It is shocking how quick time goes by, so when this AA TV advert appeared lately I found it hard to believe it was from the eighties, it really only seemed a few years ago. It is “I know a man that can” campaign and mixes humour with real like emergencies that the AA breakdown cover service could help you with then and now, although the Giraffe thing is a bit of a tall order. Watch the eighties way of selling AA breakdown cover and you may seen the “very nice man at the end”.
Collecting AA memorabilia is quite popular for many motoring enthusiasts who want to remember the golden age of motoring. What people are not aware of is that the AA themselves gave a collection of around 30 vehicle representing the history of the AA and its breakdown cover background even though the AA was originally formed in 1905 to combat the police speeding fines. Believe it or not, it was not until 7 years later that The AA used motorised vehicles, before this it had all been pedal power.
Some of these vehicles are in museums but some are maintained by volunteers of the AA and driven to shows around the country. Key times in the AA’s history are 1912, with introduction of motcycles, 1949 the arrival of four wheels, or Land Rovers to be exact, then vans as we know now from 1962.
We just couldn’t imagine the AA breakdown cover service operation without modern vans now, to get us within the hour. Of course the AA has loads of specialist vehicles to support the current service, but will these vehicles be deemed as part of history in say 50 years time?
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 can write all we want about the history of the Automobile Association, but often a few minutes watching a video can tells us so much more. Here is a gem of a video that charts the first 30 years or so of the AA that then was the largest breakdown cover organisation in the world, from 90 to 600,000 members.
The AA have considerably more members now all relying on a quick an effective call out should they breakdown and are still deemed to be the largest breakdown cover company in the UK and choose to use their own employed patrolmen, rather than third party garages as much as possible.
It is quiet amusing as you just can’t imaging anyone sitting in front of a camera with a pipe in their mouth, which is just exactly as the man who formed the AA does on this black and white footage. It is a bit of nostalgia, and a real find to see this footage, that reflects a motoring club rather than the larges insurance organisation it needs to be today to deliver the value we customers insist on.
They have been away since the mid 1990’s but it looks like the AA are bring back the motorbike to attend calls in city centres. The biggest change to this decision is to use Vectrix Electric motorbikes that will help do their bit for the environment.
There is more to the commitment, in that congestion is getting worse and as many breakdowns are for minor problems, such as a battery needing charging, there are many cases where a motorbike can arrive quicker, especially at peak traffic times. The AA has been providing breakdown cover for well over a century now and has seen it all using motorbikes since 1910 right up until the 90s.
The trial ran through 2008, but the AA motorbike page has not been updated to suggest if it was a success or not. The statistic they deliver is impressive reading, so there is no reason that this experiment will not work and it is unlikely that any environmental issues will go away. We have found a small video that may show how these Vectrix bikes may work with an AA breakdown cover call out.
