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Library/Campaign/Compare the Meerkat
Grade B17 sourcesHIS-01496

Compare the Meerkat

Campaign · 2009 · Notable

45Editable slideCertificate

A TV meerkat became a book author and reached a reported million toy recipients.

Compare the Meerkat
Wikipedia (non-free, fair use)
‘Me Time’
VCCP

Spread Score

How it works
ReachNo data yetContagion35Breadth40Velocity13Longevity9945

Numbers

Seed to milestone
3.8 years
Jan 5 ’09 to Oct 25 ’12
Platforms
6
Started on TV
Origin
Paid
Finance

Mechanics

  • Mascot personaPrimary
  • Scarcity drop
  • Platform jump
  • Political adoption

How it spread

Trace the origin

Paid TV ads sent viewers to a fictional meerkat comparison site. Fans followed Aleksandr on social media and bought his memoir. The brand turned toy demand into an insurance reward.

Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.

Google searchesApr ’08Mar ’09SepDecFeb ’11OctJul ’12Jan ’15Mar ’18Sep ’20Dec ’22Jun ’25MilestoneTVOpen webFacebookRetailAudioPress
TVOpen webFacebookRetailAudioPress

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. January 2009

    Comparethemarket.com / VCCP seed · Jan 5 ’09

    Comparethemarket.com launched Aleksandr's TV campaign alongside comparethemeerkat.com.[1][2]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. February 2009

    MoneySavingExpert forum users platform jump · Feb 10 ’09

    Forum users discussed the meerkat ads while questioning the comparison site's insurance choices.[3]

  3. May 2009

    Matt Cornock afterlife · May 25 ’09

    Cornock posted photos of his meerkat ornament and toy after hearing visitors quote the ads at London Zoo.[4]

  1. platform jump · Oct 2 ’09

  2. owner response · Oct 19 ’09

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Why it worked

Do this

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

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Origin
Paid
Sector
Finance
Region
GB
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade B

Spread the same way

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300M impressions

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New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.