When Comparethemarket.com.au launched, they needed fans.

Their business model was to make fans so obsessed with their mascot - the technologically-backward Russian meerkat, Aleksandr Orlov - that they would buy insurance just to score meerkat merch.

So for two years, we built a true-to-canon b-grade meerkat universe through radio ads and TVCs, down to love letters to Ruby Rose and a blog in broken English about the best tasting bugs. All to drive meerkat mania.

I was ghostwriting a meerkat.

We bought the meerkats downunder in Mission Impawsibles.

We built Aleksandr a spyHQ slash ice cream van.

And sold it.

We got people hot for Aleksandr’s I.T. assistant, Sergei.

And brought fans closer to Alexandr with his own phone line, 1800 MEERKAT.

Wwe even got people to eat grubs like a meerkat. Winner winner mealworm dinner!