Look Out Gecko and Flo, ‘Mayhem’ Man, QB and Professor Are Gaining On You!

By | March 29, 2012

  • March 29, 2012 at 1:21 pm
    knowall says:
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    the farmers one with the monkey parachuting is hilarious; jessica from s farm is memorable

  • March 29, 2012 at 1:45 pm
    Linda says:
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    I like the latest Geico commercials without the lizard. The people that are too cheap to join eharmony, buy a security system or join weight watchers. Those are hilarious!

  • March 29, 2012 at 1:49 pm
    Cheetoh Mulligan says:
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    Glad that Nationwide wasn’t mentioned. Their commercials suck.

  • March 29, 2012 at 1:51 pm
    scottsdaleslim says:
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    Steve R.-

    Where does the “World’s Greatest Spokesperson” come in on this list? I said it last year and I am saying it this year, that ad campaign is lousy. Big Blue needs to step up with something more than Dale Earnhart. I did’t see his name in this article either.
    We are losing the branding war. What’s up with that?

    • April 10, 2012 at 10:33 am
      Allen says:
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      I said the NW ads were horrible from the start. When I was in a class with agents they were blasting NW for wasting the money on that kind of ad campaign. Lower the rates and maybe NW would be competitive. You don’t need the funny ads to get business, look at Erie Insurance, Liberty Mutual and USAA, although the latter is a military niche. Wise up Nationwide.

  • March 29, 2012 at 2:12 pm
    reality bites says:
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    Bring back Joe Isuzu. Or pink-haired Erin Esurance. She was right up there with Kim Possible, and should have gone on to greatness. Certainly had MY full attention. But JK Simmons rules.

  • March 29, 2012 at 2:28 pm
    BOBP says:
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    I for one would like to see the annoying Flo fade off to the top row of the left Progressive field seats.

    • March 29, 2012 at 5:01 pm
      I think Flo is cute says:
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      Kinda bubbleheaded, out there, silly. Good representative for the company!

    • April 4, 2012 at 10:52 am
      Agent says:
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      We have Progressive, but view them as a needed market who will handle the customers the other standards won’t. They will write almost anything for a price. By the way, many don’t know that Progressive is owned by George Soros. Their name kind of gives them away.

  • March 29, 2012 at 2:30 pm
    IrregularGuy says:
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    A few random thoughts about this article:

    I would bet an Aaron Rogers endorsement check on the fact that homeowners in Louisianna, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are less than amused in the humor of State Farm spending between 300 and 700 million dollars a year on ads instead of covering their policyholder’s losses.

    Does anybody find it appalling that american consumers would actually trust what is usually their most valuable asset, their home, to a decision influenced by what amounts to actors and cartoons? Or is it just me?

    Finally, if insurance humor is what really flys your flag, find archival footage of commercials that a Texas agent ran for years that pointed out just what an insurance fraud the “gecko” is. I can’t remember his last name, but his first was Al, and he was a good old boy who, by way of years of experience, knew insurance inside and out, illustrated that the “gecko” didn’t, and had fun doing it. I’m sure GEICO sued him to stop. After all, how much humor can you find in an insurance company in which the first two words in their name are GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES?

    • March 29, 2012 at 2:45 pm
      TX Guru says:
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      His last name was Boenker.

    • March 29, 2012 at 4:09 pm
      SWFL Agent says:
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      The majority of the public wouldn’t remember or know what GEICO really stands for and they certainly don’t know about the bailout years ago. There’s a reason GEICO has shifted the attention to the word “GECKO”. They don’t want the public to remember either.

      • April 10, 2012 at 3:12 pm
        Agent says:
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        There are many out there that don’t realize that Warren Buffett owns GEICO through Berkshire Hathaway. By the way, Uncle Warren has had some tax issues with Berkshire Hathaway going back to 02. Since he thinks the rich should pay more taxes, why hasn’t he cut a check to Turbo Tax Tim on his? Oh, that’s right. He is a friend and confidant of Obama and that means he gets a pass on his.

    • March 30, 2012 at 2:43 pm
      knowall says:
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      valid points; but, like most professional relationships it’s the actual “person you get,” in the case of insurance, generally the agent. Insurance agents have survived , except for the intense price competition we and the companies have heaped upon ourselves instead of emphasizing how important selecting the right coverages are.

      “buyer beware”

  • March 29, 2012 at 2:44 pm
    Brian says:
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    I too have trouble with the cartoon marketing thing… who are they appealing to?

    • March 30, 2012 at 5:03 pm
      Ins Guy says:
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      @ Brian:

      They are appealing to the same millions of Americans that let Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise or Oprah Winfrey tell them what to think and how to vote. Sad

  • March 29, 2012 at 2:50 pm
    Cheetoh Mulligan says:
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    It reminds me of a comic I saw the other day. A father and son were having breakfast, and the son asks the dad “Why are you eating that healthy fiber cereal?” and the dad responds “Because I don’t choose my cereals like I choose auto insurance!”

  • March 29, 2012 at 3:12 pm
    Compman says:
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    I kinda like the “Jake from State Farm” commercials with the guy talking on the phone in the middle of the night and his wife catches him. I guess it is funny as I have a cousin named Jake who works for State Farm.

    • March 30, 2012 at 2:29 pm
      Franklin says:
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      What you are wearing, “compman” from insurance journal? You sound hideous!

      • March 30, 2012 at 2:39 pm
        Compman says:
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        khakis!

