Geico's gecko may know a thing or two about us
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in chief -- Furniture Today, August 2, 2004
If you spend any time watching TV, chances are you've seen more than one commercial from Geico, the Warren Buffett-owned insurance company.
They're the folks who helped boost their visibility and profits with the help of a wise-cracking gecko who is constantly forced to correct hapless souls who confuse the words "gecko" and "Geico."
Last week, while driving to the office, I heard a radio spot from Geico that didn't feature the smart-mouthed gecko but was just as biting. In fact, the commercial was so on target and clever that I didn't realize until it was nearly over that it was a spot for Geico.
The commercial, which purported to be from a local furniture store, opened with the announcer claiming that a bad buy on the part of a less-than-bright son-in-law had resulted in a major overstock of brand-name recliners and sofas.
I may not be able to quote the spot word for word, but the announcer said something like this: "Prices have never been lower, and we gotta move 'em out. Hurry in for the best selection, because our mistake is your chance to save, save, save as never before."
At some point, another voice pipes in and asks if someone really could buy furniture that inexpensively. The announcer says, "No, but I did save a bundle by switching to Geico."
Talk about things said in jest. Whoever wrote the copy for that ad must have had more than a casual understanding of the messages that far too many furniture retailers present to prospective consumers.
In fact, the commercial was so on target that I momentarily wondered if Buffett, a man who certainly knows a thing or two about furniture retailing since his company also owns some big-league merchants, hadn't written the wickedly tongue-in-cheek copy himself.
Without a doubt, the retailers that are part of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway furniture division — Nebraska Furniture Mart, R.C. Willey, Star and Jordan's — produce what are easily some of the industry's most clever, entertaining and effective commercials.
However, for every ad that could be considered a home run, there are easily four or five out there from a bevy of other companies that fail to put any wood on the ball.
We know that ads screaming ridiculously low prices are just that: a ridiculous way to try to lure consumers who are smarter and better informed than ever. Trust me on this one: Consumers know that if the prices seem too good to be true, they probably are.
It might not be a bad idea to watch or listen to your ads carefully one more time. Only this time, try to perceive them through the eyes of the consumer.
