The Psychology Behind RACV’s As It Should Be
RACV and Special use potholes, blocked toilets and one locked-off shot to make insurance feel human. Here's the psychology behind it.
The ad in one paragraph
RACV and agency Special have launched their first campaign together, introducing the platform “As It Should Be” across Emergency Roadside Assist, Emergency Home Assist, Motor Insurance and Home Insurance. The films are observational: each is a single locked-off shot in a Victorian setting, narrated by Dave McCormack, and it sits with a small, ordinary problem just long enough for RACV’s calm response to feel like the only sensible ending.
The levers it pulls
Three behavioural principles do the heavy lifting.
- Availability heuristic. A pothole is named as the top road concern in RACV’s recent My Country Road survey. Instead of arguing with a statistic, the film shows the thing itself. Vivid, concrete problems are easier to picture, so the risk feels closer and bigger.
- Processing fluency. A single locked-off shot and a dry, familiar voice make the story effortless to follow. When a message is easy to process, viewers are more likely to read it as true and trustworthy — the opposite of a frantic, feature-stuffed ad.
- Social proof. The campaign is built from member moments and ordinary Victorian settings, not glossy hero shots. Seeing someone “like me” in a relatable fix quietly implies that RACV is the normal, already-chosen answer.
The 35mm film, directed by John Hillcoat and shot by Ari Wegner, adds a subtle craft signal: patient, real and confident, not focus-grouped.
What it does for the brand
The platform unites four different products under one idea: RACV does the right thing without fuss. That is a brand position, not a product promise. Where assistance categories often compete on speed or price, “As It Should Be” frames RACV as practical, dependable and calm. Dave McCormack’s unmistakable voice and the single-shot structure give the brand a distinctive, ownable asset. Shane Capron, RACV’s brand and marketing lead, said the team wanted to move beyond telling people what RACV does and show the human side of how it supports members. That shift makes RACV feel less like a service provider and more like a steady presence.
What to borrow for your next campaign
The most transferable idea is to replace a product claim with a small, specific moment. A few ways to do it:
- Pick one vivid problem your category usually describes in abstract terms.
- Hold a single unbroken frame long enough to make the resolution feel earned.
- Let the narrator underplay the brand’s role — calm confidence reads as competence.
- Use one platform idea across multiple products rather than a different story for each.
The lesson is not to be quiet for its own sake. It’s to make the brand’s behaviour the proof, then get out of the way.
Watch the original: RACV on YouTube
Source: Campaign Brief
