Compare the Meerkat



""Simples!""

Compare The Meerkat.Com is a series of adverts and a website designed as nothing more than Viral Marketing for an insurance website (comparethemarket.com). The adverts all take a similar format, Alexandr Orlov the Meerkat will remind viewers that his website is for comparing meerkats, and not for comparing markets and urge viewers to check they have the correct URL. Then deliver his Catch Phrase. For some reason they achieved massive popularity.

Simples.

This series provides examples of:
"Q: Isn't a meerkat a type of mongoose?
 * Bad Boss: Aleksandr. Poor, poor Sergei.
 * However, Aleksandr does come to visit him in hospital in the latest advert. Granted, it's only to tell him he's 4 days late for work, but considering he actually bothered to go - and even brought flowers - it's actually kinda sweet.
 * Berserk Button: You want MARKET!!!!!
 * Beleaguered Bureaucrat: Sergei
 * Catch Phrase
 * Charge Into Combat Cut: During "Battle Of Fearlessness"
 * Defictionalization: Aleksander has now written an autobiography. Hilarity Ensues in fantastically funny broken English.
 * It sold more copies than Tony Blair's autobiography.
 * Explosive Instrumentation: The new IT department computer
 * Fantastic Racism: Confusing Meerkats with Mongooses

A: NO! This great insult! Mongoose not good enough to lick dropping from my shoe! I am meerkat and I live in mansion filthy mongoose could only dream about in wildest dreams."

""Russia?!""
 * "The Battle Of Fearlessness" is about how his grandfather led the meerkats to victory over Mongis Khan's hordes (and get wounded in the process, receiving a purple claw)
 * On the welcome sign of the town Meerkovo it says "mongooses not welcome".
 * Flash Back: The trilogy about Alexandr's family. "Journey Of Courageousness", "Battle of Fearlessness" and "Streets of Ambitiousness".
 * Funny Animal
 * Funny Background Event: During the introduction of "The Battle Of Fearlessness" there are two meerkats having a sandball fight.
 * Jerkass: Alexandr can be this at times, more so in the book.
 * Lzherusskie: Alexandr and Sergei
 * More Popular Spinoff: Compare the Meerkat is far more recognised than the website it promotes.
 * Nerd: Sergei
 * No Sense of Direction: Postkat, Meerkova's only postal official. He wanders across Europe with cuddly meerkats destined for the UK (the video clip that starts his journey even has Alexandr hissing to him "UK is that way!", when he wanders off.
 * How Aleksandr's ancestors ended up in Russia after leaving the Kalahari Desert.

""Ours is a simples lives, what could possibles go wrong?" cut to sand storm"
 * Only A Fur Wound
 * Pieta Plagiarism: After it looks like Alexandr's grandpappy died in battle.
 * Product Placement: The whole raison d'etre of the series
 * Purely Aesthetic Glasses: Worn by Sergei
 * Real Trailer, Fake Movie: The three adverts where Alexandr talks about his family's history are also trailers and film merchandise can be bought. None of the films exist.
 * The Red Stapler: Meerkat-related, well, anything has become popular in the UK as a result of these adverts. Especially anthropomorphised meerkats.
 * Retired Badass: Sergei.
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter: Ridiculously cute meerkats.
 * Soviet Superscience: Sergei is a former Cosmonaut, one of the first meerkats to walk on the Moon, was head of the Soviet Space Program during the 80's and even designed the Mir(kat) space-station.
 * Tastes Like Purple: The tie-in book mentions that Sergei was fired from the Russian space programme, but still has a mug with a picture of the Mir space station on it. "That is why his tea tastes of sadness".
 * Tempting Fate: During the "Journey Of Courageousness" advert.


 * Think of the Children: One advert implores you to go to "compare the market.com" because all the extra traffic is crashing the meerkat's elementary school's server.
 * Uncle Pennybags: Alexandr is presented as an example of this trope
 * Viral Marketing