Rhonda returns for AAMI
AAMI has released a new instalment of the saga of Rhonda and Ketut nearly a year on from the couple’s last appearance.
The latest ad from Ogilvy Melbourne sees the action shift from Bali to a high school reunion for Rhonda, played by actress Mandy McElhinney.
The Rhonda and Ketut saga captured the imagination of the general public and saw AAMI named Mumbrella’s advertiser of the year in 2012.
nice execution – haha
This campaign has now clearly surpassed Coles’ down down’ as the most cringeworthy advertising strategy created in Australia for the past 20 years.
This campaign has gone from from charming to charmless with this ad… Sad and cringeworthy loses all of the goodwill the previous ads had..just plain awkward
Awesome stuff Christian …
It’s not as cringeworthy as Yelwar makes it sound, but it does certainly look like they are milking this for all it’s worth… squeezing every last drop out of Rhonda and Ketut’s success. I do feel like they are really pushing hard to link the Rhonda character with the campaign message though… it felt natural in the first few ads, this feels a bit forced.
I expected to hate this, but I’m still emotionally invested in the storyline. YOU CAN’T LEAVE IT ON A CLIFFHANGER LIKE THAT!
Sure, it doesn’t make me want to insure with AAMI, but it does make me want to watch more of their ads.
It’s a pity they didn’t tap in to the Zeitgeist, and have Ketut jumping on a refugee boat to get to Rhonda, and then have Tony Abbott slam the door shut in his face…now THAT would have been funny
I agree with Tom & Chris, this is cringey!! I mean, who is this new character and what is his relation to AAMi insurance?
They have milked the characters and now I am just confused with what the brand message is and the correlation to this ad. No doubt there will be a further 2 TVCs which explain how it all relates back to AAMI – Ketut will have a car accident and AAMI will come to the rescue, but really – you should have left people wanting more, not wanting to spew in a bucket screaming cringe.
Time to move on folks.Nothing to see here.
Let it die! That was just painful
Mean tarty school friend in the ad – formerly a neighbours actor? Killing it! it must have taken a lot of creativity to watch Muriel’s Wedding to recreate the characters we see in these ads.
Clunky. Lame. Unfunny.
Though maybe I’m jealous coz I didn’t get invited to my own “Class of ’91” reunion.
Suddenly wanna watch “Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion” again…
To that list of people responsible for this. Don’t any of you watch the current Australian drama. Can’t you see how trite this is in comparison with the shows it will run in. Scenario advertising needs to keep up with entertainment the market are watching. Perhaps your client railroaded you. Or your director let you down. All you all just got a bit too excited. Because of you lot I”ve now got to change the channel every time this comes on.
Why would they ‘let it die’?
This campaign has infiltrated the audience in a way that hasn’t happened for years. EVERYONE knows Rhonda and Katut. there are knock off t-shirts in Bali saying ‘Katut is mine’!!! how many other advertising messages have had that kind of cut through?
If you don’t like the ad then…up to you…but no marketing team with half a clue would ever drop this now.
@erm
If Rhonda and the Bali guy still has marketing legs, then it needs better creative than this. It’s unfunny, packed with cllches and awkward.
Why did they have to make Rhonda a slut? She dumped Katut like a piece of shit.
@jackrussell
like I said in my post. I’m not debating the qualities of the ad. It’s subjective, some people will like it, some won’t….like anything really.
My point was that those claiming that they should ditch the story didn’t understand the impact that the characters have had on Australian audiences.
for what it’s worth I think it develops the story well. There are touches of (offspringesque) humour that I think the intended target market would like. But then that’s just me
Who’s this Ketut guy?
Disappointing, where’s the Rhonda & Ketut romance and chemistry ? This ad seems to not have any connection to aami or the previous story
Poor Ketut. I really enjoy watching the ads. Mention Rhonda and Ketut and most people know who you are talking about and Aami.
I am still trying to work out who “Trent Too Good” is?
A classic line in this add is “Ketut Kaput” and that just might be the case!
Who plays “Trent toogood” he’s off another ad but I can’t work out which one?
Its the end of the Rhonda & Ketut saga eh?
Now she has a new Beau!
Love the continued Ketut and Rhonda story!!! Who is the blonde bitchy high school friend? Why do I recognize her??
Who are the mean school friends?
Why is the reunion “class of 91”? Rhonda is at least 45 which would put her graduating high school in the mid eighties.
Such an obvious miscalculation ruins the whole Ad.
why does ketut only come in late at the end of this commercial, i don’t get it ?
Jade, I’d be willing to bet that the number of people who give a shit about the minutiae of a car insurance ad to that degree is precisely one.
oh seriously@ all the bashers for this ad. Its just a bit of a fun, the whole series takes the p– out Rhonda and her situations. I really like the commercial, poor Katut’s face at the end. hilarious
For the record elbogrease she didn’t dump him, she just came back from holidays. She obviously didn’t think he was going to follow her back to Oz. I agree, nice lil cliffhanger that.
Anyone know what the song is playing in the background?