Thanks to our friends at media industry magazine Variety for info on this story. Regular readers of this ShaqFu Radio blog know that the Big Man is a corporate spokesman for The General insurance company. Shaq has appeared with the computer-generated, cartoon “General” for years. Now O’Neal is set to star in a new series of ads for the company, and there’s a new twist.
Personally, Shaq has said The General was the only insurance company that would provide him needed insurance when he was in college, saying it was the only insurance he could afford.
Nowadays, he’s helping the company win new recruits with a new series of commercials with a different storyline. In the past, the company was well known for a line of direct-response ads on cable TV and online.
Now, The General is changing tactics. Be on the lookout for a new series of TV commercials. Viewers of the TV version of the Bleacher Report will see them first. These new ads are more story-centered. O’Neal will be visiting a few different small businesses in the Atlanta area. He’ll talk to business owners about how they’ve struggled with money, business and other issues during the current coronavirus pandemic. The ads will be little three-part series.
Speaking to Variety, Shaq said, “I wanted to support everyday people. It’s very hard for people out there.”
Also speaking to Variety, The General’s chief revenue officer Elicia Azali said, “We have a desire to just show more about the company and go beyond the messages that you have heard from us.”
Many advertisers have begun to use this kind of marketing, in “regular” commercials. It’s more story-based, and reaches out to potential customers in ways traditional commercials do.
Be on the lookout for these new Shaq-story commercials. Along with kicking off on Bleacher Report, they’ll also be sponsoring BR’s Instagram account, along with the House of Highlights Instagram channel. Of course you’ll also see them on The General’s own Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.