Why Direct Line moved from Winston Wolf to Superheroes

Brian Carruthers

This article looks at insurance brand Direct Line’s replacement of a long-running and very successful campaign.

Around the time that the coronavirus pandemic was taking hold in the UK and a national lockdown was being implemented, insurance firm Direct Line Group was in the middle of its own private upheaval. The long-running and hugely successful advertising campaign built around the Winston Wolf character (the Fixer in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs – read the case study here) had been retired and the brand was in the process of rolling out its current Superheroes campaign with a nationwide poster drive.

That suddenly was not such a good way to reach consumers. However, the message “We’re on...

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