Swiftcover drops Iggy Pop

The insurance company has also changed tack by using Facebook as its “main portal” for advertising, although it will continue to run TV campaigns.

The new family is led by the “Swiftbrothers”, two dogs named Sid and Johnny, voiced by League of Gentleman stars Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. Other members of the family will be voiced by celebrities including Bez from the Happy Mondays, Chris Evans and Slade’s Noddy Holder.

The campaign, which will debut on Facebook from 30 December, continues the “Get a Life” strategy, which was first launched by Iggy Pop when he became the brand’s frontman in 2009.

Iggy Pop’s three year tenure as Swiftcover’s brand ambassador proved controversial, with fans and peers criticising the rocker for “selling out” and the advertising watchdog also investigated the company for his inclusion in its ads.

The Advertising Standards Authority even looked to ban one TV ad in 2009 for being misleading, as the singer would not be eligible for motor insurance policies in real life given his profession.

At the time Swiftcover said it would continue to keep Iggy Pop as its brand ambassador, as it would be “crazy” to lose him after he helped to increase awareness of the brand and sales by almost a third in the first quarter of his campaign. The company also changed its motor policies to allow musicians to be insured.