How GEICO keeps breaking through the clutter
Geoffrey PrecourtWarc
Their number includes cavemen, talking pigs, sea monsters, aging farmers, owls, Little Richard, camels, more pigs (this time flying in planes), insurance salesmen, baseball managers, Kenny Rogers, and – most famously – a chatty gecko with a quasi-Cockney accent.
They are the original icons of the "American Insurance Marketing Revolution", a platform created by The Martin Agency in Richmond, Virginia, in support of GEICO (generally unknown – but properly recognized – as The Government Employees Insurance Company).
These characters annoy, provoke, amuse, and even confuse. But their presence is powerful:...