Every now and then a brand comes along that completely turns an industry on its head (or at least makes you do a serious double take). According to DeadHappy, a UK-based life insurance company, you should make a death wish – but it doesn’t mean what you think. To them a death wish doesn’t mean wishing to die. It means, what are your wishes once you’re dead (because it’s inevitable).
- Do you want to donate your money to a charity?
- Build a bronze statue?
- Give money to family members?
- Buy someone a puppy?
- Send your friends on holiday?
It’s ingenious; it’s their version of my socks. They’re dismissing the taboo of something that’s incredibly taboo. They’ve moved far beyond making the sensitivities irreverent; they’ve made them humorous and human. In fact, their tagline is Life Insurance to die for. #nailedit (insert coffin joke)
Nothing is Certain Except Death and Taxes
No one wants to face death, yet it’s something we all have to confront. So DeadHappy has taken a matter of fact approach to this macabre subject. Yep, death is coming. Yep, you need a plan. Yep, we want to make it painless (well, the after part, anyway). We’re not like the others, and so on.
Now, neither they nor I are suggesting you invite the Grim Reaper over for Sunday dinner, but we all know death is going to happen and moreover, we know we have a responsibility to our loved ones to look after them. So, for DeadHappy they’re owning that conversation rather than dancing around it in hushed tones.
So Crazy it Just Might Work
If you’ve ever seen Crazy People, it’s an amazing movie from the 90’s about an ad executive, played by Dudley Moore, who has a nervous breakdown and starts creating ads that actually tell the truth about the products they’re advertising. One such campaign, a fictitious life insurance ad from John Hancock, reads: “We know you love him, but if he dies, we give you a summer home and two Mercedes-Benzes. Wouldn’t that be nice, too?” Perhaps this film is what inspired DeadHappy. Or maybe they both just like speaking the truth.
You Don’t Need a Deathwish
In an era of message overload and content clutter up the wazoo, sometimes taking an irreverent approach might actually be the most honest thing you can do. It also might get you noticed for all the right reasons. So, while you don’t need a death wish to make an impact, you do need an agency that has a “what if we try this?” approach. Let’s talk.