An effective way of explaining to its customers just how much area the breakdown cover vans operate and how, the AA can get you no matter where you are on the UK mainland is effectively shown in the Land End to John O Groats TV advert.
It shows a Google earth type map looking down on the UK at Lands End first and quickly shows an AA breakdown cover van at eths scene of a 4×4. The view then pans upwards looking down on a motorist having problems at the other end of the UK at John O Goats.
It does get the message out with of course their free phone number and price always at the bottom of the screen.
Here is the advert
The AA is offering a very competitive deal on the basic roadside package. The basic package is called roadside and offers the minimum level of cover but this still covers the whole of mainland UK and every hour of every day.
The current AA online price is £29 a year, which is cheaper that what is being advertised on TV and the national press. Obviously if you ring or decide to buy from one of these salesmen outside of large supermarkets or motorway services, you will probably buy at the higher price.
Clearly the best deal is online at the moment and must compete head on with Green and Flag and the RAC.
Another piece of history here; this time from the eighties. What was once the TV advert to get you on the phone and to buy your breakdown insurance (before the internet), they try to convince you that the AA is the right motoring club for you. They show you a fleet of Morris Ital vans, (which in hindsight probably needed more maintenance than their customers cars), rushing out to help their fellow members.
They then dressed in something resembling an army uniform with the berry cap to give the impression of the military organisation that goes into running the AA. It was a bit of fun then and even more now as you wonder if any employee would wear that uniform now.
Nicely finished off with a shake of a hand, give the impression of quality customer service. Whatever happened to adverts like this? It may old fashioned, but it did show what the AA did, offer a breakdown insurance service to the public. Better than the singing patrolmen.
Here is the eighties video, enjoy!!
We all can remember the huge increase in fuel prices last year that may have contributed to the way we buy and choose the vehicles wed drive. However there is confusion over fuel prices as they don’t seem to match the price of oil. Even though the price of oil had dropped to under$50 a barrel, we are still paying fuel prices as if it were just under $70 a barrel.
The AA are championing this point and commenting on the new rise of 5% at the pumps and how we need a transparent way to price our fuel for the benefit of the consumer or the business owner who has to budget for it.
Offering breakdown insurance is just part of what the AA offers to motorists this fuel issue being a point. Motoring clubs across Europe have written to the EU competition commissioner, (one presumes the AA are part of this) complaining of the lack of transparency.
Supermarkets normally seen of the first to price cut fuel are criticised as they tend to increase their fuel prices just as quick, annoying members of the public, just wanting prices to be more static.
You can read about the full fuel story direct from the AA press area here.
That is the message from the AA in relation to the lack of salt available and being scattered across the UK roads during this excessive winter period. The AA has concerns that the roads are just too dangerous to drive in these conditions and with limited salt reserves available, the argument is about road safety.
It is claimed the government is trying to improve the logistics of salt reserves, in better words where stocks are high and have had less snowfall against those areas that are clearly running out.
The AA insists that more roads should be gritted now in order to reduce insurance claims and the potential loss of life or danger to drivers and pedestrians. This became national news yesterday, broadcast especially from the ITV.
Well that is what the TV crew implied when they told us they had been on the road with the AA helping stricken motorists through the heavy change in weather. Of course we wanted to believe them, but so little was shown of the AA breakdown cover man, except him turning up and being greeted by a man who then shook his hand. A brief 3 seconds we saw a jack underneath the car and the recovery van and the driver then drove away.
It is a credit to the AA breakdown cover guys who work in these types of weather; they know it will be much busier in time, the police calls went up from 2 or 3 per night for accidents to 40 a night, so we have to assume that the AA recovery call outs will increase at the same level.
It is a shame that more time was not spent with the service, although it could have been seen as a marketing ploy rather than real news. In the meantime the AA advises of hypothermia and why you should always carry warm clothes when driving in these conditions.
