ENGL 101
Geico Macaroons Ad
The researched ad I chose was for Geico auto insurance. They often have humorous ads with
very creative art work. This one was very similar to the style and content of their other ads. In this
colorful print ad, there is a stack of five macaroons of different colors. Next to that standing alone is
one beige boring looking macaroon. The caption reads, “The choice is yours, and it's simple.” When
you read below the image you find all the main reasons to select Geico over other insurance companies.
They say they are the “2nd largest auto insurer”. At first, I was surprised that they even advertised this
because if they are not the leading auto insurer, this fact can work against them. If you are second, why
would you advertise that? The second comment was somewhat more effective but still questionable
when they say, “97% customer satisfaction”. This is good, but many would ask why isn't there 100%
customer satisfaction. Then they say, “24/7 licensed agents” which is a vague statement. What does
that mean? Just because they have licensed agents available all the time, does that mean you can get car
insurance any time or just ask questions. That needs to be more specific.
When they include their history and how much time they have been in business, the ad is more
effective and relevant. “Helping people since 1936” tells the consumer that Geico has been around for a
while and they aren't going anywhere so there is some consumer confidence there. They state that the
macaroon was “The other guy”. This could confuse the consumer because since Geico states they are
the second largest auto insurance, then “the other guy” could be the first and that doesn’t speak well for
Geico. Relating car insurance to food doesn’t really make sense but might have a positive effect for
people who enjoy macaroons. Even though the ad is colorful and clever, these issues should have been
taken into consideration before publishing the ad. It is geared towards the middle class and that is often
a major objective of Geico and print advertising in general.
This requires a study of advertising techniques, because the need to be aware of the intended
audience the ad is geared towards and to design an ad that is factual, appealing and current is key.
There are various styles of print ads, but designers of ad copy always have the recent trends and
competing vendors in mind. The style of the ad matters because consumers react positively to creative,
humorous ads that emphasize putting the customer first. What is people most concerned with at this
point in time? What are specific needs that everyone has? How does your product address those
concerns and what separated your product from the others? These are the questions that must be asked
before designing a print ad. In the Geico ad, the company is successful with catching the eye of the
consumer because they chose food for one thing. If the food looks appetizing, it is going to get their
attention. It is obvious at first glance that the macaroon on the right, called “the other guy”, lacks the
color, originality and appeal of the delicious looking macaroons on the left.
Geico appears mainly concerned with competing companies and that seems to be the focus. The
particulars of Geico’s product and service are listed under the picture, which is not as eff ective. I think
something less vague like an innovative and colorful way to show how they are faster paying claims or
have the best money saving options. It is not a good idea to add too much text in a magazine print as,
especially if it is a lengthy list. People flipping through magazines aren’t going to have much to spend
on one page unless they really see something that will help them save money. Yes, service and a good
advertising campaign helps but unless the cost is low, the ad will probably not get as much attention to
merit reading through the list of advantages. Unless there is an interesting picture or funny caption that
gets their attention, they will probably just flip quickly to the next page.
The actual meaning of the word advertising is to call the public's attention to your business for
selling products or services through the use of various forms of media, such as print or radio and
television. Advertising provides a direct way to communicate with your current and future customers
about a product or service. The purpose of advertising is to increase consumer awareness of the product
or service and convince them that the company's product is right for their needs. Advertising should
create a need for the product or service, enhance the image of the company, announce new products or
services, reinforce corporate philosophy, help customers decide, and draw customers to the business.
(Thomas, 2016) Effective advertising is essential to run a successful business.
The advertising goals should be stated in a business plan. In the Geico ad, they are looking to
increase their customer base and generate more interest in the company. Even if the ad just increases
name recognition or improves their image, it will have a positive effect. The objectives of any company
vary depending on the industry, current state of the market and location. There are three levels a
business must consider while planning their advertising, so their goals vary depending on which level
the business is at. A start-up business is new to the market and needs to establish a recognizable brand.
This type of company needs a lot of publicity and promotions to get attention. A growing business is
when a brand is established, and they can then work to separate themselves from other similar
businesses. They need to convince buyers that their product is the one to buy. An established business
reminds consumers why they should keep doing business with the company. (Thomas. 2016) No matter
which stage the business is at, companies like Geico follow four key steps: awareness, interest, need
and action. Their job is to help customers become aware that Geico is better than any other insurance
company. They established interest in the product by comparing the image of the good macaroons to
the not so good singular macaroon. It does not represent the rival insurance companies in a very
positive light by portraying them as being alone and not offering the options of Geico. They are
establishing the need and then calling for action to call Geico for all their insurance needs.
