Daikin has launched a new ad campaign sans Dan Carter, saying it was time to change up its brand positioning and stand on its own two feet. Instead of Dan there’s now a boy who has some serious separation issues with his friend’s heat pump.
The heat pump brand released two TVCs released via Sugar&Partners and directed by Alyssa McClelland of Finch. The two spots—titled ‘New Dad’ and ‘Nothing’s Quieter’—feature the boy expressing some serious reluctance when it comes to leaving his friend’s Daikin-containing home. Upon ending, both ads allude to the company’s new tagline, “Daikin – creating your favourite places”.
In the first ad, the boy is even willing to go so far as to claim he doesn’t recognise his father who came to pick him up so he doesn’t have to leave the comfort of the Daikin, saying, “who’s this guy? I don’t know this guy” and accepting his friend’s Dad as his new father instead, before being dragged away reluctantly from the house as he yells “Daikin!”. The second, shorter spot stresses Daikin’s long-pushed quietness of its heat pumps.
Sugar&Partner’s creative director Dave nash says: “Stepping away from Dan was a very conscious decision for us, it was right two years ago when establishing our specialist credentials – but it’s time the brand stood on it’s own two feet and established it’s own voice and style.”
He says adapted versions of the commercials will also run in Australia.
“The positioning of ‘Creating your favourite places’ speaks to the benefit-led approach the brand will be taking, rolling out campaign collateral through dealerships and media placements in New Zealand and Australia.”
