As part of a campaign to promote their range of home and contents insurance, Newcastle branches throughout the region mocked up their windows as if there had been a break-in. The boarded-up windows carried the strapline, “Good job we do insurance!” along with the Newcastle website address.
However, it appears that the visuals were more effective than Newcastle had accounted for. So realistic looking were the broken glass and boarding that it prompted the concern of local police. One civic-minded bobby dropped into the South Shields branch to investigate the apparent vandalism. He was greeted by sheepish staff who had to explain that it was simply an innocent marketing campaign.
Christine Heslop, the marketing manager at Newcastle, commented: “Marketing campaigns obviously have to be eye-catching and these window displays certainly are. As well as the fake boarded-up and cracked windows, we also had imitation banana skins on the floor. We’re delighted that the police responded so quickly to the 'incident'. With tens of thousands of people in this region having to make a claim on their home and contents policy every year there is a serious message behind the fun campaign. Ensuring you are properly covered can save you time, hassle and money in the event of the unexpected.”
