October 3, 2007
Looking through a copy of NEWSWEEK, I notice an advertisement that immediately catches my attention. Placed amongst the common colorful advertisements and traditional white pages of NEWSWEEK, with red borders and traditional black ink, is a black and white picture. This picture is far from plain and far from common to many of my generation. Yet, I can relate to it and appreciate the humor presented in the advertisement due to my recollection of yearbook photos of my parents from high school. The advertisement created by GEICO is well-placed, well-crafted, and well-timed. Baby boomers are inspiring a huge new campaign in business and advertising, “Today, they're changing the way companies will look at marketing.” (Freeman). This revolution that is taking place demands the catering to our older population. Advertisements like this are sure to continue and become more wide-spread. GEICO insurance developed a catchy, creative, and nostalgic advertisement that hooks in all readers, but specifically attracted not only the attention, but perhaps the wallets of countless “baby boomers”.
This is an ad for GEICO auto insurance, featuring a black and white photo of a young man in a tuxedo, wearing horned rimmed glasses and sporting a massive afro. In a lime green text box a simple question is posed; “Survive the ‘70s? You deserve special treatment.” Two more text boxes are followed beneath this, elaborating on the statement, before turning the page to read more in-depth about the company. One of the first things most people look for when they see an advertisement is what the particular ad is trying to say. In this GEICO ad it seems very clear at first; if you made it through the seventies alive you should get some type of special treatment. However, upon further examination one finds that the ad really is implying that a person who has lived through the seventies and is still alive today has more than likely been driving for quite some time. The experience that they possess may be able to qualify them for amazing savings on their car insurance. The author of this advertisement attempted to mak this piece as uncomplicated as possible. The author decided to ask the reader a question that is easy to answer, and then made them feel unique by saying, “That’s why GEICO offers personal service, just for you.” This tactic further draws the possible customer into the advertisement. The interested consumer now is able to see four benefits they may be eligible for and a website they could look up to find more information.
All of this information is clearly placed in text boxes below the attractive lime-green box to allow the reader to locate all of this information with ease. The use of layman language that the average person understands also presents a very relaxed feeling towards the potential customer; thus continuing the friendly, comical relationship established. If the reader is so inclined to look further, they will notice that on the back of the ad is more information about the possible savings they could have by switching their car insurance over to GEICO. On this back side the author presented policy perks in a traditional column form with the headlines for each point in bold font. The top of this page also has the same question posed on the front in the same green text box, but with a different answer stating, “Survive the ‘70s? You Deserve GEICO.” I believe that this text box was used by the authors to allow for readers to recognize that this writing was in relation to the advertisement on the front.
Authors and advertising teams are constantly trying to understand the most effective way to convey their message to the public that will be both appealing and memorable in such a competitive market. In this advertisement the author presents a universal image of the seventies, which may represent simpler times to “baby boomers”, in hopes of trying to create a common-ground with them. The fact that the majority of people in their fifties did not have their hair in an “afro” is irrelevant to the purpose of this argument. As Valerie Fried, 56, says, "I'm not sure whether Led Zeppelin trying to sell me a Cadillac makes me want to buy a Cadillac. But listening to the song sure takes me back to a pleasant time and place.” (Erickson) The author does a great job of connecting with the desired audience and invoking a laid-back affiliation between the consumer and the corporation. Then, once this relationship has been established, the author further respects the reader by explaining how the accomplishments throughout the readers life has made them an exceptional person and deserving of discounts on insurance premiums. Since the author did not use any pedantic words to describe the benefits or how the company was planning to distribute these privileges, the author has successfully conveyed his message without offending anyone or speaking over the heads of the readers.
Furthermore, readers can truly understand the friendly attitude presented in the advertisement by knowing more about the company it was designed for. GEICO is a company that was founded on basic, American family values, attempting to bring quality insurance to government employees at very low premiums. Today, the company continues in this effort to bring quality insurance at low premiums to all people in the form of auto, motorcycle, recreational vehicle, home, and other forms of insurance to cover all of life’s potential problems (GEICO History). However, an insurance company is in the business of making money, so seeking out policyholders that have enough discretionary income to purchase multiple policies is enticing. Therefore, it makes it clear to understand that the advertisement is most likely aimed at a certain demographic that entails a great deal of citizens. It seeks to gain policyholders in their mid-forties to early sixties with good driving records and people looking to save money on auto insurance. This advertisement does exclude those people who did not live during the decade of the seventies, or even more so, those who did not truly “experience” the seventies; people who spent much of their developing years in that particular decade. However, being that this demographic is from the “baby boom” era, there is a great deal of “boomers” in our society, in fact they make up 26.75 percent of the population, and most “baby boomers” have a substantial career that allows for financial security, the average income of “boomers” age 45-54 in 2000 was $64,080, an appealing characteristic for an insurance company ("DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE: American Baby Boomers."). Even more so, it is a market of people that entails seventy-eight million people and three trillion dollars worth of revenue (Freeman).
The argument presented in this advertisement is a very successful one in my opinion. Many people that read NEWSWEEK are people concerned with the current events that occur in our world. Interpreting the logos used in this ad, I found little actual logical appeal being used. It seemed to rely more on appealing to the readers pathos and ethos. Also, as I stated earlier, the frequent complementation of the author towards the reader definitely appeals to the pathos of the reader. The GEICO insurance corporation is a very strong company that is on the rise economically, with a very strong moral foundation instilled in it at the time of its inception by its founders (GEICO History), this fact is something that a very prudent consumer would look into and discover, which would appeal to the ethos of many readers. Also, ethos applies in that the advertisement shows that they will provide lifetime service and quality claims, to give the reader a feeling of safety and that they will not be betrayed by the company. By explaining to the reader the policy the companies has involving lifetime approval, again this proves that the company exhibits ethical operation.
Advertisement is one of the most difficult professions in the business world. Creating the right advertisement that will not only be catchy, colorful, and unique, but enticing enough to provoke the audience to actually purchasing the desired object is incredibly disconcerting. Creating an advertisement for the “baby boomer” generation can be even more difficult, since these people have seen all forms of advertisement and are less likely to be duped by cheap gimmicks (Freeman). In analyzing this particular advertisement, I found it to be unique, creative, and most importantly, very convincing.
Works Cited
"DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE: American Baby Boomers." MetLife. 2003. Mature Market Institute. 17 Sep 2007
Erickson, Paula . "Advertisers lure baby boomers back to the '60s." Beaumont Enterprise 03 Sep. 2007: B. 5.
"GEICO History." GEICO. Apr 2007. GEICO Insurance Co.. 10 Sep 2007
Karla, Freeman. "A Marketing Boom: How to Attract the Baby Boomer Market." The American Salesman 52(2007)
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