Doesn't it seem like GEICO, Progressive and Nationwide are responsible.......

[marmar]

...... for about a third of the commercials on television? :think:

I hope customers of those insurance companies enjoy subsidizing such annoying commercials. (Full disclosure: I like the gecko.)

[Joanne98]

1. People have stopped paying their car insurance. Nobody can afford it anymore.

They're just wasting their money. They should CUT fat cat wages and lower prices instead.

[naaman fletcher]

16. you think they are that stupid?

you think that the executives at Geico and Progressive are stupid?, and that in fact you have a better understanding of the market than they do?

[Donnachaidh]

2. and every single Pharma ad (another third BTW) has BAD side effects and is humongously expensive

Personally, I'm sick of both insurance and drug ads. Yes, I'm sick of the Gecko, too. He's getting to be as obnoxious as the emo boy bands singing about credit ratings... :puke:

[RockaFowler]

3. You might be right on that one

Geico makes up quite a bit on my station. But the top money maker at my station is a lawyer. Try watching daytime TV one of these days - wall-to-wall lawyers

[nc4bo]

4. Oh please don't leave out Allsnake.

I only carry liability, runs around $35-40 a month per vehicle. Thank Gawd.

Feel real sorry for those who must carry full coverage. All that accident forgiveness BS, etc. you just wind up paying for it somewhere down the line.

[T Wolf]

5. Full disclosure - I love the squealing piggie. nt

[blondeatlast]

7. One of the best ads ever--right up there with the old Staples' "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the

Year" ad--which, for those not in the know, was NOT about the winter holidays... ;)

[Donnachaidh]

11. woodchucks are better. n/t

[blondeatlast]

6. The GEICO and Progressive ads are more entertaining than most of the programming, though.

Since the programming is paid by ads it's a toss-up. GEICO and Progressive are better than 99% of the sitcoms, actually.

[Statistical]

8. That is why I love USAA. Riddle me this Gecko.

USAA spends almost nothing on advertising, and has no shareholders it needs to send profits too.

GEICO wastes an insane amount of advertising, and has shareholders which demand constant profit increases.

You honestly expect me to believe that GEICO is going to have lower rates when it has both higher costs and the drain of dividends?

:rofl:

[SaveAmerica]

15. do you like USAA? (Ha Ha as I write this Flo is on with her price gun)

We've been Geico policyholders forever and are thinking about switching everything over to them.

[Statistical]

18. Yes. Amazing cutomer service, very low rates. I liked them so much for

auto & homeowners insurance I now do banking with them and have a 9.9% platinum rewards credit card.

Honestly they are great. Also if they make a profit at the end of the year, it gets split up to all the members. There are no shareholders they are member owned. I got $72 check this year and roughly the same last year. Now $72 isn't great but when is the last time a company paid YOU! :)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

20. USAA is tops

and, when I called GEICO to 'reduce' my rates...they were nowhere near USAA's rates. They are the best insurance and one of the best banking groups around.

sP

[Statistical]

25. I think these ads sum it up.

[naaman fletcher]

17. you have to get customers somehow

Geico and Progressive get them through TV ads. State Farm and Allstate get them through agents who pay for storefronts, etc.

My guess is that Geico and Progressive probably have a LOWER cost of customer acquisition than state farm or all state.

I have no idea about USAA other than that one of their customers was going left while I was going straight. She ran into me, and USAA is dragging their feet on paying me the 500 dollar deductible I was out getting my car fixed at the progressive service center.

[Scout]

23. we have USAA as well, love them. n/t

[RobinA]

30. Well...

they gave me significantly lower rates...

[KharmaTrain]

9. The Troubles With Today's Media...

A big reason you see so many of those ads is that there aren't many other corporations that are advertising these days. Retail spending is way down and the cables are relying more and more on "bulk" sales to fill their inventory. Just like the housing market, there's a glut of unsold units out there and those that do have money to spend are getting a lot of bang for their buck.

The irony is Auto Insurance is mandatory in most states (like health insurance will be) and has been regulated to compete...thus the glut of commercials. I sure would like to see a similar thing happen with health insurnace...there once was a time they also advertised and were competitive for business. But I'm not holding my breath...

[CBGLuthier]

10. I use progressive but not a fan of the Flo

I hate Flo the way her nieces do.

[doc03]

12. I like the Geico commercials, they are better than most of the

programming today. The ones I think should be prohibited entirely are the ones for prescription drugs.

[Recursion]

13. And the other 2/3rds are J G Wentworth (nt)

[DainBramaged]

14. 'Flo' is one of the most annoying characters on commercials

I turn the channel off when their crap comes on. DISCOUNT, give me a break, stop with the bullshit, just give me the bottom line.

[Chemical Bill]

19. GEICO used to give free radar guns to police...

so that the drivers who got speeding tickets would have to pay more. They may still for all I know.

Bill

[blondeatlast]

21. Cite? nt

[Chemical Bill]

22. I found many references but no original sources online.

I read it in a car magazine.

Bill

[blondeatlast]

24. Oh. nt

[Edweird]

26. The GEICO ads are entertaining. GEICO the company = scumbag.

[Statistical]

28. Kinda like most rappers. Entertaining scumbags.

[cutlassmama]

27. that and the ED commercials.

:eyes: :puke:

[RobinA]

29. As A New

GEICO customer I don't mind subsidizing annoying commercials because moving to them from my no advertising Big Insurance company saved me about 25% in premiums. We'll see how it works. I was happy with my old company, but the premium just kept going up, up, up, despite never having an accident and driving relatively inexpensive cars. If GEICO decides to jack me up slowly it'll take awhile for the premium to get to the level of the premium I ditched, which in the meantime would have gone that much higher. I'm done with loyalty, ditched my big banks too, to the extent possible and went credit union where I could. Unfortunately, my CU only has one credit card, so I still have to have a Big Bank card because I like to have two cards.