflects confidence and creates presence.

Getting people to recognize the cost of their own complacency has set RATESDOTCA on a path to be a game changer in the Canadian insurance landscape. “Don’t Get Milked” has only been in-market since early spring but immediately drove an incredible 22% increase in quotes generated, compared to the same period a year ago for the companies that amalgamated into RATESDOTCA.

The breakthrough campaign generated a 180% increase in web traffic compared to 2020 and a 4.5% conversion rate (the number of people who got quotes and went on to buy their insurance through RATESDOTCA’s aggregator platform). For a new company intent on enabling every Canadian to make good choices for their insurance and finance, it’s a sign that consumer inertia can be challenged.

Insurance is a tough category in which to generate attention, but the message of “Don’t Get Milked” combined with the visual of udders has spurred a lot of talk on social media platforms. Detractors’ favourite descriptors so far tend to be “gross” and “ridiculous.” Commentary even came from some very unexpected places: Underdogs: Blue Jays Daily podcast did a 10-minute segment debating the campaign, and then went so far as to invite a representative from RATESDOTCA onto the show to talk about it in a subsequent episode. That invitation was happily accepted, leading to even more airtime and attention.

The campaign’s supporters praised it with comments like “these commercials crack me up” and “udderly amazing.” The brand's willingness to be disruptive and embrace polarization has helped put RATESDOTCA on the map.