The Northern Ireland Bodyshop Alliance, (NIBA) have stepped up their efforts to promote the independent sector of the industry with what is believed to be the first of its kind television adverts.

Two 30-second advertisements have been created which set out a simple message for the public faced with the emergency of accident damage to their car – call a specialist car repairer – rather than an insurance company.

Richard Hastings, a long-established business owner in the trade and Chairman of NIBA, commented, “When you have an accident in your car, you are in an immediate crisis and not sure what you need to do to get yourself sorted. As most people will be insured for the costs of the repairs, their first thought is often to ring the insurance company to get them to handle things for them. The NIBA message to the public is to make them think twice about that instinctive thought – whilst insurance companies ultimately provide the method of payment for repairs they do not actually do the repairs,  so it is our recommendation that you put yourself in the hands of a reputable independent vehicle repairer.”

The first advert which began airing on ITV in December highlights a number of important professional experts and prompts the viewer to appreciate that whilst the person may be an expert in their own field, that doesn’t mean you would expect them to be able to do the job of another specialist from a different industry.

The second TV spot features a more dramatic start with two vehicles meeting in an unfortunate way at a road junction.

The adverts follow on from several successful NIBA campaigns, most notably the YOUR CAR YOUR CHOICE message. The organisation has also previously highlighted the potential dangers of the compulsory use by insurers of non-original vehicle parts.

The TV adverts will run initially in December and January before moving to online media outlets and return to our screens later in the year alongside a new and updated 30-second advert for CRASH Services who are celebrating their quarter-century in business.