CULVER CITY, CA — Mercury Insurance recently partnered with agency Kovel/Fuller (www.kovelfuller.com) to create a multi-spot campaign that will run throughout 2017. The first commercial in the campaign debuted this summer and features the insurance company’s ‘super agents,’ who are always on-hand when disaster strikes — in this case, a battle between two superheroes.
Superhero Damage is set in a suburban home, where the male homeowner — a superhero fan himself — describes to the agents the fantastic battle that took place.
“It was an ambitious idea,” says Erik Thompson, advertising director for the Mercury Insurance Group. “We look to capitalize on pop culture,” he adds, noting that the summer is often full of superhero-themed films.
“Last year, I knew Jurassic World was coming, so we brainstormed: What if it was ‘real’ and in your neighborhood, and the dinosaurs escaped?” suggests Thompson. While cars and homes were destroyed by a T-rex, the Mercury agents were there to handle the cleanup. Their mission: “to save you money.”
John Bonito directed the new campaign, including Superhero Damage, shooting with an Arri Alexa. The car that lands in the kitchen as a result of the battle — a C-class Mercedes — was a real car, taken from Mercury’s auto salvage yard.
According to Kovel/Fuller’s Lee Kovel, the spot is the result of practical effects, shot on-set, and digital visual effects created by Ring of Fire (www.ringoffire.com). The house, with its broken roof, was a set build, as were some of the LED-lit ice crystals and freeze rays. The semi-frozen goldfish bowl is CG, as are the ice and flame beams that come together to create a large blast at the end of the commercial.
The :30 spot was edited in-house at Kovel/Fuller using Adobe Premiere. Independent sound designer Frank Serafine created the soundtrack for the commercial, giving it the feel of a big-budget Hollywood effects film.
The second spot in the campaign will roll out in January and will also feature the Mercury agents, along with a combination of humor and digital VFX. This one will be set in a school classroom on ‘career day,’ where the Mercury agents impress the young audience with their money-saving solutions.