Can Brinks Take Home Security Advertising From Fearmongering to Funny?

“I was sure cloaks would come back in style.” 

This and more pressing false-certainties are explored in “Sure Is Not Enough,” the first ad for Brinks Home Security’s “Be Sure Sure” platform. Created by Barton F. Graf, the ad marks a repositioning of both brand and visual identity. 

Gone are the men in reassuring button-downs and shady trenchcoats, or burglars exploding into the homes of unsuspecting ladies in casual sportswear. 

In one shot, a guy gropes around with a VR device on his face while his mother sighs, “I was sure he would’ve moved out by now.” In another, a cartoon villain snarls, “I was sure I’d get away with it, too!” 

“‘Be Sure Sure’ is more than a tagline or a campaign. It is a voice and behavior for our brand, demonstrating our dedication to always protecting our customers,” says CMO Anthony Conversa of Brinks Home Security. “Barton F. Graf strategically and insightfully helped us rethink how we are reaching consumers at every touchpoint, from advertising to building customer relationships, unlocking the true potential of our brand.” 

It will come as no surprise that the campaign is targeted to millennials and “younger generations,” not to mention the tech-savvy, and couples and families on the route to home ownership.

But the ad isn’t just silly; it tugs playfully at hot-button topics (“I was sure that news article was real!”) as it drifts toward its true destination—a guy leaning against the work printer, watching a stranger stroll through his living room, as he says, “I was sure I locked the door.” 

The potential for dramatic tension is broken when the police come racing out from around the corner, scaring the burglar away and freeing the owner to sigh with relief and walk away.

So you’ve still got some of that old-school security DNA in there, but it’s been nicely diluted by something less … panic-driven. Something almost like comedy. 

“In life, sure is not enough,” says a narrative voice, its crack and timber so approachable it may well be some dude living next door to you, or that weirdly warm food-delivery guy. “You have to be sure-sure.”

Here’s the :30 variant:

“Customer behavior is changing and brands are being held to new standards,” says Barton F. Graf’s founder and chief creative officer Gerry Graf. “Getting to know Brinks Home Security, we saw their dedication to the highest caliber of protection. To earn consumers’ trust, it takes more than saying it. It takes action. ‘Be Sure Sure’ demonstrates the brand’s humanized approach to proving day in and day out it’s commitment to protecting your home.”

The agency developed the “Be Sure Sure” brand positioning and designed Brinks’ new visual identity, customer experience and ad campaign. The effort will roll out across all communications channels with a revamped user experience across touchpoints, including visual assets for digital and social, and a new eCRM and direct marketing strategy.

It also marks Barton F. Graf’s first inaugural work for Brinks since winning the account earlier this year.