The GEICO possum commercial makes a good point that there are better ways to save money.

Summary

Commercial opens with a dad on a couch talking about the new family pet.

Dad: Well, the kids wanted a puppy, but they can be really expensive, so to save money I just found them a possum.

Scene switches to two kids in the backyard staring at a possum lying on the ground. The older boy nudges the possum with his foot and it does not move. The camera comes in for a close up of the possum and it looks dead.

Little Girl: Dad, I think he’s dead.

Dad: Probably just playing possum.

Camera goes back to the possum that still looks dead and then he jumps up and hisses at the kids. The kids jump back from the possum and shout.

Dad: There he is.

Dad has been grilling this whole time and doesn’t even look up from the grill for the entire incident.

Announcer: There’s an easier way to save. GEICO; fifteen minutes could save your 50% or more on car insurance.

Commercial ends on a white screen with the words “GEICO” and “GEICO.COM”.

Point of Commercial

This GEICO possum commercial is really similar to the “Can GEICO really save you 15% or more on car insurance” commercials. The only difference is that they are just changing the wording up to be that there are easier ways to save money. With GEICO, the point of their commercials rarely alters to anything else other than they can save you money.

What They Want You to Do

Contact GEICO.com for a rate quote is what they want you to do. Most of us could quote this in our sleep they use it so much. However, this phrase being memorized by drivers across the nation is good for GEICO. It means that when they are thinking about new insurance that they will contact GEICO for a rate quote.

My Opinion

Honestly, I find this GEICO possum commercial disturbing, but also funny at the same time. We don’t have a whole lot of possums where I live in Idaho, and they kind of creep me out for some reason. Now, give one to a child as a pet and have it play dead, and it gives me the creepy crawlies.

However, creepy possum aside, the commercial is funny. It also has a strong call to action like all of the other GEICO commercials and it is one that you won’t forget any time soon.

I give this GEICO possum commercial a thumbs up.

Grange insurance walks through the different stages of life in this commercial with an art analysis.

Summary

As we listen to the announcer during the commercial, the screen flips through different scenes of life, such as:

• Being with friends

• Spending time with our children

• Enjoying a hobby in our retirement

• Home improvement projects

Announcer: If you’re out there, doing what you do, the last thing you want is to worry about sketchy claims coverage from a cut-rate insurance company. When you go with Grange Insurance you’re working with a company that uses big, bold brushstrokes when it comes to claims. But, because we’ve made an art of handling even the smallest detail, we have a 96% claim satisfaction rate. To line up a Grange independent agent where you live, visit Grange Insurance.com.

Point of Commercial

Grange Insurance wants you to know how great their claims service is as compared to other “cut-rate” companies. They don’t talk about anything else other than this point for the whole commercial.

Because the whole point of having insurance is to cover you in the event you have a claim, it is valid to concentrate on this point alone. In addition, with how unhappy most people are with the claims process of their own insurance company, throwing in the 96% claim satisfaction rate is a marketing draw to attract that group of people.

What They Want you to Do

They want you to visit grangeinsurance.com to find yourself a Grange Insurance agent. They also want you to consider how satisfied you are with your insurance company’s claim service because they believe they can do better.

My Opinion

After initially watching this Grange Insurance commercial I was ready to give it a thumbs down rating. It was boring and the art comparison thrown in seemed a little corny. It wasn’t until I started to analyze the commercial that I found its strong points.

One, there is an initial art term thrown in the beginning (sketchy) to describe the claims service of other companies. Once I realized that, the whole art theme made a lot more sense. The only problem is that I didn’t catch it until I had watched the commercial 4 times, typed out what the announcer was saying, and then read back through it. Is a person watching the commercial once going to really understand that witty reference?

Two, concentrating on the claims part of insurance is smart. If you can’t beat them in price, tell potential customers why you are worth paying a bit more.

Reservedly giving this Grange Insurance commercial a thumbs up.

Arbella Insurance Group recruits a hockey goalie to show people that they can save you money on insurance also.

Summary

Bus pulls into the screen with an ad on the side of it that says “SAVE BIG WITH TIM THOMAS AND ARBELLS INSURANCE”. The ad also has a picture of Tim Thomas, a hockey player for the Bruins. On the bus we see Tim Thomas, in full goalie gear, sitting in a bus seat.

Tim Thomas: Savin’ it (says this every time someone tries to sit next to him).

Tim blocks the seat several times with different versions of the “savin’ it”.

Announcer: Bruins goalie Tim Thomas is all about saving and with Arbella, you can be too.

Tim finally allows an elderly lady to sit next to him and he smiles at her.

Elderly Lady: Big save.

Tim Thomas: That’s what I do.

Screen changes to Arbella Insurance Group logo with “Here for your car-home-business”, “Here. For Good”, “You could save 15% | Arbella.com, and finally, the Facebook logo.

Announcer: Find a local independent agent at Arbella.com.

Point of Commercial

Arbella Insurance Group created a cute visual that they are going to save you on insurance, just like a hockey goalie saves his team from the opposing team scoring. It’s a very simple point and made very well in a nice short commercial.

What They Want You to Do

Arbella Insurance actually has a different call to action than what other insurance commercials have. They don’t want you to visit their website for a quote or to contact a local agent for a quote. Instead they want you to visit their website to find an agent. That’s all, they don’t ask for you to call for quote or to see how much you can save. I guess they just assume that you know all that.

My Opinion

Overall, the premise of the whole commercial is cute. Seeing the hockey goalie blocking the seat on the bus for an elderly lady is also something that is memorable, so it will stick in your head when you are thinking about insurance companies to call for insurance quotes.

