Throwing shade at Katlego Maboe? Here’s why Hippo’s advert has tongues wagging

Insurance company Hippo got tongues wagging online following the release of its new advert, with many saying it is taking a dig at insurer OUTsurance and celeb Katlego Maboe. 

In the advert a man, who some said looks like Katlego, can be seen discussing ways to save on vehicle cover when he and a female driver are interrupted by a hippo showing them a better quote. 

The woman confronts the man and says she could save more money with Hippo, and then proceeds to say “out”. 

“Wait, I can find better? R300 better than your quote and you gave me a huge excess and you just had one quote. Out,” says the woman. 

“Every car insurer says they can save you money, but that doesn't mean they have the best price or the right cover for you. How do you know if you’re getting the best deal unless you compare?” says Hippo.

While some social media users found the advert funny, others said it was a “blatant exploitation of Katlego's personal pain”.

They called for the advert to be boycotted and reported to the the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA).

TimesLIVE reached out to the BCCSA to find out if there have been formal complaints about the advert. This article will be updated once a response is received.

In 2020, OUTsurance distanced themselves from Katlego and removed his ads after a video of him confessing to cheating on his former partner Monique Muller went viral. 

Katlego also faced abuse allegations and accusations of contravening a protection order against him. He denied the allegations of abuse. 

OUTsurance head of client relations Natasha Kawulesar provided a statement to TshisaLIVE explaining that the insurance company decided to pull Katlego's adverts to allow his family the “space and time to deal with this matter”.  

Natasha said it was also important to note Katlego was not an OUTsurance employee or a permanent contractor to the company.

“He is a professional actor who is paid on a campaign by campaign basis. Katlego has received his full compensation from OUTsurance for all past campaigns and the current campaign in which he was featured. This includes performance as well as full usage fees for the entire campaign."