Visual Analysis of GEICO’s Advertising Strategy
Car insurance is an essential field in the modern day’s society simply because there is much that has been happening behind the wheel. In the past few decades, the rates of car accidents have increased tremendously leading to the establishment of numerous car insurance companies. All the companies in the industry have been seeking approval in the public arena by investing huge efforts to hint to the customers that their products are the best. GEICO is among the top well-known and unrivaled auto insurance companies. The company’s reputation has been growing day by day perhaps because of her humorous and catchy advertisements and mottos. The company’s primary goal is to sell customer safety through insurance and to reel in consumers very competitively in the market. The main aim of this paper is to carry out an in-depth analysis of GEICO’s advertising strategy citing the relevance and effectiveness of the rhetoric devices.
GEICO has coined some comedic television advertisements in order to achieve the set market goals. The company mainly targets the ordinary people. The ads are meant to influence the working class earning lower wages. The famous motto, “15 minutes can save you 15% or more on car insurance” is tactically employed in a workplace. An ordinary worker poses a question which in this case is treated as rather rhetorical with a very obvious answer which echoes GEICO. The office setting is just one of the many prominent and successful advertisement campaigns on the television screens. Other ad campaigns featured in the televisions include the GEICO Caveman, GEICO Gecko, and the Hump Day Camel which was developed by The Martin Agency. All these ad campaigns have been able to grab the attention of various customers by applying ethos, logos, and pathos in relatable surroundings and comic events.
GEICO in all ads applies a strong sense of ethos which appeals to the target audience as well as overall credibility. The commercials use diverse characters to show the company’s credibility. In one scene, the developers use a celebrity to represent the firm’s reputation. Ideally, a good number of people feel good when they share a product with a celebrity. We all love being associated with big deals. In the other scenes, the company chooses to focus on ordinary drivers. The implication created in the ads is that when people get involved with GEICO, they definitely become celebrities. GEICO also has a series of animated advertisements (The Dumb Things Campaign) whose saying has evolved over time to “We all do dumb things. Paying too much for car insurance doesn’t have to be one of them.”
Even though the company has proved to be very reputable over the past years, it has retained the knowledge that the most significant party in the insurance company is the client. The absence of clients means that there would be no market hence no business. GEICO’s awkward strategy though very effective to focus on the customer’s subconscious mind places them in an authoritative position. A different use of ethos by the company is portrayed in a magazine ad shown when employees in an office scene are conversing. Consumers are much likely to trust companies which place their advertisements on magazines. Despite the unconventionality of the ethos, they have been very effective in the marketing strategies since they place the consumers in charge of their choices.
All advertisers have some specific instances of logos which appeal to the reason of the viewers who view the ads. The logos in an advertisement reinforce the information being passed and triggers the customers to rethink about how the company offers the best insurance ever. In most GEICO’S ads, there is a recurring rhetorical question which is accompanied by an obvious answer. The recurring question and response imply that GEICO will offer the clients exactly what they are advertising which is all that the customers need, cheap and reliable insurance. Although the message is not portrayed directly to the clients, it is registered subconsciously in their minds.Pathos appeal to the emotional domain of the human mind. Ideally, emotions to a great extent determine the customer’s buying decisions. GEICO’s ads provide a platform whereby customers can closely identify with the characters used. For instance, in the office scene, customers can easily relate emotionally to the workers and make them feel that the insurance is not only much available to them but also affordable. The trademark motto also targets to influence the ordinary people who are in search of discounted insurances. The environments set in all ads are usual, and anyone can easily relate to them. The consumers thus do not see anything strange in the company’s policies. The repetitive nature of the phrases also makes GEICO an obvious phenomenon.
Ethos, logos, and pathos are critical stones in building an effective and prosperous marketing strategy. When used together, the three serve the desired roles to the fullest. The appeal to credibility, logic, and emotions are known to manipulate the thinking process of the consumers. Marketing is a broad field and customers are sensibly the pawns moving slowly and carefully through the newest trends. The main goal of any modern car insurance company is to trend safely in the industry and develop the safest insurance policies. Successful marketing comes out as a result of two sides: the manipulator and the consumer. GEICO has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that it is an ideal manipulator by being able to develop perfect television ads.
Bibliography
- 15 Minutes Could Save You 15 Percent Or More Everybody Knows That – Geico Commercial. Directed by Tommy Bass.