Did you see that GEICO commercial where …?
By Guest Blogger on March 29, 2010 at 7:23 AM
Posted in: Marketing & Communications
Guest Blogger: Marta C., event coordinator in Lakeland, FL
Everyone has an opinion about GEICO’s advertising and believe me, they aren’t shy about sharing. It makes me smile to hear strangers discussing GEICO commercials when they don’t know I work for the company. Although insurance may not be the most exciting topic, GEICO has made it fun and I like that.
I have the opportunity to talk with consumers face to face at events like festivals and concerts, and the comments I hear vary widely on this subject. Would you believe I’ve even witnessed arguments about which GEICO commercial is the best? People can’t get enough. In fact, some have proudly shown me tattoos that testify in an enduring way to a person’s love for their favorite GEICO character. Now that’s extreme dedication!
When I think about it, we do have a lot of options to choose from: the Gecko (I don’t even know if he’s from Australia or England), The Caveman, “Kash” with the googly eyes (I always feel like he’s watching me), and an assortment of celebrities who’ve appeared in our ads over the years. Plus, we have the talking pothole and an old-school favorite, the squirrels in the road. Hey, even I struggle with choosing a preference.
The bottom line though is, love it or hate it, you remember it! And that’s what advertising is all about. Do you have a favorite GEICO ad?
we are tired of seeing the smart phone commercials, can you play the woodchuck’s, that one is great, thank you
Ranking of Geico ad campaigns:
Worst: The fake Ron Serling pitchman. He comes across as pompous and nothing more. His impression of Serling is strained — I only realized it was an effort to allude to Rod Serling by reading it in an article. The voice is annoying and the body language lends absolutely nothing to the comedy — it would be better as a voice-over with a more believable take on the old Twilight Zone host.
Better: The Caveman ads are making a respectable comeback. After an awful period which included a misguided venture into situation comedy (what were you thinking!!??) the newest commercial (the cheerleader spot) is really well done. The writing is fresh — good job.
Best: The Gecko is your bread and butter. I haven’t seen Geico go off the rails with this one yet. The latest installment featuring the mascot walking through “fields of wheat” which turns out to be a patch of grass and weeds near a parking lot, is well done. There is much more foregivness and acceptance with this character –unlike that godawful Rod Serling wanna be (sorry to belabor the point! … but really … he’s bad).
I have always enjoyed the Geico Gecko. The cavemen are commercials are alright too. But these pig commercials are horrible. I have to change the channel whenever they come up because there so over played. Honestly, the fact that these commercials are the most common played on Comcast channels is disappointing. Its the commercial with the guy on the zip line and the pig screaming “WEEE WEEE WEEE” as he passes him. I wasn’t fond of the commercial in the first place, but now it’s played in almost every commercial break on my favorite channels (History, Discovery, and Comedy Central). I have even changed from one channel to find its playing on another! Its to the point where i’m looking for a way to voice my frustrations. I am a former Geico customer. I currently don’t need insurance because i’m about to join the military. So i sold my car. I had intended on resuming my policy when i came back to the states, but to see how demeaning your advertising has become makes me question how Geico perceives there customers. Do you feel were a bunch of idiots who don’t want to see an informative commercial explaining why your product is superior to the competitions? You think that a squealing pig will cause us to roar with idiotic laughter, then a rush to the phone or computer to purchase purchase PURCHASE! I know you have different commercials for different demographics/products, but to overplay your advertisements intended for low I.Q. consumers alienates anyone who puts more thought into a purchase other than “Haha! thats funny! ill buy that!”.
I suppose I am assuming a lot from a single commercial, but that is the point is it not? Advertising is the face of your company, and must portray your core values. What i see is a lack of faith in your consumers. Do not sell us short. We think about what were buying. If you mix a little creativity with a lot of good information we will get the message. Tell us what your selling, Tell us why its better than the other guy. Then if you feel the need, add something clever to make us chuckle to remember you after the commercial is over. You’ve done a good job on the last part. Ill never forget that damn commercial, but ill never invest another dime into Geico as long as its on the air.
I love the Gecko….laugh at his cute little voice, his adventures, and come what may antics. But I absolutely hate the pig. Like one of your other commenters, I change the channel when that commercial comes on. It so does not fit the Geico image like the Gecko does.
pleeease get ride of the sqealing pig noone likes it
I can’t understand what the pig says when he passes the man on the ZIP line. Please tell me what he says. Maybe I just don’t speak Pig-Latin. Ha
The pig says, “Pure – adrenaline”. LOVE the commercial. But my FAVORITE is the pig in the car with his friend’s Mom taking him home as he yells “WHEEEEE” and has pinwheels in his hand.
I love the zip line commercial with the pig.. One thing is for sure, it is not going to be forgotten.. Keep them coming.. Maybe combine the gecko and the pig in next one
Cannot understand the zipline pig. What are the last words? Pure adrenelin, then ?????
the one with the pig on the zip line. I wonder how many kids and probably some adults will be seriously injured or killed attempting to use key chain d-rings on their harnesses or safety ropes like whats on the pigs harness. i know the bit is being done with green screen but I bet the d-ring on the guys harness is a climbing, double lock, weight rated type but it cant be seen because its covered by his hands. the guys thinking this stuff need to think about what their showing people,
please dear God lose the screaming pig commercials… there are now three so I find myself muting MORE commercials. its not TOO terrible when you are watching it but when you are walking around the house doing other things and hear constant squealing it makes me want to break things…
I sincerely do not know one person that finds the Caveman, Rod Sterling, or Pig commercials remotely amusing. In fact, when those commercials come on I often times see people cringe and reach for the remote. The Caveman in particular perplexes me in that it was never comical to begin with. It has always been just plain stupid, a bad character delivering an un-witty punchline. The Caveman has reached the “Energizer Bunny” status of beating a dead horse. Whenever I see those commercials it just serves as a reminder of why I would never support the company. It’s like your motto is to intentionally create the most annoying and obnoxious commercials. It’s the same response I have when I hear Alanis Morrisette on the radio. Please STOP!!!
Why does Geico feel the need to run so many ad campaigns? The gecko is the only one worth watching. All the others make me cringe & change the channel.
For the love of all that is holy!! I really want to see the Geico commercial where a woman is driving on the interstate and she is applying make-up,eating talking on the phone and polishing her nails i believe. I only seen the commercial once or twice but that was the best one to because she merged over 5 lanes and caused a major back-up. It always had me thinking that slow traffic was because some poor woman wasn’t paying attention and did what she did just to get to her turn.