Recently while driving down a busy street close to home, my daughter recognized a new billboard from Geico. It's the one featuring the stack of money with eyeballs, not the infamous gecko. Nevertheless I was amazed as it's the first advertisement my not yet literate three-year-old has noticed and pointed out to me that I can recall. Then I thought, "Wow, so easy, even a toddler gets it." That's the beauty of the Geico brand. It's simple, straightforward, and unassuming. It doesn't cater to your intellect, but rather your emotions, and that's what successful brands do. They intimately and relevantly create connections with consumers that are not easily broken. We can identify and relate to them in meaningful ways.
Human psychology shows us that people make more decisions with their hearts than with their heads, and that's never going to change. I for one, am bit of an intellect and can't stand the stack of money with its accompaniment of annoying tv spots. Yet they are unforgettable, and reach a great swath of people with a very specific message. Geico saves you money, which in this economy is a very emotional issue. Yet for all us intellectuals out there, Geico is still smart enough, as it were, to keep around our very witty and clever talking reptile friend with the British accent. The Geico brand remains a good fit for just about anyone, even if you're a caveman.