  • March 29, 2012 at 3:47 pm
    MarketMaker says:
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    I’ve been saying this for years to the IA carriers. They have no sense. Except Travelers. the dog commercial is good. The first one “Trouble” was the best. i could never get sick of that one.

    • March 29, 2012 at 4:09 pm
      SWFL Agent says:
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      Yes, my favorite as well. It’s cute and has a meaningful message.

    • April 3, 2012 at 9:24 am
      Mr. Solvent says:
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      You forget that Flo has legitimized a brand long written off as a high risk expensive carrier. I write a great deal of my preferred risk with Progressive and I don’t think that marketing has hurt the situation any.

  • March 30, 2012 at 7:59 am
    Stush says:
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    I have always liked humor in advertising but never let it guide my purchases, which is why I don’t drink Miller Lite, or Budweiser, or use Exxon or Mobil, the two highest-priced brands of gasoline, or buy bottled water for that matter. But it concerns me how many Americans do make choices based on what they see on TV. And these are the same folks who think they get truth on the internet or from Rush Limbaugh. So you can be sure that I do not choose my insurance based on the ads. As for Farmers, they are just beginning to market in our region but they have some stiff competition: Ever see the website “Farmersinsurancesucks.com”? ’nuff said….

    • March 30, 2012 at 1:55 pm
      Debbie says:
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      So, you believe the website “Farmersinsurancesucks.com”, but anyone who thinks they get the truth on the internet or Rush Limbaugh is an idiot? Do you get the irony of your statement?

      • March 30, 2012 at 2:41 pm
        Compman says:
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        Debbie, don’t feed the trolls.

      • March 30, 2012 at 5:06 pm
        Ins Guy says:
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        He was absent the day they taught irony.

        • March 30, 2012 at 5:30 pm
          Compman says:
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          I think Stush was absent everyday!

  • April 2, 2012 at 2:14 pm
    shawn morris says:
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    It is truely ironic that the companies supposedly “trying” to use humor to promote their insurance products are in my view greatly insulting the intelligence of the american public. Most of all Geico and Progressive are the worst offenders with their low IQ that leave me constantly shaking my head at the stupidity and huge waste of their insured’s money they throw away with their no punch line type adds. No of their commercials ever have anything to do with insurance and are never informative in any way. As far as State Farm, Allstate and Farmers their adds are a notch above Geico and Progressive but still make false claims bordering on fraud. State Farm names an exact dollar amount they guarantee that they can save every person on their insurance. This is fraud. Allstate advertises their claims satisfaction guarantee. Guess who was voted the worst insurance company in the industry ? Right Allstate and guess why? Right again , because of their absolutely deplorable handling of claims in which they deny, delay and defect from doing what their relied on to do and that is be there when their needed. Their adds are fraudulent also. And then theres Farmers Insurance. How does their new jingle go ? Oh yes “We are Farmers, dum,da dum, da dum, dum, DUMB!” I think they said it all. I am constantly changing the radio or tv channel to avoid this insulting low IQ and fradulent adds. These insurers are certainly leading the cause in the “dumbing down” of america. If you say these adds appealed to your client base then that doesn’t say much for your client base. Please stop the add campaign war and put some thought into your senseless and uniformative and truthful adds. I am absolutely sickened by this barrage of nonsense and childish nonsense. Get real or get off of our airwaves. I thought we had it bad with lizards, cave men and Flo. The insurance industry has reached an all time low and you classify this as humor?? I don’t find anything funny about it. Stop wasting millions of your customers money to put out such lies and insults you dare to call advertising. Be informative and truthful and clever like my company and you will really do a service to everyone.

    • April 4, 2012 at 5:07 pm
      Agent says:
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      Actually Shawn, the only ones I really like are the Liberty Mutual ads which preach personal responsibility. They are excellent and professionally done and promote a good image for our industry. These goofy ads primarily appeal to the dumbed down society we have now and to folks that watch the half hour sitcoms which are worthless and not even humorous since it is about sexual inuendo for the most part. Give me the CSI’s, NCIS, Body of Proof, Hawaii 5-0 and I am good to go.

      • April 9, 2012 at 10:36 am
        IA InsGirl says:
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        You named all the shows I watch! No “reality TV” in our household.

        • April 10, 2012 at 12:00 pm
          Agent says:
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          I forgot to add Blue Bloods to the list. Tom Selleck is one of our favorites and we like how this family sticks together through thick and thin.

  • April 2, 2012 at 3:18 pm
    SWFL Agent says:
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    Wow, $80,360! You really hit it big. And I thought there was only 3 loto winners last week.

  • April 2, 2012 at 10:29 pm
    Howard says:
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    Geico’s and progressive ads are just plian stupid

  • April 4, 2012 at 9:39 am
    Allen Hurtt says:
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    I’ve had several ideas of insurance marketing, ie, Caveman, And ongoing storylines with same type characters. I’d like to know ways to contact certain agencies to promote my ideas. Any way I can get this info?

  • April 4, 2012 at 4:34 pm
    Water Bug says:
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    I attended a Nationwide company meeting for a subsidiary and there were two sessions with 1,000 attendees at each meeting. Mr. Rasmussen was the speaker and in the Q&A part of the gathering, the Nationwide Greatest Spokesman came up. The employee posing the quastion asked why NW had such a horrible ad campaign. The question brought a standing ovation from the audience. Mr. Rasmussen replied that the ad campaign was a success.

  • April 6, 2012 at 10:07 am
    SusieQinthe Midwest says:
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    I would have to say, by far, the Mayhem commercials are the best.



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