A not-that sad inevitability of video marketing is that brands and brand ambassadors eventually have to go their separate ways. Well, except for Ronald McDonald. That escapee from the Id of Stephen King is yoked in for the long haul and then some. For most, however, divorce is as certain as death and taxes, and as if to perfectly illustrate that claim, Iggy Pop and car insurance firm Swiftcover have just parted company.

One of the more curious video marketing campaigns of recent times, Swiftcover’s signing of Iggy Pop to front its commercials served to both dramatically raise the profile of the motor insurance outfit and also attract copious moans ‘n’ groans from the self-appointed keepers of rock’s sacred flame of rebellion, all whining that the Stooges frontman had sold out – as if they all would have been so hip to spotting the merits of Pop and his cohorts when the original Stooges records were released and panned into near-oblivion, with the non-sales to match.    

But the Pop/Swiftcover detractors are now free to de-work themselves from their collective lather, as the rock ‘n’ roller has been supplanted by two new animated characters: a pair of dogs named Sid and Johnny, voiced respectively by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton from League of Gentlemen. And while the new ads will screen on TV in January, they are debuting first on the Swiftcover Facebook page. How modern.       

Mind you, in an episode which offers salutary lesson for firms seeking to engage with their public via social media, the unveiling of the new campaign has, it is fair to say, left Swiftcover customers underwhelmed, hoping as they apparently were that the trailed ‘big announcement’ might revolve around them saving some money on their insurance, rather than a pair of cartoon pooches.

To wit, the four Facebook responses so far to the announcement read ‘Oh.’, ‘Care?’, ‘What a let-down!!’ and ‘Yeah, just chuck more of our premiums on advertising! Well done!’ The natives, it would seem, are revolting…

Are you interested in harnessing the benefits of video marketing for your own firm? Well, get in touch with SpectrevVids then, and find out about some of the great video production packages available, all at eminently affordable prices.