"Great insurance, Obviously"

6 April 2026

45s

Cushioning the blow.

A cushion that appears out of nowhere is a perfect metaphor for the value of insurance in this trio of Australian ads which examines three different scenarios.

In the first, a terrible driver is assisted by the sudden advent of a cushion to prevent an expensive collision, before another cushion comes to his rescue when he nearly makes the same mistake.

The second scenario features a man worried about property damage in a storm, while the third has the cushion conveniently preventing a burglar from egressing into a home.

It's a simple but highly effective device to remind punters of the way insurance can mitigate disaster. Arguably, the ads imply that insurance helps to prevent disaster which is a bit naughty, but we assume the audience is sophisticated enough to realise that is not what is being claimed.

The use of a backronym to claim that GIO stands for 'Great Insurance, Obviously' helps to cement the straightforwardness of the proposition. (It actually stands for Government Insurance Office, revealing its state-owned origin story.)

Australia

Insurance