To help launch their innovative new home repair service – AA Home Response – the AA, under the guiding hand of Rainger & Rolfe, reckoned from the outset communications would play a key role.
AA brand GM Dougal Swift says that communication began with a survey of a cross section of the AA’s 1.65 million members.
“We found that almost two thirds of those we surveyed said they had needed a tradesperson in the past 12 months,” he said.
“But unless they were connected through friends or family, getting someone to fix the problem fast was often difficult.”
Launched as a joint venture between the AA and AA Insurance, AA Home aims to get a qualified tradesperson to an emergency within 60 minutes, or at a time to suit the householder.
The new service will take care of the hassle of finding a tradesperson to fix common household breakdowns like blocked or burst pipes, lockouts and electrical failures 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Swift said: “We also felt communication and the launch of AA Home had to accurately express the quality of service on offer, so together with our agency Rainger & Rolfe we developed an engaging character we call Mr Reliable to clearly deliver our key messages to bring AA Home Response to life.”
“The campaign has just launched with a focus on select digital and outdoor channels in the first instance.”
AA Insurance head of marketing Richard Park says while it isn’t hard to search the internet or use social media to find potential tradespeople to call, its research found getting someone trustworthy to respond quickly were two main concerns for customers.
“By joining AA Home, customers can be reassured they can find someone who has been accredited and is qualified to do the work,” he said. “That peace-of-mind is very important for many people.
“For AA Insurance, we’re focused on mitigating any damage from a problem as quickly as possible to help get our customers’ homes sorted.”
Two services will be offered. The first, AA Home Response will cost $32 per year for AA members and AA Insurance customers, with non-members paying $49. However, AA Insurance home and landlord customers will automatically be gifted AA Home Response with their policies.
Under this product, users pay a callout fee at the service’s predetermined hourly rates prior to the tradesperson being dispatched. Those rates are based on research on market rates for callout fees throughout different trades and areas.
The second service, AA Home Response Plus, will cost $179 per year for members, with other homeowners and landlords paying $199. This subscription gives six free callouts per year, each including up to one hour of a tradesperson’s time, plus unlimited additional call outs on a pay per use basis.
The round-the-clock service, via 0800 224 663, has launched in the Auckland region and will gradually roll out to other centres.
The campaign has just launched with a focus on select digital and outdoor channels in the first instance. The campaign will also feature strongly throughout AA’s suite of channels, like AA Directions magazine, at AA branches and throughout AA digital channels and its website.
CREDITS
Client: AA Home
AA Home staffers: Dougal Swift, Richard Park, Sarah Gibson, Louise Burgess, Marina Strbac and Georgina Arona.
Agency: Rainger & Rolfe
R&Rers: Ant Rainger, Jen Rolfe, Sarah Busfield, Hugh Walsh (Huge), Alex Hughes, Yasin Karadeniz , Peter Mayo, James Hutchinson.
Media: Starcom
Starcom staffers: Alistair Jamison, Jonathan Allen, Sebastian vanDyk
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