AXA and Publicis make "Max the Badger" fit for the future
Max the Badger, the mascot of AXA’s Prevention Foundation, has been given a facelift and a new communication strategy to prepare him for the future. At the heart of the new campaign are videos for digital channels in which Max the Badger cheerfully shares motivational tips with children and their parents on how to stay safe on the way to school.
For 12 years, Axa's Foundation for Prevention has been using the popular character "Max the Badger" to promote the safety of children in road traffic. To ensure that Max can continue to fulfill his important role in the future, Axaand Publicis Zurich have adapted the animated character and its use to the demands of target groups in today's social media age. In collaboration with the media production studio Sehsucht, Max has become more lifelike and contemporary with the help of the latest CGI technologies and can show more human emotions.
In the videos, Max the badger moves in real environments and interacts with school children. His progressive personality and character are meant to fit Axa He does not play the teacher, but is a good friend and role model. The campaign claim "Do it like Max" is completely in line with Axa's brand promise "Know You Can," because Max gives children the self-confidence to master the way to school independently and safely. For this purpose, three situations were selected that are particularly relevant to safety: correct behavior on the sidewalk, waiting at the side of the road, and crossing roads with and without traffic islands.
The campaign launches in time for the upcoming start of school. The focus is on the videos in various lengths for social media and for the axa Foundation for Prevention website. In addition, there are posters for children and adults, with the former also being specially displayed at children's eye level on candelabras. Max's paw prints sprayed on sidewalks and in front of pedestrian crossings will attract even more attention, marking the safe route and the rule "Wait, luege, lose, laufe" in a new way.
Responsible at AXAAntonia Lepore (Head Marketing Communications), Claudia Suter (Head Brand & Advertising), Manuela Kohler (Advertising Manager)
Responsible at Publicis Zurich: Matthias Koller (overall responsibility), Sascha Fanetti (creative director), Priska Meyer (senior art director), Janine Sauter (junior art director), Albert Matzinger and Mathias Bart (senior copy writers), Flurin Hardt (senior account director), Tanja Hediger (account director), Carol Maag (art buying / agency producer), Jingle Jungle (scoring), Team Prodigious: pre-press, litho, image editing, motion, realization and production consulting.
Responsible in case of visual addiction: Sebastian Rätsch (Director), Caroline Goehner (Art Director), Daniel Jahnel, Sebastian Brandhuber, Julia Fritsch, Thabo Mlangeni, Lukas Wendler, Markus Plinke, Ulf Gieseler (3D Artists), Florian Zachau, Johannes Retter (Compositing Artists), Jan Tiller (Head of Production), Nikola Stahl (Senior Producer).
Responsible at WPP Wavemaker: Martina Kratt (Client Service Director), Edwina Gescheidle (Head of Operations), Tim Goldschmidt (Digital Director) Mindshare: Michael Diehr (Senior Manager Client Leadership), Katharina Paulini (Manager Client Leadership), Christina Schumann (Director Client Leadership), Manuela Twrsnick (Programmatic Services Consultant mPlatform), Tarek Al Faiech (Digital Manager MS), Bishi Tan (Account Manager GroupM OOH).