On many levels, the Geico ad follows the formula of effective advertising. Some people would
disagree based on the negative approach in the comparison of macaroons but Geico has the reputation
of having ads that are funny, so they are expecting that people will see the humor in the ad and forgive
the negative aspects. They have clearly defined their target market (the people most likely to purchase
the product) as the middle class, because they advertise low rates and family discounts. They seem to
know what people can afford and they are able to reach their customers effectively through print, radio
and television ads. They have become a recognizable name with their mascot, the Geico gecko. They
have done an excellent job establishing themselves in the insurance industry and with consumers. This
ad is an example of that. It’s not perfect but is in line with their reputation and sense of humor. They
have an excellent marketing strategy and are very creative in their advertising design.
Advertising has been a part of society for decades. The effect of advertising and the subject
matter of many television shows influences current styles and products consumers purchase as well as
how we perceive family life, recreation, work and politics. A full understanding of advertising methods
and the subject matter of comedies and dramas allows us to see different aspects of everyday life and
this can have both positive and negative effects. It is important to be able to interpret what information
we are getting from television is valuable and what is simply propaganda. The same goes for
advertising. Print advertising has been around ever since the printing press was invented and even
before that. It is still a very effective method of promoting a product. A television ad is only on the air
temporarily but a print ad in a magazine or newspaper is there forever. It should leave an impression.
In conclusion, the main intent of advertising is to get consumers to purchase products. Very
often, marketing campaigns are geared towards a particular audience and the representation of a
product that the consumer must have. Geico has a record of excellence in the advertising of their
insurance product and the macaroon ad is no exception. “The Choice is Yours and It’s Simple” is the
caption of the print ad. That’s true. The choice is ours but choosing is not that simple. Many things
have to be considered before making an important decision like purchasing insurance. A few of those
considerations like affordability and a history of success are two important ones and that is what the
Geico ad focuses on. I think the ad is overall very effective, except I wouldn’t bring up the fact that
they are the second largest insurance company. If they keep it light and not worry too much about
downgrading competing companies, they will have even more success.
Works Cited
Thomas, J. Advertising Effectiveness, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2018
This is the comments that my instructor wrote. Please follow up his comments and make the
appropriate changes. AND ALSO PLEASE DO EVERYTHING HE SAID
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In your very first sentence, consider removing yourself from the essay and focusing on claims
and evidence. Why not just start with "Geico auto insurance often has humorous ads with create
art work.”?
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What leads you to believe that the audience is the middle class? Make sure we always provide
evidence to support our claims.
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I think that the paragraph that starts at the bottom of page two and goes on to page three has
some great information in it, but I wonder if this is the best place for it. Might you think about
discussing the more abstract concepts of advertising earlier in the paper so that you can relate
specifics from this ad back to them?
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I see on page four that you do discuss why you believe the audience to be middle class families.
I would look to include that earlier, in your very first discussion about audience.
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n your next to last paragraph, I wonder if you can relate these ideas to this specific ad. Right
now, it seems rather general, and I would like to see a stronger connection to the image being
analyzed.
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Consider how you might reorganize this to be more effective. What does your reader need to
know first? How can you build off of and logically progress from those early ideas to your
deeper analysis?
ENGL 101
Life of an Engineering Student
I conducted the first interview in my life with my best friend who’s also my roommate
Nasser Alajmi on Tusday18th of September 2018. Nasser is an international student from Saudi
Arabia, he is currently majoring in petroleum and natural gas engineering as a senior student at
WVU. The interview had questions about Nasser’s life as a student in Morgantown, and other
questions that I needed him to answer because it can benefit me as a freshman student at WVU.
Nasser was very kind and generous to help me conduct the interview, and his answers and quiets
were valuable and very clear.
I started the interview by thinking Nasser for his time and effort. One of the first
questions that I had in mind is why did he want to study abroad in the United States. His reason
was that he wanted to experience a different culture than Saudi Arabia, and he was always
fascinated by the American culture. He loved watching American movies since he was a child
and one of his baggiest dreams were to come to America. One thing he said that made me feel
grateful for the opportunity of studying in the United States is “until this day, sometimes I wake
up and I still can not believe that I live in the United States”.
