By David L. Rawle
Marketing Matters

Complete this sentence: “Geico is so simple…” Chances are, you have no problem remembering that “Geico is so simple, even a caveman can do it.” And that evokes a simple, compelling value proposition that has contributed significantly to Geico’s success.

Paired with Geico’s gecko campaign, the company has a one-two punch that is very powerful indeed. A third “punch,” Geico’s use of celebrity ads, didn’t do as well, and I think the reason becomes clear when you consider what makes for effective use of humor in advertising.

The Geico caveman is soon to become the focus of an ABC television pilot, which will be written by the same ad copywriter who created the campaign. That’s successful campaign extension, to be sure.

And it appears that Geico’s advertising has really helped build the company’s business. Geico is owned by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Berkshire Hathaway’s entire insurance unit, which includes life insurers and reinsurers in addition to Geico, posted a 2006 profit of $3.8 billion, up from $53 million in 2005. That’s success!

There’s no question that humor can put people in a good mood, make them feel comfortable and predispose them to be open to your message. It can give a company personality, making it easier for customers to bond with you. And it can make your advertising more memorable.

By the same token, what’s funny to some people is not funny to others. And often humor is too focused, leaving much of the audience either unmoved or even offended. All too often, humorous advertising itself gets high recall scores, but the products or services being communicated do not.

So when and how is it advisable to use humor in advertising?

Link the humor to your brand name. That way, people won’t only remember that you were funny, they’ll remember who you are. Geico successfully makes that linkage with the gecko.

Link the humor to your point of differentiation. For Geico, its point of differentiation is its ease of use and simplicity. And that’s the message driven home with the caveman campaign.

Avoid allowing your humor to be too highly targeted or polarizing. Geico successfully embraces a wider audience with neutral “spokespeople” in the gecko and caveman.

Make fun of situations, not people. Although they may have been anthropomorphized, neither the gecko nor the caveman represents a constituency that could be offended by its depictions in the Geico campaigns.

If you tie your humor to a specific personality, consider the future cost consequences. That unknown comedian whom you launch to stardom in your campaign is going to get very expensive when you renegotiate his or her contract. An animated “star” like the gecko avoids that pitfall.

Test your campaign. It can be a good idea anyway, but especially when humor is involved. Test it against the target audiences you seek to influence. Again, what’s funny to one person often is not funny to another.

Be sure your campaign has “legs.” Something can be funny once, and then it can become monotonous and intrusive. Consider thoroughly how much life your humorous campaign really has. And consider its extendibility beyond one or two media. Can it work in public relations, point-of-purchase, direct marketing, interactive marketing and product placement?

We all welcome an opportunity to smile, open up and welcome a message that is relevant to our lives. Humor in advertising can provide that experience and produce meaningful results, but only if it’s used very wisely.

David L. Rawle is chairman of Charleston-based Rawle-Murdy Associates Inc., a marketing, advertising and public relations firm. E-mail him at drawle@rawlemurdy.com or visit his blog at http://davidrawle.blogspot.com/.

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