‘Ahhh’ Campaign Strikes a Chord

Terminix’s new musical “Ahhh” campaign shifts the pest control conversation from reactive control to proactive prevention through the use of singing technicians.

The ad campaign was created in collaboration with BBDO Chicago. John Skinner, chief marketing officer, Rentokil Terminix (No. 2), said the key for the company was to reframe and move toward preventive pest control as the central focus.

“For us, that peace of mind is so important,” he said. “We really wanted to shift the mindset towards long-term investment in a home or business to ensure its sustained protection.”

Putting people first is central to the company, and Skinner said the ad offers a chance to bring technicians to life through the new campaign. He said it also was important to think about bringing the right talent into the business by “really making sure we’ve got people who are excited and passionate about delivering great service for our customers, both at home and in the workplace.”

The new ad, which, through the use of singing technicians, renews and revitalizes the brand’s “ahhh” sound it has previously used, aims to bring to life that peace-of-mind moment Skinner said. “[It] brings together the emotional experience of what it feels like when you’ve got that peace of mind in your life,” he said. “It was very much a way to create something that’s memorable for people and to push home the psychological and functional benefits of taking an approach to pest control, which is preventative rather than reactive.”

The ad is designed to appear on Connected TV (CTV) and social channels. Skinner said when working across multiple channels, it is important to keep any ad authentic to each channel.

“What we did is actually take the concepts behind the ‘Peace of Mind’ campaign and brought it to life differently for each of the channels we were working in,” he said. “I think for smaller teams, and smaller media budgets, all of those things can still be true. Delivering on authenticity is where to really focus. Many of the tools and platforms out there these days allow you to do it in a much more cost-effective way than has been available in the past. I think everyone can really succeed in their space.”

Skinner said ad campaigns, like its new “Ahhh” campaign, are an important investment in a company’s brand.

“We take great care to understand consumer sentiment before, during and after our campaigns,” Skinner said. “That’s something all businesses investing in marketing should prioritize — closely tracking the metrics that drive performance and ensuring they’re moving in the right direction. It’s something that we take very seriously.”

He said the ad’s goal of driving pest control into a preventive mindset is going to be beneficial to the entire pest control industry.

“We see our role as a major national player backed by a global business with deep expertise,” Skinner said. “That puts us in a strong position to help grow the category, raise awareness of pest control and create opportunities for others to succeed. Ultimately, the best outcome is a growing industry and market where everyone can share in that success.”

Throughout the creative process, Skinner said that Terminix considered a variety of concepts for how the company could really bring that peace-of-mind feeling to life.

“The element that really stood out to us was this ‘ahhh’ moment that’s been a part of our campaigns for several years,” Skinner said. “It felt like the perfect way to bring everything together in a cohesive and meaningful way. Selecting the voices and choosing the technicians who would represent that idea was not only important, but also a genuinely fun and rewarding process.”

The creative process was collaborative, Skinner said. Together, the teams worked to bring to life the different pest types that can infiltrate a home, and they made sure to demonstrate that there are multiple ways to prevent those pests.

“No matter where you look, there’s a technician there in spirit looking after the pest control for you,” Skinner said.

The author is digital editor of PCT.