# Why is Geico the only car insurance company advertising on TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957 "2005-03-11T02:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/1 "2005-03-11T02:55:20Z")
It seems like Geico has been blitzing every TV station with several different lines of highly creative ads for a couple of years now. And I can’t remember seeing a single ad, in that time, for State Farm Auto or USAA. (State Farm **used** to do TV commercials, but no longer.) How come the other auto insurance companies don’t advertise on TV? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/2 "2005-03-11T02:58:34Z")
o/` 1-800-SAFE-AUTO! o/` ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/3 "2005-03-11T03:00:57Z")
Oh, and Progressive runs frequent ads, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/4 "2005-03-11T03:01:07Z")
They’re not the only ones - [Safe Auto](http://www.safeauto.com/) advertises, too. But the commercials are pretty bottom-of-the-line. All they’ve got is their stupid jingle: 1800 Safe Auto, Pick up the phone The call is free For crappy little commercials, they’ve really reached some deep part of me. Apparently. I can hear it so well! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/5 "2005-03-11T03:02:02Z")
Nationwide includes auto insurance on the TV ads. And I’ve seen plenty of Progressive Auto Insurance ads, too. Allstate also has been running ads lately for car insurance. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/6 "2005-03-11T03:02:34Z")
I guess the other ads are so bland and forgettable compared with Geico’s that I just subconsciously blanked them out. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/7 "2005-03-11T03:02:57Z")
Oh, yeah - Allstate advertises too, though it might not specifically be their auto insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/8 "2005-03-11T03:04:04Z")
Gah! Can’t I add something to this discussion without some Quickfingers McGillicuddy preempting me? ---
**Author:** ![Pensandfeathers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Pensandfeathers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pensandfeathers)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/9 "2005-03-11T03:04:50Z")
I see Allstate and Progressive adverts all the time…but none of them have a cute reptilian mascot. ---
**Author:** ![Pensandfeathers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Pensandfeathers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pensandfeathers)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/10 "2005-03-11T03:05:58Z")
> [@Cheese Monster](#): > > Oh, yeah - Allstate advertises too, though it might not specifically be their auto insurance. Their auto insurance is the only thing I’ve seen them advertise. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/11 "2005-03-11T03:21:39Z")
I’ve seen ads a few times for what I think is a car insurance company. The ad involves a very hot man in a cowboy hat wearing a low-slung towel pitching some product in a gym shower. I’m pretty sure it’s insurance but admit to being distracted by the aforementioned cowboy. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/12 "2005-03-11T03:31:03Z")
Allstate, American Family, Progressive, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, State Farm all have TV auto ads. Well, I see them. I don’t know about you, of course. YMMV. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![D-bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@D-bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D-bear)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/13 "2005-03-11T04:53:53Z")
so Titan up 'yall ---
**Author:** ![Ottoerotic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6de8d8/32.png) [@Ottoerotic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ottoerotic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/14 "2005-03-11T05:11:31Z")
For the best car insurance rates in town call 1-800-General NOW!! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/15 "2005-03-11T06:35:55Z")
I’ve been seeing a lot of 21st Century ads here, in addition to the ads for Progressive, Allstate and Gecko, er, Geico. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/16 "2005-03-11T06:43:05Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I’ve seen ads a few times for what I think is a car insurance company. The ad involves a very hot man in a cowboy hat wearing a low-slung towel pitching some product in a gym shower. I’m pretty sure it’s insurance but admit to being distracted by the aforementioned cowboy. I think that would be Eastwood. Watching their commercials is like watching an above-average high school play – gotta admire the gusto, but very amateurish. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lodoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@Jeff\_Lodoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lodoen)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/17 "2005-03-11T10:24:10Z")
If you watch WGN you can see ads for AIG constantly… sometimes 4 back-to-back. The narrator sounds like Stockard Channing… which is odd cause of [this](http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/features/entertainment/wabc_012605_Stockard.html) . But at least its not class action fishing or cash settlement advances… ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/18 "2005-03-11T13:45:07Z")
I think it might be a Maryland-based company, but here we have TV ads for “Gebco”, whose ads consist of little more than scantily clad women dancing to an annoying hip-hop-like jingle. Sometimes they feature a local celebrity, like one of the Baltimore Ravens. You’ve never seen the TV ads for Allstate featuring President Palmer of “24”? They even ran those during the Super Bowl in past years. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/19 "2005-03-11T14:06:03Z")
Yo- your thread would be da bomb is you had the gecko do the Robot. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957/20 "2005-03-11T14:13:41Z")
> [@av8rmike](#): > > I think it might be a Maryland-based company, but here we have TV ads for “Gebco”, whose ads consist of little more than scantily clad women dancing to an annoying hip-hop-like jingle. Sometimes they feature a local celebrity, like one of the Baltimore Ravens. Those ads are bizarre. But not as bizarre as the ones for Senate Auto Insurance. “Kiss my bumper! Kiss it!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-geico-the-only-car-insurance-company-advertising-on-tv/293957.md?page=2)