Fifteen minutes

We’ve all heard the phrase “Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance,” and we all know what car insurance company that is: Geico. Winning over consumers with a cute, Australian-accented gecko, Geico has been ubiquitous on magazines to television, and even crossing platforms by attempting its own television series inspired by characters from its commercial (yes, I’m talking about the cancelled show Cavemen).


How is it that a car insurance company has not focused on cars to sell insurance? Everyone needs car insurance, but the answer is through a talking gecko, offended cavemen, and a stack of money with googly-eyes with blasting techno music. Geico has successfully ingrained their company name by not only insisting on broadcasting their commercials on TV, but creating slogans that we can easily recognize. Not only is it “so easy a caveman can do it,” but a stack of money will follow you around with annoying music because “it’s the money you could be saving.” I think commercials are successful when you can hear a jingle and know to what company it belongs. Sure, when I mention All-State insurance, you can hear the deep voice and serious commercials that ask “are you in good hands?” and those make more sense, but Geico is riding on how funny they are. Geico is "consistent enough over a long period of time as to be instantly recognizable" (Sturken & Cartwright, 206).

Geico is trying to sell you something that can’t look pretty and shiny in an advertisement, but rather a concept that revolves mainly around the money you save and how easy it is to sign up with them. It’s almost as difficult as conveying the scent of a perfume through a medium that isn’t interpersonal or direct (except magazine page flap samples, I suppose).

I personally dislike their current ads because I hate the song..