My favorite part is the very end of the commercial where is says on the screen “You could save 15%”. This is a nice silent jab at GEICO’s “save 15% or more” phrase.

The only things that I didn’t like about the commercial were the lack of options to contact them, as well as the extremely weak call to action at the end.

With all that said, I would give this Arbella Insurance commercial a weak thumbs up.

Infinity Auto Insurance adds unique lifestyles into their commercial line based on uniqueness.

Summary

Commercial follows the subject around in his daily life while the announcer is talking.

Announcer: Every minute is a celebration. You dance to your own beat. You’re music moves us. You are the life of the party.

Screen changes to subject being on a card with a row of other cards behind him. Each of the cards has a picture of what we assume are other Infinity Auto Insurance customers and a title of how they are also unique.

Announcer: You deserve an insurance company who’s in step with the rhythm of your life.

Commercial goes back to main subject and his life, as well as the company logo and phone number now being on the screen.

Announcer: That’s why we offer discounts on car insurance, as much as 40% – yes, 40%.

Screen changes again to show the Infinity Driver’s Club membership card as well as graphics of what this membership can help you with.

Announcer: Call now and the first 50 callers will get our Infinity Driver’s Club membership free. That’s right, membership to 24 hour roadside assistance free.

Screen changes for the last time with “Unique……just like you!”, the Infinity Car Insurance logo, and phone number to Infinity Car Insurance on screen.

Infinity Auto Insurance- unique just like you. Call 866-501-7771.

Point of Commercial

This Infinity Auto Insurance commercial focuses on not just the uniqueness of their customers, like previous commercials, but on the uniqueness of their lives as well. They are making the point that because you aren’t like anyone else; your insurance needs are also going to be different from everyone else.

Infinity Auto Insurance wants you to know that they are “unique just like you” and can get you the coverage that is best for your “unique” needs.

What They Want you to Do

Infinity Auto Insurance wants you to call them directly. They offer no method of contacting them other than a direct telephone number. They also never make mention of contacting an Infinity Auto Insurance agent for a quote.

Not only does Infinity want you to contact them, they want you to do so now. With offering their Infinity Driver’s Club membership for free they are trying to create a sense of urgency. They want you to feel like you need to drop everything now to call them for insurance.

My Opinion

I personally don’t like this Infinity Auto Insurance commercial. There is just something about it that makes me want to roll my eyes whenever I see it.

However, the commercial is effective. It creates a sense of urgency to get people to call, and this type of marketing has been shown to increase the chance that people will contact a business. The commercial also makes you start to wonder about your current insurance and whether it fits your needs or is a “cookie cutter” policy. Lastly, the commercial offers something for free; which is also another marketing method that has been shown to not just increase the chance that you will contact a business, but that you will buy something also.

So, while the consumer in me wants to give this Infinity Auto Insurance commercial a thumbs down, the advertising marketer in me provides a stronger argument to give it a thumbs up.

Summer means BBQs, camping trips, vacations, and unfortunately an increase in auto accidents.

Young drivers need to be the most cautious while driving during the summer.

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation show that your chances of getting into an auto accident are higher in the summer than at any other time of the year. Even the experience of law enforcement agencies and their reaction with more summer patrols confirm this. For one particular driving group though, the chances of getting into an accident in the summer are triple that of everyone else.

Summer Holiday Auto Accident Statistics

Of the 6 major holiday weekends during the year, the U.S. Department of Transportation has gathered statistics (from 2009) showing that the holidays in the summer are the deadliest.

1. 473 deaths on Memorial Day weekend (summer)
2. 410 deaths over 4th of July weekend (summer)
3. 360 deaths over Labor Day weekend (summer)
4. 262 deaths over a 3-day Christmas weekend (winter)

The remaining two weekends were actually four days long instead of three like the ones above:

1. 468 deaths over New Year’s weekend (winter)
2. 411 deaths over Thanksgiving weekend (fall)

As you can see, even with New Year’s being a 4-day weekend, it still had less fatalities as compared to the 3-day Memorial Day weekend. The same can be said of Thanksgiving weekend, it only had one more fatality than 4th of July weekend and there was an extra day included in the Thanksgiving weekend.

Who is Most at Risk for a Summer Auto Accident?

The drivers with the highest risk for having a summer auto accident are those between the ages of 15 and 20, by far. They have less experience on the road, are easier to distract, and drive more during the summer because school is out. Per statistic from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, drivers in this age group are three times more likely to get into a fatal accident as compared to other older drivers.

To keep your young driver from being one of these statistics, set ground rules for when they drive:

• Do not let them drive with friends in the car.
• Emphasize no cell phone use while driving.
• Don’t let new drivers drive at night until they get more experience.
• Use a tracking device on the vehicle where you can get information about where they drive and how fast they drive.

Summer Premium Increases not Auto Accident Related

With summer auto accidents, come insurance premium increases. Insurance companies don’t like when they have to pay out on a claim and they will increase your premium to not only recoup what they lost in the claim, but also to get ready for another claim from you.

Aside from auto accidents though, there are other situations that arise in the summer that can also increase your insurance premium:

• College Students coming home from school for the summer.
• New cars having to be added to your insurance policy that were given as graduation gifts.
• Another semester of driver’s education ending and a new wave of young drivers with new licenses having to be added to insurance policies.
• Summer delivery jobs

As you can see, most of the summer increases still come from young drivers. While these situations will increase your premium, it is still better to have these types rather than increases that come from a young driver having an auto accident.