Don’t let the brand promise get lost in the punch line
Geico is literally a mom and pop brand made good. Actually, made great by way of brilliant branding. The company started out with the simple promise of being able to save you 15% on car insurance. It hasn’t wavered and, as a result, can claim ownership of this promise. Owning anything in branding today is hard.
But wait, there’s more. Geico also owns one of the most amusing branding characters on the telly. The little British gecko who has a thing for pie an’ chips. Realizing the name of the company might be hard to pronounce, this droll, green fellow was created to make it as easy as pie (an’ chips) to remember. He’s helped take the company to its leadership position.
Geico continues to employ its gecko and its 15% savings claim. But, it’s also started to expand its message beyond price with another series of ads that focus on the quality of the Geico experience. Celebrities as disparate in nature as Charo, Peter Graves, Little Richard, and Burt Bacharach add a twist to what would otherwise be stodgy customer testimonials. While the strategy behind this branding is in lock step with Geico’s humorous brand persona, there’s something distracting about it. I remember the celebrities. I don’t remember what the customers had to say. A case of cleverness trumping intention.
Clever is good. And Geico is great. But when using humor in branding, make sure the brand promise is as easy as pie (an’ chips) to remember.
November 2nd, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Allen-
Bravo.
Love the new simplicity in the blog. Keep it up.
You are one of the few to deliver the right message in the right way. (Simply.)