Back in 2006, Comparethemarket.com was a small player in what was the 'car insurance comparison' category at the time. This is a category where market share is king. The bigger you are the more likely you are to survive. In a category where market share is determined by spend, CtM were fourth in a category of four.
And everybody's facts and benefits were the same. By increasingly focusing on 'differentiating' claims in advertising, all the sites increasingly blended into one.
CtM's only option was to do something different. In a context where the competition are perceived to be irritating and disliked, they worked out that if they could entertain and get people to like them, then they might just be able to stand out.
And so, Aleksandr Orlov was born. A loveable but complez character who was desperately frustrated by the confusion between Comparethemarket.com and Comparethemeerkat.com
As a result, the love people grew to have for Aleksandr had an outstanding impact on the fortunes of the brand
