Titled Direct Line Good Carma, the series is part of activity promoting the brand’s changes to its No Claims Discount policy, which mean customers won’t lose their discount if their cars are damaged in certain scenarios such as being hit while parked.
The policy is also the subject of the latest TV ad in Direct Line’s ongoing Winston Wolf series, which is created by Saatchi & Saatchi.
However, the podcast was dreamed up and executed by consumer PR agency Frank as part of its contribution, which started with Direct Line appointing Dr Wood as its "head of carma" and media spokesman for the policy.
In the studio Wood and Herring discuss things such as the impact driving has on people’s day-to-day lives and their relationships at home, look at how simple things like smiling at strangers can help people avoid "kicking the cat" and how finding the humour in a bad situation can help turn the experience into something positive.
Wood said: "Good karma is all about taking action to pass on something good. Working with the brilliant Richard Herring on the ‘Good Carma' podcasts, it was great to raise a smile as well as awareness that it doesn't take much to make or break someone's day."
The podcasts last about 22 minutes each and do not contain Direct Line ads but the brand is referenced by Wood during the episodes.
Wendy Pearson, head of marketing at Direct Line, said: "Podcasts are a wonderful way to explore and delve deep into topics that are of interest to the nation, and with an estimated 23% of the UK population having listened to a podcast in the last month, we felt it was the right way to get the people talking about ‘Good Carma’. This is also a tool used infrequently by insurance providers, yet such a great way to engage our audience."
This article first appeared on PRWeek sister title Campaign
