These Direct Line Commercials Are Rich With Creativity And Pop Culture

Friends, a couple of days ago a friend on Facebook was kind enough to share a link to a series of UK television ads for the Direct Line insurance company. Much like Walmart did just recently with their clever television commercials featuring characters from the likes of Mars Attacks!, Blade Runner, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure – the three offerings from Direct Line also dip heavily into nostalgia and pop culture. In fact if I didn’t know better I might wonder if they weren’t dreamed up by the same advertising company. The first thing that caught my eye from that Facebook link was that one of the ads featured RoboCop from the 1987 science fiction/action film – although Peter Weller is sadly not in the the iconic suit – thanks to Bloody Disgusting though I have learned that Derek Mears (Swamp Thing, Friday the 13th, Predators) is the one portraying Officer Alex Murphy. Although at the heart of all of these Direct Line insurance commercials is the fact… that the insurance company is a little more helpful than the icons featured in the ads themselves.

Besides Murphy from 1987’s RoboCop, the Direct Line ads also recruited the loveable Autobot scout from 2018’s Bumblebee – although yet again it seems the insurance company is better prepared to help it’s customers. Actually, if we are being totally honest here… Bumblebee kind of does some major damage in his attempt to help someone – maybe he should be the one calling Direct Line?

I have saved my favorite of the Direct Line commercials for the last as it features none other than Donatello from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Furthermore I appreciate the ad manages to provide a merging of both the comic book version and the 2007 animated film. In addition I love that compared to the other pop culture icons in the ads – Donatello is smart enough to come out ahead for his efforts!

I have a feeling we are going to be seeing more and more of these types of ads in the coming years, my friends. And if they are just as well done as these commercials from Direct Line or Walmart – I personally look forward to seeing what is in store.