Specialist insurer Hiscox has launched the latest iteration of “The Most Disastrous Campaign Ever”, expanding from print, radio and out-of-home executions for its first major TV blitz in nearly a decade.
The brand platform, running since 2023, dramatises the all-too-real risks that businesses face by showing things going spectacularly wrong in awkward, embarrassing, and humorous ways to underline the kinds of claims Hiscox business insurance is built to cover.
In a category crowded with sameness, perfect smiles and cloudless skies, Hiscox flips the script by focusing on what others avoid: risk. By embracing the realities of running a small business, the insurer is aiming to reinforce its deep understanding of the challenges small business owners face every day.
Created by Uncommon Creative Studio, the latest executions bring to life the risks that businesses face by making the ads themselves “accidentally” go wrong. Marking Hiscox’s return to TV, the series of films see a seemingly normal insurance ad “accidentally” glitch, run upside down, run with the audio in a foreign language, display at the wrong size and air with no picture at all.
The new TV launch builds on previous print and out-of-home executions, including one featuring staged copyright infringement of three iconic UK brands: Specsavers, Weetabix and Cillit Bang.
Other executions have included radio ads recorded in the wrong language, outdoor ads riddled with typos, an upside-down billboard, a smashed digital out-of-home screen, and a blank Metro cover-wrap due to a seemingly missed supply deadline.
“The Most Disastrous Campaign Ever” has helped Hiscox achieve significant gains in brand health and search volumes, contributing to record sales for the insurer, all while helping position Hiscox as a brand that truly understands the realities of running a small business.
The campaign, planned and bought by Mediaplus UK, was anchored in the biggest shared viewing moments on the calendar, including ITV drama and Gogglebox, before moving into the largest World Cup to be broadcast on ITV across June and July, reaching over 22 million adults.
Streaming across BVOD, SVOD and YouTube runs in support, extending reach among small business owners in high-attention environments and adding incrementality beyond linear.
Hiscox UK chief marketing manager Fiona Mayo said: “The Most Disastrous Campaign Ever’ has always been about showing the reality of running a small business – where things unfortunately don’t always go to plan. Launching the campaign on TV lets us bring those everyday risks to life in a vivid and memorable way. The latest executions playfully disrupt the category and remind business owners that Hiscox is right there with them, supporting them when it matters most.”
Uncommon co-founder Lucy Jameson added: “Insurance brands usually deal in vague positive claims – ‘at your side’ and the like – pretending life is all sunny uplands. But anyone who has run a small business knows the reality is very, very different. There are a million things that could go wrong every day and worrying about them keeps you up at night.
“A good insurer understands those risks and helps protect you against them. So rather than making polished ads about perfect lives, we made the ads themselves fall apart, building on the success of ‘The Most Disastrous Campaign ever’.
“Reminding people that when everything goes wrong Hiscox is here to help protect you. It’s disruptive and memorable – and talks to exactly what makes Hiscox different. They understand the people behind the policies. They get the reality not the fantasy.”
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