Virgin Money is shaking up the traditional approach to direct response TV advertising with a series of insurance spots that are set to tickle the funny bone. 

Created by The Works, the campaign for Virgin Money’s Income Protection and Life insurances uses humour to get people thinking about insurance in a different way. 

The Life Insurance spot features a try-hard, stand-up comedian whose tragic ‘performance’ was discovered on YouTube by Virgin Money.

Mike Gamms, writer and want-to-be-megastar’s unfunny jokes fail to get a laugh and he figuratively dies on stage. The key message: ‘We all die. But we don’t all have cover. Virgin Money provides life insurance for all types of people. Even him.’ 

Gamms revealed his delight at having received the call up to star inVirgin Money’s latest ad: "People have doubted me all my life. They said I wasn't funny, that I was nothing but another cornball. Well take me out of the microwave, because it looks like this cornball has finally popped!" 

Both ads feature the track ‘Leaves’ by upcoming poprock band Cheers Elephant from Philadelphia. Virgin Money was drawn to the band’s upbeat, playful and energetic sound, described by USA Today as “easy to love and hard to ignore”, values shared with the Virgin Money brand. 

Kevin Macmillan, creative partner at The Works, said: “Direct response advertising can be very traditional in execution but it doesn’t need to be. Virgin is a vibrant and disruptive brand. It’s natural that we should look for engaging ways to break with tradition and give people a smile. We’ve aimed to deliver a serious message with warmth and charm.” 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBRORiRImw0