The General is on a mission to establish itself as the most empathetic, flexible insurance company in the nation. The General kicked off the next stage in a continued brand evolution journey by announcing the launch of a new campaign, titled The Break, with the goal of reaching drivers who need a break in life, and on their car insurance.
The Break campaign shows how The General puts itself into its customers’ shoes and gives drivers a break when they need one the most — which is why the brand has been providing quality insurance and flexibility in policies and payments since 1963.
The Break campaign includes new advertisements, partnerships and a brand refresh with both an updated logo and evolved General character. Across all assets, the campaign showcases The General’s simple belief: when times are tough and it feels like things aren’t going your way, getting a break on your car insurance can make all the difference. The brand’s four new ads launch this spring and summer and showcase the specific breaks that The General has been giving its customers for years, such as flexible payment options and choosing your own payment due date.
Beyond the series of commercials, The Break includes an evolved character, developed by Psyop, who has been modernized and made more relatable. Most significantly, his eyes are now revealed to better showcase his empathy. The General’s brand team also leaned into the history and prominence of the company’s current logo, retaining the symbolic five stars while elevating the new logo through a refreshed design. The new logo was initially designed internally before lettering artist and New York Times Bestselling Author, Jessica Hische, polished and finessed each letter.
“At The General, giving a break to those who need it most is at the heart of what we do,” said Kale Sligh, VP of marketing at The General. “This new campaign speaks to our mission to be the most flexible and empathetic insurance company and continues our brand evolution. We’re committed to supporting our customers when they need us and have been leaning into that for 60 years.”
The new ad spots — which mark the first round of work to come from The General’s creative agency, Energy BBDO — tout flexible payment options and coverage that meets customers where they are. The General tapped a cast of characters and celebrities who have, at one point or another, needed a break in life. The cast is representative of The General’s strategy to create authentic partnerships that align with its brand values and mission, as well as connect with a diverse group of drivers who all deserve a break.
The General’s new ad campaign features four spots, including Bad Luck Brian and Piraguero. Bad Luck Brian pairs iconic brand ambassador Shaquille O’Neal with internet celebrity Bad Luck Brian to show that even drivers with comically bad luck can catch a break with The General.
Piraguero connects with the fast-growing Hispanic audience by featuring Shaq and the newly evolved General visiting a street vendor serving Puerto Rican shaved ice. This spot, which is The General’s first-ever spot conceived and produced solely in Spanish, leans into The General’s commitment to creating authentic, relevant connections with Hispanic audiences.
“What really drew us to The General was how much the entire organization truly cares for its customers including showing empathy, something that’s not usually expected in the category. That’s how we landed the idea for the campaign,” said Josh Gross, chief creative officer at Chicago-based ad agency Energy BBDO. “It’s a big, universal idea, and we’re excited to see it usher in a new creative chapter for The General as well as kick off our partnership with these incredible clients.”
To connect with audiences around the country, The General is also embarking on a series of purposeful marketing partnerships that brings The Break messaging to life, starting with the NBA G League. The General announced its partnership as the exclusive auto-insurance partner of the NBA G League and G League Ignite in November and kicked off an eight-part docuseries titled The Break, presented by The General. The series has quickly become one of the best-performing G League partnered content series of all time, proving that The General’s “Break” messaging is already resonating with key audiences.
CREDITS
AGENCY
Josh Gross, Chief Creative Officer
Pedro Pérez, Chief Creative Officer
Cassidy Buzin, VP, Creative Director
Jon Leachman, Creative Director
Tony Marzano, Senior Copywriter
Alessandra Coloma, Junior Art Director
Abby Rogers, Art Director
Samantha Green, Junior Designer
Austin Navickis, Junior Content Creator for Motion
Anna Bleers, EVP, Client Service Director
Greg Morrison, SVP, Client Service Director
Juan Roman, Account Director
Lizzie Graft, Assistant Account Executive
Javier Bracero, Account Director
McKenzie Rome, Account Supervisor
Carla Eboli, EVP, Multicultural Market, D,E&I Lead
Jenny Haung, Associate Brand Manager
Larry Gies, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer
Shannon Smiley, SVP, Group Strategy Director
Mike Razim, Strategy Director
Chelsea Henricks, Social Strategy Director
Shobin Matthew, VP, Executive Producer
Lily McNamara, Senior Producer
Natalie Pomagier, Senior Producer
Mitch Monzon, SVP, Director of Production-Studio
Casey Cobler, VP, Managing Editor
Ben Treimer, Senior Audio Engineer
Lauren O’Machel, Post Producer
CLIENT
Elicia Azali- Enterprise Chief Marketing Officer- American Family Insurance Group
Tiku Raval- President- The General Insurance
Kale Sligh- VP, Marketing- The General Insurance
Mary Strength- Director, Brand & Experience- The General Insurance
Taylor Martin- Manager, Brand Strategy- The General Insurance
Lauren Littleton- Brand Strategist- The General Insurance
Andreall Moore- Brand Specialist- The General Insurance
Ruben Rivera- Multicultural Brand Strategy Advisor- American Family Insurance Group
WW7 PRODUCTION
Managing Partner: Josh Ferrazzano
Executive Producer: Sloane Skala
Line Producer: Terri Shafirov
Director: MAMA
DP: Erin Wesley
PSYOP ANIMATION
Director: Liam Griffin
Head of Production: Jamie Pastor
Executive Producer: Jen Cadic
Senior Producer: Jim Brattin
Associate Producer: Davell Lee Libbett, Chancelor Griffin
Head of 3D: Christian Bach
CG Supervisor: Fred Ross
Animation Director: Jean-Dominique Fievet
2D/Comp Supervisor: Randy McEntee, Bruno De La Calva
CG Animation): Pat Porter, David Camiro, Miki Sharlet, Monika Tenhuendfeld, Ben Mattern
CG Modeling/Lookdev: Ellie Stalie, Daniela Gomez, Yulong Jones, Oscar Trejo
CG Lighting: Carlos Taborda, Aldo Solis
Rigging: Ben Meyer, John Bloch, Darrol Moore
Shoot VFX Supervisor: Randy McEntee
VFX: Cristina Camacho, Luis Desman Gallegos, Steve Hallquist
Tech Animation: Nelio Naut, Zed Bennett
Comp: Ryan Raith, Bruno De La Calva, Galo Gutierrez, Rene Reyes, Tingting Li
Design: Enrique
After Effects: Clint Chang
Senior Flame Artist: Kim Stevenson
Color/Flame Assist: Cory Daniels, Alex Wysota
DMG: Shawn Schminke
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