Archive for March, 2009

Geico: Missing the Mark

Published March 26, 2009 Marketing Musings Leave a Comment
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Geico has a history of staying memorable with off-beat commercials. And while I feel the Gecko has lost some of his luster in recent years I admit I used to love that little lizard.

Their new commercials, however, leave me with a feeling of discomfort:

Oh boy. I’ll begin with the positive:

  • The song is familiar and catchy.
  • The message is simple.

A simple message that stays with you. Sounds like this should be a home-run, no? The thing is, it SHOULD be, but there are several areas where I feel Geico is convoluting this message:

  • The woman is not motivated by knowing she can save money.
  • The waiter who enlightens her is creepy and aggressive in his demeanor.
  • The insurance company is stalking her to try to get her business.

These elements of the commercial – and the rest of the commercials in this campaign have very similar models – are excellent reminders to be sure to consider the method in which you convey your message. I recently blogged about how everything you say/do/project for your company relates to your brand, and this is a perfect example of an audience/brand disconnect.

Does Geico really want to say that they relate to shady characters and will stalk you for your business?

Unless this is a campaign targeted solely at social outcasts, I’m thinking not. What’s your take on the new commercial campaign?

Jennifer Hoy [follow me on Twitter]
Art Director
Strategic Insights

Building Your Brand IS YOUR Business

Published March 10, 2009 Marketing Musings 3 Comments
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jawdrop“Other than brand building, what’s the point of devoting resources to Twitter activity?”

The above quote was pulled from this article briefly outlining one man’s thoughts on using Twitter to build your brand. A quote that was responded to by the author:

“Branding is such a commonly used buzzword that it sometimes seems to be eating up the industry conversation.”

I don’t know which statement brought my jaw closer to the floor. The first, implying brand building has nothing to do with the actual business of a company, or the second claiming “brand” is a buzzword clouding out real information on how to grow your business.

Either way, I am reminded of how unclear the importance of brand building can be. Building your brand IS YOUR business. Regardless of if a company makes doughnuts, computer cables or advertisements, we are all accomplishing one task. We are building our brands.

A common misconception – and one I held in my extreme youth – is that a brand is defined by the “designy stuff” that a company puts out. Tangible items like logos, websites, letterheads, brochures, ads. They are part of it. The important thing to remember, though, is that those items only make up a small portion of the entire brand. And they are meaningless(!) without effectively growing the larger intangible portion.

The big picture involves everything – I repeat EVERYTHING – your customers and your employees/co-workers come into contact with. To make this point even clearer people are the largest part of your brand; YOU and your actions are a part of your company’s brand.

So what, as the agency, is our job if yours is to build your brand? Just as your brand can become irrelevant without constant maintenance of the intangible je ne sais que qualities, the message is meaningless if it remains hidden.

  1. Your customers need reminders of who you are and what your brand is to continue to come back.
  2. Your prospective customers need to know what makes you better than the competition.
  3. Your employees need encouragement to keep up the good work.

Care for your brand. It is your business.

Jennifer Hoy [follow me on Twitter]
Art Director
Strategic Insights

Strategic Insights Brand Marketing

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