Delta Dental of Virginia had something most brands in their category don’t: the confidence to think bigger.
They came to Anderson with a clear ambition: transform their DRTV advertising into something memorable, engaging, and entertainment-first, without sacrificing the direct response performance their business depends on.
The Idea: A Testimonial That Knows It’s a Testimonial
Rather than following the standard celebrity endorsement format, we flipped it entirely. We put Erik Estrada in a self-aware testimonial that openly acknowledged what it was doing, and had fun with it. A-list actor, pop culture icon, and owner of a signature smile, he was completely in on the joke. That was the whole point.
The spot poked fun at celebrity advertising conventions while still delivering Delta Dental’s message with clarity and humor. Built to drive brand recall and direct response in equal measure, it felt different from everything else in the category.
Tested Before a Dollar Went Into Production
Good creative instincts matter. But we don’t rely on instinct alone. Before production, Anderson validated the concept using System1, an emotion-based ad effectiveness platform that measures how creative drives both short-term response and long-term brand growth. Early testing showed the humor wasn’t landing quite right, so we refined the creative and tested again. We went into full production with confidence and with data to back it up.
The Results
In-market performance matched the promise, delivering measurable results.*
- 44% increase in enrollments
- 91% year-over-year lift in site traffic
- 4M+ social impressions
- $3.8M+ in lifetime premium value generated
System1 rated the finished spot “exceptional” with a Spike Rating of 1.36, putting it in very good company among Super Bowl advertisers in sales potential, brand fluency, and emotional intensity. Delta Dental’s confidence in the creative culminated in running the spot in select markets in Virginia during the Super Bowl, where it performed at an exceptional level on par with major national brands.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled with the final product, and it is driving serious business results, from web traffic and leads to sales.”
Chris Pyle, VP of Marketing, Government Relations, and CX, Delta Dental of Virginia
What This Means for You
In any category, emotion and entertainment don’t work against performance. They amplify it. The brands that win aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones willing to pair a bold idea with the data and discipline to make it work.
If you’re ready to find out what’s possible when creative and performance work together, we’d love to talk.
*This campaign was leveraged by Delta Dental organizations in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Virginia. Performance results reflect one of these market’s individual use and integration of campaign assets within their broader marketing strategies.
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