Firm ends its Chris Addison adverts

Direct Line is dropping its comedy adverts featuring Chris Addison and Alexander Armstrong.

The comics have starred in a series of sketch-like adverts since January last year, but now the insurance company wants to take a more serious approach.

The new ads, with their strapline, 'take the Direct Line' and featuring an army of workers dressed in red, will launch during the X-Factor tomorrow.

Kerry Chilvers, marketing director at Direct Line, said: ’There has been a shift in what consumers want. Customers want to know what they can expect should the worst happen. This is why demonstrating our size and expertise is fundamental to the new campaign.’

Direct Line has used comedy in its advertising since rolling out animated ads in 2009, with Stephen Fry and Paul Merton providing the voices for its telephone and mouse characters. But they were dropped in favour of the real-life scenes involving Addison as a company salesman to give the company a ‘human face’.

The Addison adverts were directed by Father Ted and IT Crowd creator Graham Linehan.

Published: 31 Aug 2012