Compare The Meerkat: A Masterclass in Behavioral Economics and Brand Building

The 'Compare the Meerkat' campaign for Comparethemarket.com stands as one of the most successful and enduring advertising campaigns of the digital era. What started as a clever play on words transformed into a cultural phenomenon that dramatically reversed the fortunes of a mid-tier price comparison website.

The Campaign That Changed Everything

In 2009, Comparethemarket.com was merely the fourth largest price comparison website in the UK—a forgettable player in a commoditized market. Their advertising agency, VCCP, faced a daunting challenge: how to stand out in a category where all competitors were essentially selling the same service and saying the same things.

Enter Aleksandr Orlov, the aristocratic Russian meerkat with his catchphrase "Simples!" and his frustration at confused customers looking for "cheap meerkats" instead of "cheap market." This seemingly absurd concept became the cornerstone of what would become a masterclass in effective advertising.

1. The Power of Distinctive Brand Assets

David Ogilvy once said, "You cannot bore people into buying your product." The Compare the Meerkat campaign epitomizes this philosophy. The character of Aleksandr Orlov is unmistakably distinctive—from his Russian accent to his aristocratic demeanor to his catchphrase.

In a market where competitors were using functional messaging about saving money (creating what behavioral economists call "choice fatigue"), Comparethemarket.com zigged while others zagged. They created what Rory Sutherland would call "distinctive brand assets"—ownable, memorable elements that create mental availability and brand salience.

2. The Strategic Use of Incongruity

The campaign's genius partly lies in its deliberate use of incongruity. As Sutherland might note, the human brain pays more attention to things that are unexpected or that violate our predictions. The complete non-sequitur of connecting meerkats to market comparison creates what psychologists call a "pattern interrupt" that demands attention.

Ogilvy understood that advertising must first get noticed to be effective. The absurdity of the meerkat concept served as what he might call a "stopper"—an element so unexpected that it forces the audience to pause and pay attention.

3. From Attention to Memory: Building Mental Availability

Both Ogilvy and modern behavioral scientists like Byron Sharp emphasize that effective advertising must build memory structures. The Compare the Meerkat campaign excels here, creating what Sharp calls "distinctive memory retrieval cues" through:

• The character of Aleksandr Orlov himself
• The "Simples!" catchphrase that entered everyday language
• The consistent visual style
• The storyline that evolved over time

These elements create what Ogilvy would call "brand image"—a complex set of associations that come to mind when thinking about the brand.

4. The Emotional Connection

Ogilvy famously said, "The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible." The Compare the Meerkat campaign embraces humor not just for entertainment but as a strategic tool.

Sutherland would point out that humor creates an emotional connection that bypasses rational scrutiny. When we laugh, we form a positive association with the source of that laughter. The campaign doesn't try to rationally persuade us that Comparethemarket.com has better prices—it makes us feel good about the brand.

5. The Long-Term Brand Building Approach

Perhaps most impressively, the campaign has endured for over a decade—evolving while maintaining its core identity. This longevity reflects Ogilvy's belief that "You never tire of a good creative theme, you burn it out."

Rather than changing campaigns regularly, Comparethemarket.com recognized the value of consistency. They introduced new meerkat characters, new storylines, and new executions, but maintained the distinctive assets that made the campaign recognizable and effective.

6. From Campaign to Business Transformation

The campaign's true genius was transforming a marketing challenge into a business opportunity. The introduction of "meerkat toys" as a reward for customers who purchased through the site added a tangible benefit to an otherwise intangible service.

This approach reflects Sutherland's belief in "meaningfully different" brand properties—creating perceived value beyond functional benefits. The meerkat toys became collectibles, driving sales and customer loyalty in ways that price comparison alone never could.

7. The Business Results: Effectiveness Beyond Creativity

While creatively brilliant, the campaign's true success lies in its business impact:

• Comparethemarket.com moved from 4th to 1st in their category
• Site visits increased by 83% within the first year
• Customer acquisition costs decreased by 73%
• The company achieved a 76% increase in profit

These results validate Ogilvy's famous assertion that "If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative."

8. Solving the Right Problem

Sutherland often speaks about "solving the right problem." The campaign's genius was recognizing that the challenge wasn't about convincing people that Comparethemarket.com had better prices—it was about getting people to remember the brand when they needed insurance.

The meerkats provided a solution to this memory problem, creating distinctive mental shortcuts to the brand that competitors couldn't replicate.

9. The Transmedia Storytelling Approach

The campaign extended beyond traditional advertising into what we now call "transmedia storytelling"—creating an entire meerkat world across channels:

• A autobiography ("A Simples Life") that became a bestseller
• Social media accounts with millions of followers
• The collectible meerkat toys
• A digital world that evolved with technology

This multi-platform approach maintained relevance and engagement far beyond what traditional advertising could achieve.

10. Lessons for Modern Marketers

The enduring success of Compare the Meerkat offers several key lessons:

• Distinctiveness trumps differentiation - Being memorable is more important than claiming to be different in commoditized markets
• Emotional connection matters - Especially in low-interest categories
• Consistency with evolution - Maintaining distinctive assets while allowing the campaign to evolve
• Think beyond the campaign - Turning marketing ideas into business opportunities
• Measure what matters - Focus on business results, not just creative awards

As Ogilvy might say, the campaign succeeded not just because it was creative, but because it recognized "the customer is not a moron, she's your wife"—treating the audience with respect while delighting them with unexpected charm.