The interview went on as I addressed another question about his major and why did he
choose it. I know Nasser for several years and since the first day that I know him he always
wanted to be an engineer. He stated, “My father is an engineer at one of the largest Oil
companies in Saudi Arabia, I always saw him as my role model, and growing up I felt that I had
to walk on his steps because he was very successful at his job and he made it look very easy to
be an engineer”. I asked Nasser what is the reason he chose petroleum and natural gas
engineering as his major, the reason was that there are a lot of job opportunities back in Saudi
Arabia as a petroleum engineer as well as a very successful career.
As we continue in the interview one question popped up about choosing WVU as a
choice for his education. He explained that WVU is one of the best universities for engineering
in the United States. Nasser said, “WVU have a strong and well-known curriculum for
engineering majors, and back in Saudi Arabia WVU have an excellent reputation for having an
outstanding education system”. In addition, we talked about living in Morgantown as
international student, and Nasser was very happy with the community of Morgantown. Nasser
said that the people in Morgantown were friendly, kind, and welcoming. He expressed that
Morgantown is a great place to live as a student, everything is close to each other such as the
downtown campus to the Evansdale campus. Nasser mentioned a few things to do in the
weekend, “I like to visit Coopers Rock State Forest on Fridays after my classes, and on
Saturdays my friends and I go to Pittsburg to have fun in the city”.
One issue that I had was about how to succeed in WVU as an engineering student. Being
a senior, Nasser was helpful in this point, he had more than one advice to mention. Begging with
visiting your advisor every once in a while because your advisor can help you choose what
courses are best for you and help you to create the best graduation plan . He thinks that when you
go back to your house you should review the materials you took on that day. Nasser stated” One
thing that a lot of students forget about is going to office hours to make a good impression, ask
questions, and to clear things up.
Another concern that I had is how to cope with homesickness being abroad. Being a
senior student Nasser gave me a couple of tips on how deal with homesickness. For instance, he
emphasizes that I should set a certain time that works for me and my family at the same time to
call them. Also, he mentioned that I should register with the Saudi Students Association and
participate with them in their events such as the Saudi national day event, religious events, and
other activities. Nasser expressed, “At the begging you are going to have a hard time being away
from your family and country, but as you move on you will feel better and it will be significantly
easier to cope with homesickness”.
At the end of the interview I asked Nasser if he have any regrets about studying abroad.
Before coming to WVU, Nasser studied in two different universities, he wasted a lot of time and
money on non-transferable credits, and he wished that he had went to WVU from the start. He
said, “there are no major regrets for studying abroad because there are more pros than cons, and
if you think about it I should be more thankful for what I have”. Nasser believes that when you
work and study for a degree you should not feel any regrets because one of the best things you
can do in life is having a proper education. He seemed very happy when he answered the
question, and I became more aware of the opportunity that I have.
Nasser is a good example for Saudi students studying in the United States. He pursued his
dream living in the United States to get a bachelor’s degree in petroleum and natural gas
engineering. His story motivated me about being an international student here in Morgantown,
and to be appreciative for being able to study here in the United States. In addition, I learned a
lot of things from him on how to be a better student at WVU and how can I deal with being away
from my family. Nasser perseverance, patience, and dedication are things to admire about him.
Work cited
Alajmi, Nasser. Personal interview. 18 Sep. 2018
This is the comments that my instructor wrote. Please follow up his comments and make
the appropriate changes. AND ALSO PLEASE DO EVERYTHING HE SAID
-
Rather than simply listing your question and then providing the answer, try to make
meaning from the quote that he provides you. Something like "Nasser has always
been fascinated by American culture" followed by a quote from him to support this.
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Similarly, you sometimes do a bit of over-explaining, where you will answer the
question yourself and then provide the quote. For example, on page two: He
explained that WVU is one of the best universities for engineering in the United
States. Nasser said, “WVU have a strong and well-known curriculum for engineering
majors, and back in Saudi Arabia WVU have an excellent reputation for having an
outstanding education system”. Just allow the quote to speak for itself.
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I would focus on considering how you implement the information that you do.
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