AMI Autoglass Insurance leans into character-driven storytelling to speak to a subject instantly relatable to so many drivers in snow-swept Alberta: Rocks are evil.

A new campaign from the Edmonton-based provider gives voice to an animated rock clan’s malevolent intentions toward windshields, moon roofs and all manner of autoglass. AMI offers a standalone insurance product to cover the damage that gravel – used instead of salt on icy roads in Alberta – has on the province’s vehicles.

Calgary-based creative boutique Trigger developed 10 separate 15-second videos for the “Rocks Are Evil” campaign.

“Alberta is the rock-chip capital of Canada,” AMI marketing lead Wyatt Bennett said in a news release. “We saw an opportunity to not only solve a real customer pain point, but to tell the story in a way that’s surprising and actually enjoyable. We’re proud to lead that message.”

Brad Connell, associate creative director at Trigger, tells strategy that the videos were dropped to coincide with the end of peak risk season for rock damage.

“Albertans tend to wait until rock season is over before buying glass coverage or getting their glass repaired,” Connell says. “Anyone who’s driven through even one Alberta winter knows how brutal it is on windshields. That said, we kept the message tight and clear … the humour helped cut through, but we made sure the core message was unmistakable.”

Creative spans digital display, social media on Facebook and Instagram, connected TV and digital out-of-home for the campaign that will roll out through October. Lo Know handled media.

“We had tons of ideas for video scenarios and things the rocks could say in static media, some of which we may still end up executing in the future,” Connell says. “The key is always making sure to make it clear that these rocks live for breaking glass and injecting some humour into the scripts that would make them relatable, likeable and memorable.”