Y&R Prague Employs an African Grey Parrot as a Pet Insurance Salesman

Young & Rubicam Prague took the unusual step of enlisting the help of an African Grey parrot in its latest campaign for Ceska Pojistovna, the largest insurance company in the Czech marketplace.

The African Grey parrot was trained by a specialist with experience coaching animals for Hollywood blockbusters such as The Bourne Supremacy (2004) and The Illusionist (2006). The parrot, named Carl, was taught to say “Pet Insurance”, thereby enabling him to take up his job in sales. 

After three months of daily practice, he was ready to show off his newly acquired skill all over the country. So the company took him on a tour around major pet stores to recommend pet insurance to people shopping there. After all, what could be more convincing than hearing about the importance of pet insurance straight from a pet?

Carl’s office was a custom-made cage with a built-in tablet and a pre-loaded landing page that prompted visitors to buy the insurance. His unexpected shouts turned the heads of the pet store customers and turned many of them into pet insurance buyers.

According to Patricie Halkova, Account Director at Young & Rubicam Prague, “Carl, the clever African Grey, managed to surprise and delight pet owners across the country. With his help, the message around the importance of buying pet insurance was spread far and wide. What’s more, he literally works for peanuts!”