Tower's 'Worry' campaign tickles New Zealand.

Brown, furry creatures called Worries are the stars of a popular advertising campaign in New Zealand. The television commercial was developed from Tower Insurance Ltd.'s company objective--"to help customers feel sure their insurance is sorted, so they can get on with their lives rather than being tied to insurance loss," said Merran Anderson, a Tower spokeswoman.

The insurer turned to Auckland-based ad agency Generator to help it discover what a Worry looked like and to develop the new campaign. After using focus groups' input on what they worry about and what they think a Worry looks like, the Tower Worry campaign rolled out in 2003. The first phase of the campaign aired in programming such as news and documentaries. Tower focused the Worry ads on television because it's the most effective way to reach New Zealand's population of 4 million, of which about 1 million are Tower's target audience, said Anderson.

The original commercials showed the Worry creatures scuttling about after an insured loss, such as a car accident or burst pipe. The last scene showed the policyowner calling Tower during a voiceover of the ad's tagline--"We'll help sort out your worries."

Last October, Tower rolled out its second generation Worry campaign that introduced two new characters--Sarah and Stu--Tower's Worry Catchers. The new ads were created to continue the theme that Tower takes worries away. The Worry Catchers resemble park rangers and drive an SUV in pursuit of Worries. One commercial scenario shows Stu and Sarah touring the pound where the Worries are kept. The camera shows Worries hiding behind sofas in a living room as the voiceover says "house and content worries in their natural environment," and in another cage is a Worry relaxing on a beach chair with a drink, followed by the line "over there is the holiday home and vacation Worry."

The television commercials have attracted both good and bad recognition. A consumer television program in New Zealand--"Fair Go"--voted the original Worries ads one of the worst commercials of the year. However, Anderson said the new Worry Catcher ads were voted onto a top 10 list of favorite ads by consumers, according to AdMedia magazine. This was the first time Tower's ads appeared on the Top 10 list. The ads also boosted sales, Anderson said, with phone inquiries up 13% in 2003.

According to Anderson, the public have grasped onto the Worries. "I take two or three phone calls a week from people telling me how much they love or dislike the Worries. People have definite opinions about Worries. Some even want to adopt them." Tower also distributes squeeze toys and photos of the creatures. "A homeowner even cut their hedge in the shape of a Worry. There is lots of engaging character in the Worries," Anderson said.

Tower is a general insurer in New Zealand, marketing insurance via its four divisions--direct, finance, travel and FinTel, according to A.M. Best Co. Tower's general insurance lines--vehicle, contents and home--hold a 9% market share in New Zealand.