Geico's top marketer on the brand's approach amid insurance upheaval

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend! There’s been a lot of recent change at Geico. Earlier this year, the company appointed IPG’s Mediabrands its new media agency—breaking up its 25-year relationship with Horizon. This spring, the insurer introduced for the first time a co-star for its longtime gecko mascot, pairing actor Will Arnett with the lizard in a series of spots. The shifts come at a time of upheaval in the insurance industry overall, with higher rates, economic turmoil and climate change putting pressure on marketers. “We’re in a position where we're developing marketing creative that we feel as though can really stand out and can be beneficial to helping us leapfrog the competition in terms of what we say and how we say it,” said Damon Burrell, whose hire as chief marketing officer at Geico last year marked a new chapter for the Berkshire Hathaway-owned company after decades with his predecessor. Speaking on the latest episode of the Marketer’s Brief podcast, Burrell added that Geico has made some internal changes to its team, hiring and elevating for new marketing roles. “We’ve also spent a lot of time revamping our processes,” Burrell said. Geico is putting data and analytics and consumer insights at the center of its strategy. It is leveraging TV on a state-by-state basis to target customers in different local areas. And along with TV, Geico is ramping up its social and digital marketing as it tries to attract younger Gen Z customers, many of whom are agnostic about insurance. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs “We want to leverage digital and social to help what we call educate the audience and help them, you know, realize the value that insurance can bring to their lives, but do it in a entertaining way,” said Burrell, adding that Geico expects to have a bigger presence on TikTok, for example, in the future. On the podcast, he also discusses Geico’s long-running relationship with creative partner the Martin Agency and why the gecko has been able to maintain its appeal with customers, both young and old, since the character’s 1999 debut.Look back: The most popular insurance ad characters

Geico's top marketer on the brand's approach amid insurance upheaval

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