Why should you care what rival insurers say?

Insurance Ad Review series: Introduction

I am an independent insurance agent/broker in California (Steve Evans of Carroll L Evans Insurance). So, you insist upon buying a GEICO policy (not sold through personal agents): You could still engage me as consultant to coach you through their quote and application process; I can even help you to survive their Policy Service Department’s game-of-tag and to navigate their Claims Service obstacle-course when that time comes. But I must charge you, of course, the equivalent of standard commission for that expertise. And all that goes without the option of directly representing you –as your agent—to insurance company personnel.

This is where the tagline comes from: “Save 15% or more on your car insurance.”  But few agents ever collect 15% commission from insurers they represent. And in real life, the broker-less insurance shopper ends up paying in other ways for this ‘freedom’ of going it alone.


GEICO’s landmark Caveman ad campaign strategically sought to insult the insurance shopper’s intelligence. Critics of the spin-off TV comedy series even called it racist.

Problem for me, wanting to promote my brokerage service in this new age of Google-domination: Only the big-money players get real dibs on internet advertising real-estate.  Of course, that was always true for traditional ad media, especially premium TV and radio time; but even effective paper campaigns. To get the print-browsing public’s attention, an advertiser must reserve lots of white space to ‘frame’ their message visually… Whole pages are best; and even better to publish serially, every week or so.  Similar realities characterize the ‘new’ online media.

What’s more, Google or Yahoo or Microsoft ads are lately become stalkers.  They’re sneaky, creepy and invasive. Just reading this page about insurance means that your future browsing activity will be marked, infected by various electronic cookies and bots.  So wherever you go, online ads –paid for by insurance mobsters—will follow and demand your attention.

I can’t compete with that. Even if I never monetize this blog or my company website (click the CLE logo at top right of this page), all my biggest competitors will be dogging your trail, both coming and going.  What agency can afford to run in that race?  Not sure I want to. Instead, I have decided to participate as Unofficial Umpire… That’s right, another self-appointed media critic (see also expertinsurancereviews.com).

We all do it, right?  Everybody calls fair or foul as mere spectators from the sidelines, by virtue of being consumers of entertainment. Ever since that first Roman Coliseum ‘super bowl’ commercial campaign, we are a society of amateur critics. Though, when it comes to insurance, I do have some 28 years professional experience under my belt. And if rival advertisers are determined to haunt our steps (as well as my small business enterprise), like paparazzi pirating celebrity photos— Well then, why shouldn’t we all benefit for their trouble?  At least I can try.

So give me 15 minutes and you just might save 15 percent or more of time wasted shopping for cut-rate (and cut-quality) insurance. Meanwhile, check out this latest ad from GEICO:


Click image to view video...

Lessons learned: Don’t bother the public with trust-building imagery, reliable information, promises or pricing. Cute sells. Sexy sells. Violent and explosive sells. Stupid or embarrassing sells. Even creepy sells.  Combine a few of those randomly, and what do you have?

GEICO ads.

Oh and, by the way… What were they supposed to be selling?  I will attempt to explain my analysis in the next installment of this series.