Underdog is a character developed by The Gate London advertising agency and animated by Aardman Animations. The character is featured in advertisements for the personal injury claims company,

National Accident Helpline National Accident Helpline is a UK-based personal injury company providing personal injury claims advice, service and support to consumers who have suffered a no-fault accident. National Accident Helpline is part of the NAHL Group PLC and is r ...

, a UK-based provider of personal injury services.

Origins

Underdog was created in 2010 for the insurance provider National Accident Helpline, as a claymation figure (often seen with bandages on his arms, legs and ears). The character made his first TV appearance in the same year. The initial concept of Underdog was created by The Gate London advertising agency, where Dave Trott is chairman. The design of Underdog bears a close resemblance to that of the principle characters from Aardman's earlier TV series

Rex the Runt ''Rex the Runt'' is a British live-action stop-motion animated claymation pixilation adult comedy series, primarily consisting of a television show and two short films produced by Aardman Animations for BBC Bristol in association with EVA Entert ...

created by animator Richard Starzak.

History

Underdog first appeared in ads standing in the shadow of a tall figure voiced by Brian Blessed, using his catchphrase "I've had an accident!" as a way of persuading the tall man to give him compensation for an unspecified injury. When the tall man refuses to do so, Underdog tells him that he will go to National Accident Helpline instead to get proper compensation for his injury. The ads end with the tall man trying to convince Underdog to come to him for compensation instead, and Underdog hurling an insult at him intended to reduce him to less than his tall stature and deep voice convey. Background music of the Underdog advertising campaigns have included such hits as

Chumbawamba Chumbawamba () were a British rock band formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. Other singles include "Amnesia", " Enou ...

's “ Tubthumping” and

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

's " I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (where the chorus lyrics have been changed to include the brand name). Underdog is voiced by British comic actor Joe Pasquale. The most recent run of ads (beginning in September 2013) featured

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...

created by Aardman Animations.

Commercial success and popularity

Following the first Underdog campaign, the number of enquiries increased by 25% within the first month. The immediate effects of the campaign also saw cost per enquiry down by 8% and the number of brand searches for 'national accident helpline' triple. The Underdog character has his own Pinterest board featuring images sent to National Accident Helpline by fans, ranging from Underdog shaped cakes to Underdog crochet figures.

TV Adverts

* First Ads – 21 September 2010 - 4 May 2012 * Knocked Down – 4 August 2012 * Grapevine – 10 January 2013 * Bad Dream – 1 September 2013 * Revolving Doors – 7 September 2013 * No Win, No Fee, No Risk Guarantee - 8 October 2013 * Giant Books – 1 January 2014 * Red Tape – 5 March 2014 * Connect, Click and Claim – 4 June 2014 * Justice Express 1 - 27 March 2015 * Justice Express 2 - 27 March 2015 * Make NAH Your Port of Call - 27 March 2015 * Loudhailer - 23 June 2015 * Aquarium - 23 June 2015

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.underdog.co.uk/ Stop motion characters Advertising characters Fictional dogs Male characters in advertising 2010 in British television Mascots introduced in 2010 British television commercials