Insurance-buying and comparison platform Ratesdotca has two main goals with its first brand platform, “Don’t Get Milked.”

The first is to raise awareness of comparison shopping for auto insurance, a service it says most people aren’t utilizing, by focusing on the value it can deliver. The second is to establish the company as a leader in that field.

“Let’s face it: insurance is dull, right?” says Leonie Tait, VP of marketing for Ratesdotca, of the insight behind the campaign. “Consumers would rather be doing anything else than dealing with their insurance. We found through a survey that more than three quarters of them didn’t shop their rate in the last year. As a result, they’re getting milked.”

So “milked” is the term Ratesdotca and agency partner Zulu Alpha Kilo used to describe what happens when people are passive about comparing rates. In the new campaign, the evocative image of a cow’s udder is superimposed in creative across multiple mediums to hammer home the idea.

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“We felt this campaign was a real opportunity to send a message to consumers that they need to wake up from this complacency and apathy,” says Tait. “Humour is a great way to do that.”

Aside from its bold and slightly absurd tone, the very existence of the campaign helps to establish Ratesdotca as a leader in its field, because “no one right now is making an investment in bringing awareness to Canadians that there’s a different way to shop for insurance,” she adds.

Tait sees opportunity in the fact that the insurance comparison category is not yet really known in Canada, even though Canadians habitually compare prices on other products and services, from electronics to hotel stays. “This is part of our brand’s marketing strategy – a multi-year investment that we’re making to bring this category to life,” Tait says. “We’re really hoping to define the category, and I think that sets us apart.”

Ratesdotca has previously relied mostly on performance media, but is going mass for its first big brand push. The campaign includes TV, radio and OOH focused on the Greater Toronto Area, as well as more intent-based online video, social and programmatic media. OMD handled the buy.