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VCCP give Macaulay Culkin the Compare the Meerkat treatment

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Just when you thought it genuinely had nowhere left to go after the inspired Arnold Schwarzenegger spots from last year, VCCP knock it out of the park once again with the campaign that refuses to die. This time the agency managed to rope in former child star and current comedy cover band frontman (search for “Pizza Underground” if you don't believe me) Macaulay Culkin, to star in a spot for Comparethemarket.com and their endlessly popular Meerkat campaign alongside meerkat favourites Aleksandr and Sergei. The spot promoted the brand's Meerkat Movies promotion, which has essentially replaced the old Orange Wednesdays promotion by offering customers the chance to claim two-for-one cinema tickets every tuesday or wednesday.

The new Meerkat Movies advert premiered on national TV over the weekend, and sees the man formerly known as Kevin McCallister joining the cuddly pair on a road trip in a family RV across America. Following in the footsteps of Hollywood giants Nicole Kidman and the aforementioned Schwarzenegger, Aleksandr decides Macaulay Culkin would be the perfect fit to complete their family-friendly day out. As the meerkats are seen pulling up to greet Macaulay, they are surprised to find he is no longer the 8 year old child star they were expecting. “He’s a lot bigger in real life!” whispers an awkward Sergei to Aleksandr as they peer out of the RV to find road-trip-ready Macaulay eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Not put off by the now 35-year-old’s demeanour, the meerkats are seen taking a less than impressed Macaulay to the fairground. Their adventure comes complete with roller coasters, a bouncy castle, Ferris wheels, and the parent-like dab of a hanky when Macaulay is enjoying an ice cream. The family fun culminates in a trip to the cinema as Aleksandr puts his 2 for 1 Meerkat Movies cinema ticket to good use. It's a typically charming, cheerful and amusing spot that proves some campaigns that refuse to die don't do so simply because the agency and/or brand in question have run out of fresh ideas, but because they continue to mine fresh gold from an established template. Sometimes the best creative comes from specific, self-imposed limitations, and you don't get more specific than “Meerkat plus celebrity equals advert.”

Aleksandr Orlov, the one with the fancy smoking jacket, said of his time spent with the actor: “During road trip across Americas, Sergei and I decide to have family day out. Only trouble was, we don’t have a family. So we decide to invite hottest Hollywoods child actor of the moment. Together we have great day at fun fair and use meerkat movies to go to the cinema. It was magicals.” How very quaint indeed! The ad, which was was created by Javier Romartinez and Stephen Misir at VCCP and directed by Dave Scanlon through Passion Pictures with MEC handling the media, comes during a period of family blockbuster releases including Finding Dory, Pete’s Dragon and Ice Age: Collision Course, which are set to hit UK screens in the coming summer months.

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