Insurance Ad Review series: GEICO
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| Click image to view video... |
I recently posted the above video for readers to review. A longtime customer used to visit my office regularly. He would often start the conversation exclaiming:
“Have you seen the GEICO television ads lately?” Then shaking his head sadly, he declared, “I would never trust one of those companies with my insurance business.”
My customer’s impression was that the tone and content of TV commercials prove they aren’t really serious about protecting policyholders (which is what one assumes they should intend). He wasn’t objecting to attempts at entertainment, per se. But he did experience the barrage of silliness, excluding all else, as attacks upon his intelligence and ability to manage real-life risks.
Yes, he felt offended. Sure, I bet he did find himself chuckling at moments, despite his better judgment. But the funniness grew old and tired… fast. So that even the newest release-of-the-week’s attempt to tickle his attention once again—it had become more annoying than entertaining.
Me thinks I agree. Name Recognition may be god when it comes to big-money branding. However, sometimes I find myself unable to recall which company was promoting itself, let alone what product or service. Nor can I repeat their key message –namely, why one should actually choose them over others—lost yet again amongst the silly, quirky, creepy antics of their latest cartoonish mascot.

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| GEICO’s Maxwell the piggy series continued to tread unapologetically upon societal boundaries, proposing yet again to sell insurance by offending, annoying and even disgusting potential shoppers. |
That has to be a mistake. Who can resist the assessment that it’s a big waste of policyholder’s hard-earned premium dollars? But GEICO execs must know better, right? This company won the award long ago for simple mass of material aired… even if it ain’t really funny all the time (never pretends to be informative.) They don’t expect you, the consumer and risk manager, to know anything about what you are buying. They don’t expect you to understand about various costs of risk or coverage options, instruments for transferring or limiting exposure to loss. When, for instance, does it make sense to quit spending on insurance and resort instead to other measures? What is required in addition to insurance for one’s household or business to recover from accident or casualty? When it comes to cars or home insurance or securing a business loan, the consumer is usually forced to buy per contract or government fiat. So, it’s a public of ‘shotgun shoppers’ dragged kicking and screaming to the checkout counter. Why not make the insurance shopping experience fun… sort of?
At least GEICO seems able to laugh at their own folly, judging by the gecko’s disappointment with a caricature of his image. Progress I suppose for a program originally reserved for that most exacting and exclusive societal class— government employees. Indeed, that’s about the only positive message I can take away from their latest appeal to my wallet… as well as my trust.
