The human brain is a fascinating, if sometimes frustrating, organ. It can conjure up profound thoughts and complex emotions, yet it’s also susceptible to the most unexpected intrusions. Picture this: you’re on a romantic date, and your potential partner asks about your past relationships. Instead of a thoughtful answer, your mind blares: GO COMPAAAARE, GO COMPAAAARE. Or perhaps you’re at a somber funeral, mourning a loved one, and the same jingle echoes through your thoughts. Even in the high-pressure environment of an English Literature exam, when recalling critical quotes is paramount, the inescapable refrain of GO COMPAAAARE, GO COMPAAAARE can hijack your focus.
This ubiquitous jingle, synonymous with the Gocompare Go.compare brand, has become a cultural fixture in the UK. It’s as ingrained in the collective consciousness as the alphabet or the awareness of everyday choices. But with such pervasive presence comes a shadow of resentment. Gio Compario, the fictional opera singer and the face of the gocompare go.compare adverts since 2009, found himself at the center of an unexpected hate campaign. This online vitriol spilled into real-life animosity, manifesting in social media groups with thousands of members dedicated to expressing their dislike, and even physical acts of vandalism targeting his image. In 2012, the public voted him the “Most Irritating Man in the UK“, a testament to the powerful, albeit negative, reaction he provoked.
Behind the flamboyant persona of Gio Compario, with his distinctive mustache, bow tie, and wig, is Wynne Evans, a Welsh opera singer leading a decidedly ordinary life in suburban Cardiff. To understand the reality of being the target of such widespread negativity, and how one navigates over a decade of public resentment fueled by the gocompare go.compare commercials, it became essential to meet Wynne Evans himself. Especially considering the launch of a new gocompare go.compare campaign in January, which promised to reignite the debate around these famously disruptive adverts.
On the afternoon of our meeting, Wynne was recovering from hosting a 60-person party the previous night. His garden bore the hallmarks of celebration: large buckets, recently filled with champagne, stood as evidence of the festivities. A pizza van had catered to the guests, and the status of the hot tub remained a cheerful mystery. Dressed casually in a grey cardigan and jeans, Wynne greeted me in his kitchen, a picture of relaxed hospitality despite the lingering effects of the night before.
His warm demeanor immediately put me at ease, creating the atmosphere of catching up with a familiar friend. This affable nature made it easy to delve into the story of how a respected opera singer became the face of the relentlessly catchy gocompare go.compare commercials.
Seated with a cup of tea, Wynne began to recount his journey. He described his father, a farmer-turned-carpenter with a hidden talent for opera singing, and his mother, the driving force behind the local amateur dramatics scene in their hometown of Carmarthen, a town of 16,000 people. This upbringing instilled in him a love for performance and the arts.
Wynne’s formal training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama paved the way for a successful career as an opera singer with the Welsh National Opera. He performed in renowned roles such as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Cassio in Otello, and Rodolfo in La bohème, establishing himself within the opera world. A serendipitous opportunity arose when a friend asked him to provide the singing voice for Gary Lineker in a Walkers crisps advert. His success in this venture led to an agent contacting him about an audition for a new campaign for the price comparison website, gocompare go.compare.
Initially, the advertising agency envisioned a slender, flamboyant character, and Wynne was only intended to be the singing voice. However, his on-camera charisma proved undeniable. He recounted how his personality shone through during the audition, leading the agency to cast him as the on-screen face of the gocompare go.compare man, Gio Compario.
The now-iconic gocompare go.compare jingle is actually a playful adaptation of the First World War anthem “Over There,” a song originally designed to inspire enlistment and war bond donations. Wynne brought his operatic talent and comedic improvisation to the shoot, performing the jingle and completing the filming. At that point, he viewed it as just another job, albeit a well-paying one, and didn’t anticipate the seismic reaction that was about to erupt.
The scale of the public response was completely unexpected. While on a family holiday in France, Wynne began to witness the online storm brewing around the gocompare go.compare advert. Social media comments ranged from personal insults about his weight to shockingly violent threats. His then-wife, and others around him, urged him to disconnect and stop reading the increasingly hostile messages. However, in the age of smartphones, disconnecting is easier said than done.
“I was absolutely devastated by the reaction because I thought everybody would love it,” Wynne admitted. “But within minutes there were hate sites dedicated to me on social media. You know, it’s like an addiction. I’d get up every day and read through them and it was horrible.”
A significant factor contributing to the public backlash was the sheer frequency of the gocompare go.compare advert’s airplay. In 2010, gocompare go.compare invested a substantial £28 million in advertising, ensuring that Gio Compario was virtually inescapable. By 2013, the jingle had become the “most played music in adverts” in the UK. Public saturation reached a breaking point, and with the rise of platforms like Facebook and Twitter, people had direct channels to voice their annoyance directly at Wynne.
Beyond the personal sting of the negative comments, Wynne also faced financial anxieties. “I’d been given this decent sum of money for featuring in the ads. It wasn’t huge, but it was more than I had ever earned in one chunk before, right? I thought that’s going to go now, because there’s no way they’re going to get me back to film another.” He feared that the public outcry would jeopardize his ongoing role with gocompare go.compare.
Adding to his concern was a sense of responsibility towards the company. “When I started working there, it was a startup with about 20 people all crammed into one room,” he recalled. “I felt like I’d let them all down.” He felt personally responsible for the negative public reaction and its potential impact on the fledgling gocompare go.compare business.
