Mercury Insurance ad campaign continues to follow UFO Theorist Dr. D.B. Selwick

In his follow-up to theMercury Insurance Television campaign of last year, director Ed Schumacher of Boy Genius follows UFO Theorist Dr. D.B. Selwick on his quest to prove that the low rates of Mercury Insurance are attributable to their extra-terrestrial origins. Since the original spots rolled out, awareness levels have skyrocketed, up to over 60% in Los Angeles and as high as 83% in Miami. Schumacher worked alongside copywriters Scott Corbett and Mark Cohen to develop the Mercury campaign.

The doctor first welcomed people into his office last year, presenting the evidence that is the "Basis" for his theory: a UFO sighting and the establishment of Mercury Insurance are one day apart.

This time around, a mysterious "Crop Circle" in the form of the Mercury logo provides further proof of his theory - or does it? Going "Undercover" at the company's headquarters, Selwick looks for something conclusive, something irrefutable... something other than a big ball of rubber bands that sort of resemble a planet...

"We decided to simplify the Mercury message and focus on something that distinguishes Mercury from its competition - low prices," recalled Schumacher. "And we wanted to make a lasting impression with consumers, which is why we linked two such dissimilar concepts as an insurance company and a planet."

Currently the third largest auto insurance seller in California, Mercury's new campaign is designed to capture a larger consumer share while competing with brands like Geico and State Farm who have much larger advertising budgets.

"This has been an aggressive, non-traditional campaign that goes well beyond TV," said Schumacher. "We have employed guerilla campaigns with the mercurytheory.com site, t-shirts, stickers, banner ads, and radio. "We're currently concepting an alien/conspiracy TV series with Logan Crawford, aka DB Selwick, as host, and have completed several new videos that will be posted on YouTube."

Despite the relative veracity of Selwick's theories, it certainly seems as though there is an alien invasion underway. "Either they're here or they're not," Schumacher concludes, "but either way, Mercury has arrived."