Income Insurance uses feline flexibility for a purrfect analogy

Ad Nut has an understandable aversion to dogs aka murderous beasts, but it harbours no hard feelings towards cats. In fact, these nimble, graceful creatures embody elegance, agility and an undeniable charm—traits that Ad Nut can appreciate. And therefore, Ad Nut finds Income Insurance’s latest spot delightful—one that encapsulates the agility and elegance of cats to showcase the flexibility of the Investment-Linked Plans (ILPs).

Crafted by BBH Singapore and Publicis Chemistry, the ad perfectly captures the zeitgeist of our meme-loving, cat-obsessed culture while delivering the message about financial adaptability.

The star of the show is of course, a fluffy cat. Cats, with their ability to contort through the tightest spaces and land on their feet, are an apt metaphor for flexibility. It's a clever and visually captivating approach. Watching this feline navigate a labyrinth of transparent tubes, mirroring the complex world of investments makes the idea of financial planning less daunting.

The ad's brilliance lies in its simplicity. With exactly nine words of subtext and voiceover, it is succinct, impactful, and refreshingly to the point, much like a cat’s disdain for superfluous affection. The visual narrative does the heavy lifting. It leaves leaving the viewer with a crystal-clear message: Income Insurance’s ILPs are as flexible as the internet’s favourite furball.

As part of the campaign, Publicis has created a series of cat stickers for Whatsapp and Instagram. Beyond the film, Income’s social media channels will amplify the message with humorous content featuring local cat influencers bending in positions that demonstrate flexibility.

Dhiren Amin, chief customer officer at Income Insurance, says, “When it comes to investments, flexibility is key to adapting to uncertainties and achieving financial goals. This campaign does the job of highlighting an otherwise functional benefit in an interesting way, tapping into a TikTok trend of showing the flexibility of cats. The very correlation of the two rather unconnected worlds of investments and Tik Tok cat memes makes this campaign enjoyable and hopefully draws people into the world of Income Insurance’s investment-linked products.”

Financial planning and investments can be dreary topics for a creative. The market is full of mundane, product-led spots. Ad Nut likes that the campaign is not just another run-of-the-mill insurance pitch, but a delightful watch led by everyone's favourite muse.

The campaign film is live on YouTube, StarHub TV+, Golden Village Cinemas and across social media.

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.