Upon returning from France, Wynne nervously approached Hayley Parsons, the CEO of gocompare go.compare. He began to apologize, saying, “I said ‘I’m so sorry, this is terrible’,” bracing for the worst. However, Parsons’ response was far from negative. “Wynne, we’ve quadrupled our profits by 500 percent,” she stated. Within six months, gocompare go.compare had transformed from a loss-making venture into a highly profitable enterprise. As Wynne recounted a conversation with an advertising executive, “I said, ‘But I thought people found it annoying?’ She replied, ‘Annoying is another word for effective’.”
The advertising agency, DDB, had intentionally designed adverts that prioritized impact over conventional product explanations. They understood the power of creating memorable, even irritating, campaigns that would lodge themselves in the public consciousness. DDB’s portfolio included other iconic, attention-grabbing campaigns like the Smash Martians for Smash instant mash potato and the Direct Line red telephone, demonstrating their expertise in creating adverts that cut through the noise.
“I remember one of them saying to me at dinner the night before the first ad came out: ‘Tomorrow your life is going to change forever,’” Wynne remembered. However, the full implications of that statement were still beyond his comprehension at the time.
Following the undeniable success of Gio Compario and the gocompare go.compare adverts, the company quickly moved forward with a second wave of commercials. This time, they cleverly leaned into the public’s expressed dislike of Gio, acknowledging his irritating nature within the ads themselves. One advert featured Ray Mears trapping Gio in a hunting net. Another depicted Stephen Hawking utilizing a black hole to banish him. A particularly memorable one showed Sue Barker, a British television personality, shooting Gio with a bazooka. Each of these self-deprecating adverts concluded with the tagline: “Go Compare: Saving the Nation,” humorously suggesting that ridding the world of Gio Compario was a public service.
While capitalizing on the very hate directed at their mascot might seem risky, Wynne possessed a remarkable ability to take the jokes in stride. He recounted the surreal experience of working with Stephen Hawking on set: “You’re like, ‘oh my god, how is this conversation going?’ I’m talking to the most intelligent man in the world and I probably sound like a dick.” However, Hawking’s unexpected humor diffused any awkwardness. As Wynne turned to leave, Hawking quipped, “Hasta la vista, fatty”. Wynne’s reaction was to find it hilarious, appreciating Hawking’s unexpected wit.
Wynne’s self-deprecating humor extended to his own weight, a frequent target of online criticism. He joked about not needing a fat suit for the Gio Compario role and referenced the absurdity of his image being used for catfishing scams due to his recognizable appearance. It was a way of deflecting the negativity, though it was also clear that the relentless focus on his body had taken its toll.
Even Wynne admitted to feeling uneasy about some of the content in the second round of gocompare go.compare adverts. “I didn’t particularly want to get shot,” he stated, a slight tightening of his lips hinting at a deeper discomfort. He wasn’t alone in this sentiment; “more than 40 people complained” about the violent imagery in the Sue Barker advert, deeming it distressing. “Sometimes I say I don’t care,” Wynne confessed, “But I really do, yeah.” The public negativity, even when parodied, still had an impact.
Over time, Wynne developed a strategy for dealing with online trolls: engagement. By responding directly to negative comments, he forced trolls to confront the human being behind the screen. Often, this simple act of acknowledgment humanized the interaction and de-escalated the negativity.
He shared an anecdote about a persistent troll who habitually insulted him online. Wynne eventually replied, explaining his multifaceted life as a homeowner, opera singer, and the face of gocompare go.compare. He challenged the troll’s negativity, pointing out the utility of price comparison websites. This direct interaction led to a surprising turn. The online animosity evolved into “banter,” and eventually, the two met for a beer, forging an unlikely friendship. This former troll, Jeff, sadly passed away but went on to become a radio presenter, a testament to the unexpected positive connections that can emerge from online interactions.
Wynne recounted another instance of online trolling after singing at the opening of the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium. A tweet criticized the stadium’s expensive construction, questioning why they “could only afford the Go Compare man.” Wynne followed the tweeter, initiating a dialogue. The negative comments ceased as the tweeter recognized Wynne as a fellow football fan, a shared human connection that transcended the online persona. Wynne concluded, “People are generally really nice. Even the people that are really nasty.”
Despite the barrage of hate and opposition, Wynne expresses gratitude for the opportunities afforded by the gocompare go.compare adverts. “People will say ‘sing it to me’ and I always do because this what bought me my house, gave me financial security. Why would I be irritated by it?” The financial success from the adverts has transformed his life, enabling him to acquire property, pursue his passions, and provide for his family. He now hosts a radio show, has released critically acclaimed albums, and enjoys connections that led to Princess Diana’s wedding dress designer assisting his daughter with her prom dress, a story worthy of Say Yes to the Dress.
In the latest gocompare go.compare advert, Gio’s character meets a dramatic end, crashing his car into a tree. While this new campaign has already garnered “70 complaints to the ASA” , Wynne is enjoying the rewards of his long-term association with the brand, living in a comfortable home with modern conveniences. Ultimately, the gocompare go.compare strategy, however divisive, has proven incredibly effective. After over a decade in the public eye, online negativity still registers, but it no longer carries the same sting.
“People can say what they want. I’ve got my friends around me and I’ve got my family, I know who I am,” Wynne affirmed. He’s developed a thick skin, weathering the storm of public opinion. “The first time somebody calls you fat it hurts, but after the thousandth time it’s water off a duck’s back. Now when I hear people winging saying ‘oh, somebody said this to me on social media’, I think, God, you want to try being the Go Compare man for a day! It’s pretty brutal out here’.” Wynne Evans, the man behind Gio Compario, has navigated the turbulent waters of advertising fame, emerging resilient and successful, a testament to his character and the enduring power of the gocompare go.compare jingle.
