Ashlee Samuels

Ashlee Samuels

Rhetorical Analysis: Draft 1

July 26, 2011

Giggling Gecko

Geico insurance company uses many different tactics to persuade buyers to use their insurance company[ER1]. Many of their tactics include humorous situations with cavemen, a talking gecko and rhetorical questions. Many people argue that repetition strategies that involve varying plots will be more difficult to comprehend, and thus less persuasive than plot strategies (Chang). Geico goes against this by using narratives[ER2] that are not repetitious.

An article on TheFinincialBrand.com says that Geico goes about advertising in the wrong way[ER3]. They have so many different faces[ER4] of Geico that people will get confused, Geico responds by saying; all of our faces have a “punch” that they bring to the ads. They have a goal for every tactic used.

The first approach is the use of the TheGeico Gecko. He first appeared in 1999, in his first television debut he pleads for people confusing “gecko” with “GEICO” to stop calling him. This was the beginning of Gecko’s “15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance” pitch that we have all heard millions of times. Next, came[ER5] the cavemen. These metro sexual cavemen have somehow eluded extinction while being offended by Geico’s slogan, “So easy a caveman can do it.” Number three on the list is Kash. In 2008 Geicoaired a series of ads featuring paper baned[ER6] stacks of money with a pair of big eyes on top. Kash[ER7] never says anything, he just sits and stares at people. The message from Kash, “this is the money you could be saving on your car insurance if you switch to Geico.”Another tactic that they focus on is asking, “could switching to geico save you 15% or more on your car insurance?” Then following up with a rhetorical question: “Does Charlie[ER8] Daniels play a mean fiddle?”

Their agency’s rationale has given different assignments to multiple creative teams, along with instructions “to tell multiple distinct narratives that highlight various aspects of the brand.” They say that “once upon a time, an ad was about a company’s unique selling position. But people can now accept more complex brands[ER9],” says Mike Hughes, the president of the ad agency used by Geico. The agency believes it has found a better way to do branding, perhaps even a new media strategy altogether. The editor of this article commented on it and said, “15 minutes can save you 15%” is certainly one of Geico’s brand messages. But they have other[ER10]s as well. They have ads talking about how using Geico’s website to save money is “so easy a caveman can do it.” There are ads reminding people that Geoco[ER11] insures motorcycles, RVs and other toys. They have ads for their roadside assistance program. What Geoco[ER12] has decided is that it is okay to use a different creative vehicle for each message it wants to convey[ER13].

According to AllBusiness.com with a combination of national cable TV, spot TV and national and local radio used to reach the target audience of adults 24-64 years[ER14] old. When Geico started using the humorous ads in 1998 telephone inquiries that year exceeded phone levels by 44 percent, this made 1998 the most successful year in Geico’s 62-year history, for the fifth year running[ER15]. Geico is trying to get people who are fed up with the hassle of long phone calls and expensive bills to see that they are quick and easy and inexpensive.

Out of the four strategies I mentioned above I am going to discuss one rhetorically[ER16] because I think it works best[ER17]. The adds used by Geico have involve a lot of vulnerability, but one set of ads in particular uses a very satirical frame; the cavemen. The author is taking a very normal situation, getting an online quote for your Geico insurance, which is very easy, and exaggerating it by saying that “its so easy a caveman could do it.” We know that cavemen do not really use the computer, because they do not exist, but the unspoken assumption is that cavemen are dumb, uneducated, and have never used a computer. So saying that a caveman could do it means that for somebody in today’s society who has been educated, grown up around computers and is fairly smart, getting your online Geico quote is going to be one of the easiest things you have ever done.

I think this[ER18] is a very good marketing strategy. Being on the phone or computer for hours trying to figure out the best insurance for you and your family can be exhausting[ER19]. Hearing these commercials could be a sigh of relief that there is an easier way to do it. Angie D. responded to an article used to describe all of the different strategies by saying “I can recall[ER20] pretty much everysingle Geico ad mentioned. But will I actually buy Geico insurance? The answer is, probably not. To me they don’t take themselves seriously enough to convince me that they’ll take my accident seriously. Obviously something is working for them though. Kudo’s on doing something different.” She appreciates what they are doing but she does not think it is enough to make her switch to Geico. SRG says, “It is interesting how their strategy goes against every branding rule we’ve ever learned, but it does seem to work for them. Many of their commercials seem utterly stupid upon first viewing (cavemen, Kash) but end up growing on me.” This person does not ever say that they use or would switch to Geico, but they do say that they think that their strategy works for them.

Geico goes against what a lot of advertising experts say is the correct way to use advertising, but it seems to work[ER21] for them. I am not saying that when a person hears or sees a Geico advertisement they are going to immediately go change their insurance to Geico, but when somebody is thinking about switching their insurance Geico will always be on their mind because they hear, and see the humorous advertisements that Geico[ER22] produces.

Work Cited

Chang, Chingching. Journal of Advertising, Fall2009, Vol. 38 Issue 3

GEICO’s Crazy Ad Strategy Breaks the Rules." The Financial Brand: Marketing Insights for Banks & Credit Unions. 22 Jan. 2010. Web. 26 July 2011. < /9663/ geico-gecko-caveman-kash-tv-commercials/>.

Interstitials | Business Solutions from AllBusiness.com. 1 Nov. 1999. Web. 26 July 2011. <

[ER1]Instead of saying this opening sentence. Give an example –it will not only draw in the reader more- but also give you an example which allows readers to understand better

You could give an example of the talking gecko –doing something funny- or saying one of his phrases!

[ER2]Maybe for this sentence say “However Geico goes against this repetition stratigy, and uses an abundance of commercials with the talking gecko to help gain attention of citizens…” or something along that line. Or use the idea of the caveman or use both- to give the reader an understand that they use several different approaches

[ER3]Why do they go about it in the wrong way, give a quote?

[ER4]What do you mean by different faces?? I thought they all used the talking gecko??

If you are going to reach out to all the geicko commercials- you may want to open up by saying all of them- and then get more detail later on in your paper

[ER5]Great information!!

[ER6]Banned*

[ER7]Say his name is kash before you use the name kash.

[ER8]I am confused by this last question…was this in a commercial?

[ER9]Great quote!

[ER10]What are the others?

You later go an mention them- so this sentence is not necisarly needed- you could use it though by make it a conjunction sentence- Besides their main brand message of 15 minutes or less can save you 15% - they also have “so easy a cave man can do it”

[ER11]Geico*

[ER12]Geico*

[ER13]I feel like these last two sentences are a little off topic? What do you think?

[ER14]Give more information- why is this information needed? Does this mean Geico is reaching out to 24-64 year olds? Give more detail.

I think this information IS GREAT, but back it up!!

[ER15]Great information!

[ER16]One rhetoric?

[ER17]I think you could use a different transition sentence.

Although there are many strategies that Geico uses- I personally think that ( insert rhetoric here ) works best because….

[ER18]Restate what you think a good marketing strategy is, why?

[ER19]Do you have experience?

[ER20]Great quote!

[ER21]Give statistics maybe? Detail?

[ER22]This is a great article! You defiantly did you research! There are a few parts I think you could add more detail, but otherwise I think your flow is great, and the information you did find is outstanding!!