15 Minutes

A 2012 survey that tracked the most widely recognized car insurance brands in Canada revealed that, despite not selling insurance in the country, Geico had the highest level of brand awareness by Canadian consumers.(1)  This is largely in part to the firm’s highly active television advertising campaign.  The “15 minutes could save you 15% or more on your car insurance” campaign is well known in America and, as a result of watching American television programming, Canadian has been exposed to Geico’s marketing.  This “15 minutes” campaign is also an interesting example of how to incorporate a brand promise into, what has become, a highly successful, and recognizable slogan for the company.

Geico’s televisions campaigns are well documented (2) and have a resonance with consumer due to the highly humourous approach.  Regular television viewers will know the Geico well, and may also remember Geico’s cavemen campaign: “It’s so easy to use, Geico.com, a caveman could do it.”

More recelty, Geico has incorporated professional sports and celebrities into their advertisements.  Gecio is a sponsor of the NHL (another reason hockey watching Canadian are aware of the brand) and a recent campaign asking “How happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to Geico?” featuring retired NBA all-star and notorious shot-blocker Dikembe Mutombo.

Oddly enough, despite the high level of brand recognition that Geico now maintains, the underlying the company’s slogan continues to promote cost savings.  Original, in the early days of the brand, this slogan was used to entice consumer to seek Geico to save money.  A successful brand is typically able achieve higher margins and is able to avoid pricing competition however, despite Geico’s high awareness, the company continues to use a slogan, promising savings.

This discussion asks us to follow these themes into several other areas:

If Geico’s call to action is savings and;

Geico uses both mascots, and celebrities to promote the brand…

Do other North American insurers use this similar strategy?  If not, what are they doing differently?