AIG is one of the All Blacks’ biggest sponsors, so it’s not a shock that the insurance company got the New Zealand rugby team to star in its recent spot.
The All Blacks enter the Tokyo subway and exit at the famous Shibuya crossing. They give each other a few signals and then split up, rushing off to viciously tackle seemingly random Japanese people—a schoolgirl walking along texting, a bicycle delivery guy, two cheerful co-workers, a man dressed in a teddy-bear suit handing out fliers, a businessman in a bow-off with another businessman. And it gets more ridiculous from there.
A player jumps through the window of a moving car. Another sacks a window washer so quickly that her rag stays stuck to the pane. And then a whole squad stops a car. Finally, they run a play, passing the ball and kicking it through an office window to knock out a man working at a desk.
Watch the spot before reading on.
So, it turns out they were protecting everyone they tackled from horrific accidents which no one could have predicted. Everyone who was tackled is thankful for the intervention, and the text lets you know you’ve just witnessed a visual metaphor for AIG’s active care customer experience, which is supposed to help you mitigate risk instead of just dealing with the consequences of an accident after the fact.
The most heartwarming part comes in the last few seconds, when a young, color-coordinated Japanese boy saves one of the All Blacks from a falling light fixture and is accepted as one of the squad.
A couple of people have suggested the ad is too violent, but I don’t think any of them have ever watched a rugby game (spoiler: they’re not gonna like it) or a Reebok commercial with Terry Tate for that matter.
Of course, no actual pedestrians were harmed in the making of the spot. It was filmed safely under controlled conditions and expert supervision, and AIG suggests you do not attempt to tackle strangers on the street, even if you’re wearing a cup.
