Today I saw some articles about two particularly awesome ad campaigns happening right now.
The first is from Geico. So, you know when you’re ready to watch a YouTube video and an ad starts playing, and after 5 seconds you can click the “skip ad” button? You’re not alone–research indicates that 94% of people skip the ad when given the option.
The Martin Agency (working for Geico) sought to stop that from happening. Watch how they do it:
Is the ad good at selling Geico insurance? I’m not so sure. But the concept made me want to watch the full ad, which is very rare.
The second campaign is a little more nuanced, but I really got a kick out of it. To promote the upcoming movie “Unfinished Business,” Vince Vaughn and crew posed for stock photos like the ones you see all over the internet.
The whole concept definitely makes me want to see the movie more than I did before.
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Which of these ad campaigns do you like the most?
The GEICO one is gross but I’ll admit I watched the whole thing. Once.
I wonder how they got the dog to go up on the table–I’m guessing that most dogs are trained not to do that, so he must have been really confused when they told him to get up there.
That Geico ad is brilliant. I laughed, watched the whole thing and then watched it again. I’m not going to buy house insurance from them but the name will stick in my head (that’s half the point right? brand recognition). I always enjoy seeing smart marketing rather than just brute-force advertising. Well done Geico marketing team.
Gino: The constant barrage of insurance marketing is fascinating to me. There’s so much of it. I’m sure it helps with brand recognition, and those companies must know the ROI on those ad campaigns. But I do wonder just a little bit if those marketing budgets would be better spent serving the insurance needs of their current clients instead of trying to obtain new clients.
Jamey: You’re assuming that their priority is to take care of the insurance needs of their current clients instead of making money… I’d like to think that was the case but I doubt it!
True, that’s a big assumption! It is my hope, but perhaps it isn’t true. Maybe I should keep an eye on insurance companies that do well but only spend a little on marketing.
This article kind of answers that question: https://www.digitalsparkmarketing.com/creative-marketing/advertising/insurance-advertising-war/
Good article! Thanks for finding it.
Not a bad idea there!