Simples!

Nice, if somewhat over-stated piece in Saturday’s Guardian on “marketing phenomenon” and “saviour” of TV advertising that is Aleksandr Orlov.

The animated meerkat is credited with capturing the hearts and minds of the Great British public, the holy grail of advertising, and forcing the competition to radically re-think their marketing strategies.

The Russian furball has catapulted comparethemarket.com from zero to hero in less than a year. It is now the 4th most popular price comparison site in the UK and Aleksandr’s “Simples!” catchphrase looks set to make it into the latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Gocompare has retaliated with Gio Compario , a fat, annoying, moustachioed opera singer who boasts a paltry 3,072 fans on Facebook versus Aleksandr’s 647,817.

The lesson here seems to be: do it differently, do it better, or don’t bother doing it at all.

Simples!