Reel Ad of the Week

Shaq, T-Pain & Bumblebee Roll into The General’s new campaign

By Reel Chicago
June 11, 2025

The General Insurance just launched a blockbuster campaign—produced by local powerhouse Energy BBDO—featuring cultural heavyweights Shaquille O’Neal, T‑Pain, and even Bumblebee from Transformers.

Debuting on May 29 across TV, digital, and social, the campaign reinforces The General’s reinvigorated “Break” platform, now in its fourth year and centered on making insurance more relatable through humor, music, and pop culture.

Since 2021, The General has deliberately pivoted away from dry insurance messaging, opting instead for campaigns that resonate with its audience’s passions. This latest rollout, with spots anchored by Shaq, bridges the gap between everyday insurance needs and cultural moments, from chart-topping music to blockbuster movies. It’s a bold move for a brand aiming to align itself with moments that matter.

Why Shaq + T‑Pain?

Harnessing T‑Pain’s journey from autotune icon to viral Tiny Desk concert sensation, the ad tackles the notion of being unfairly labeled. As The General’s VP of Marketing Kale Sligh puts it: “We realized there can often be one perception of people—like T‑Pain… He’s so much more…and thanks to The General and his dancing sidekick Shaq, they’re happy to help anyone get a break on car insurance and also break free from a box you’ve been put in.”

Bumblebee Brings the Blockbuster Thrill

For action‑movie and comic-book fans, nothing says pop culture crossover like Bumblebee. In the Transformers spot, the sentient Camaro’s “acting up” provides comedic chaos until The General steps in with “a break with 5‑star coverage.” Sligh explains: “Transformers felt like a natural tie… placing Bumblebee as Shaq’s newest ride.” Watch below:

Cassidy Buzin, Group Creative Director at Energy BBDO, emphasizes the campaign’s tone: “We wanted to take the idea of ‘giving people a break’ into unexpected, entertaining territory… tapping into pop culture and humor to show how The General truly understands its audience.” Her counterpart Jon Leachman adds: “The energy between T‑Pain and Shaq… elevates this to another level of entertainment and hopefully shows our audience we see you and we get you.”

The General’s Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, Stephanie Smith, notes this is the brand’s first campaign with Sentry: “From the start… our teams aligned on storytelling, relatability, and showing up in culture… fresh and authentic to the brand.”

T‑Pain himself weighed in: “There’s way more to me than being ‘the autotune guy,’… We all deserve a break from being mislabeled… Working with Shaq was an easy yes… If we can make people laugh and help them save on car insurance? That’s a win‑win.

The campaign includes two spots: T‑Pain “Break From AutoTune” (:30/:15) and Transformers “Acting Up” (:30/:15), available in both English and Spanish. Launching May 30, the rollout spans a wide range of platforms including linear TV (ABC, BET, Comedy Central, ESPN), OTT services (Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, Netflix), connected TV (Amazon, Tubi, Twitch), and major social channels such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit.

As BBDO Chicago continues to flex its storytelling muscles, The General’s campaign reinforces a powerful message: insurance doesn’t have to be boring—it can entertain, connect, and affirm. And with this star-studded approach, they just might be the most culturally in-tune provider in the market.

CREDITS:

BRAND: The General Insurance