A lot like you. A little different.

If you live outside of Washington State, you’ve probably never heard these terrific ads for Pemco Insurance. They are well-written, spot-on caricatures of Northwest residents. “We’re a lot like you,” they claim, “a little different.”

The award-winning ads have been running for about 3 years now, introducing new characters with frequency, so that the audience doesn't burn out on the commercials. This is why it’s a great campaign. It has LEGS.



While I admire the writing a great deal, the voice of these Pemco stories is also unique. Henry Dardenne is the announcer and his dead-pan read is the perfect messenger for these goofy portraits of (semi) regular Washington folk. Henry’s voice reminds me a tad of Sterling Holloway (Disney’s Winnie the Pooh). Does Disney need a new Pooh? I’ll bet he could nail that impression!



The creators of the campaign, DNA Brand Mechanics, are so clever that they even have a website devoted solely to the bit: http://www.werealotlikeyou.com/ On this site not only can you can listen to the plethora of amusing commercials, watch the TV spots, but you can create your own wacky Northwest profile.

Anyone interesting in advertising/marketing/branding can benefit from spending a little time in the world that DNA has created for Pemco. Especially writers and voice-actors. They’re a lot like us! A little different.