Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

ghporter · Sep 26, 2006, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by macroy

GHPorter, I can understand your "opinion" of them, but that really has little to do with the product they offer. Also, was this person you were talking to a senior manager? I'm sure the statement is probably true (although I didn't even know they weren't available to all military - I got it through my wife, who's father is a Uniformed public health officer); However, I've also heard some really wacked out answers from reps before. I'm not a business strategist, but I would assume if risk level was the only reason, they simply could've given the enlisted folks a higer rate - no?

I talked to a sales rep who did not know that I was enlisted. Later, I found (in more "politically correct" language) the same stuff in one of their brochures. "Officers are a better risk pool" sounds much more pleasant than "we don't want to cover younger, lower-income people," but it comes out to be the same.

USAA was originally founded as a mutual assurance group by a number of Army flyers who could not get insurance elsewhere. That's just fine. But when they branched out beyond their small original group of flyers, they did NOT embrace enlisted flyers. Instead, they went the elitist route.

Sure, I'm holding a grudge, but having noticed over the years that most enlisted people are significantly discriminated by the officer corps in general, I think it's a good grudge. The way officers are trained gives them the idea that they are "better" than enlisted people in some way; this is particularly true of graduates of the service academies. I spent most of my career being both better informed about the "big picture" of my unit's mission and being better educated than the majority of officers around me, so this attitude is particularly irritating to me.

CIA · Sep 26, 2006, 02:27 PM

Just to steer (pun intended) this thread back to it's title. I give Geico a little credit just for the fact that besides Capitol One, I can't think of any other company running so many seperate ad campaigns at the same time.
All on the air at once:
Caveman Ads (funny)
New wacky celebrity/normal people duo ads
Rather standard motercycle insurance ads
Geico Gekko ads

I might be missing one or two, but those are all independant themed ads, promoting the same company, all at once.
Capitol one has those Viking Ads, and the annoying David Spade "No" ads going at the same time also.

Cody Dawg · Sep 26, 2006, 03:01 PM

I still think that they're gay.

There is never a female in their commercials.

Ever.

BlueSky · Sep 26, 2006, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

I still think that they're gay.

There is never a female in their commercials.

Ever.

They're selling insurance, not making a porn flick.

Stradlater · Sep 26, 2006, 03:09 PM

Capital One is trash.

Cody Dawg · Sep 26, 2006, 03:20 PM

Not ONE woman in how many commercials?

And they go out to dinner together?

CIA · Sep 26, 2006, 03:25 PM

Actually they go out to dinner to meet the ad exec guy.

I think you are digging waaaay too deep into it. It's a car insurance commercial.

Cody Dawg · Sep 26, 2006, 03:37 PM

Interesting!

See, I understand more now.

paul w · Sep 26, 2006, 03:39 PM

Well being cavemen, they may not be constrained by modern conventions like "gay" or "straight". They're probably bi, and ok with it, as they can't relate to the dogma of most cultures or religions (they predate all that stuff).

Mark Larr · Sep 26, 2006, 03:41 PM

Would you REALLY want to see a hairy cavewoman?

marden · Sep 26, 2006, 03:44 PM

FWIW, the Royksopp song ("Remind Me") is dope! It can be downloaded at their website and I always thought the cavemen were gay.

The one where they were at the restaurant and the one loses his appetite, his attitude and expression is a classic rendition of gay indignation.

The whole issue of using the cavemen as a device was a sly way of talking about a certain social-cultural group without getting yelled at by the PC police.

Cody Dawg · Sep 26, 2006, 04:04 PM

marden

The one where they were at the restaurant and the one loses his appetite, his attitude and expression is a classic rendition of gay indignation.

YES!

That was exactly my point.

euchomai · Sep 26, 2006, 04:04 PM

it is cavemen, not cavewomen, that would be odd.

Dakar · Sep 26, 2006, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by marden

his expression is a classic rendition of gay indignation

Just looked like a dirty look to me, as if to say "you sicken me so much I can not eat"

Cody Dawg · Sep 26, 2006, 04:14 PM

No, no, no.

He does his little gay wounded headshake complete with folding his arms - like a woman would do - not something a hetero man would do.

He pouts.

Not many men pout unless they're effeminate or gay.

Dakar · Sep 26, 2006, 04:20 PM

I'll have to check for that the next time I see it. All i remember is him handing the menu to the waiter and the look. No body movements.

NYK Ace · Sep 26, 2006, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Course you do.

It's part of the cost of doing business, and your rates are calculated to give the desired profit after deducting all the cost. These cost include advertising.

-t

i think you misunderstood. obviously our marketing budget is calculated into the premiums. but if we go OVER budget we wouldnt charge our policy holders anything extra. that comes right out of warren buffet's pockets (and believe me when we do go over the whole company knows)

NYK Ace · Sep 26, 2006, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

I rank Geico at the bottom - beside Progressive. Good luck getting a reasonable settlement out of either one.

when i was with allstate it was like pulling teeth to get any sort of claim money (one of the main reasons i switched). when i got into an accident with geico i had the money in my hands within 24 hours and the car was repaired in less then a week (with over $10,000 in damage) and this was before i ever worked there. do you think they would honestly let geico (or even progressive) even write insurance if they didnt pay out fully on their claims?

Jawbone54 · Sep 26, 2006, 04:31 PM

I didn't pick up any homosexal vibes at all from the first commercial. The cavemen definitely act somewhat metrosexual, but not even really strongly metro. They just seemed somewhat dignified. The new commercial has the caveman with a tennis racket. Tennis is considered to be a soccer/golf/lacrosse type of sport. It's kind of an elitist activity in the U.S. I think this is the impression they're going for, not that the cavemen are gay.

Jawbone54 · Sep 26, 2006, 04:32 PM

Other Cavemen Commercials

Dakar · Sep 26, 2006, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

The cavemen definitely act somewhat metrosexual, but not even really strongly metro.

Exactly, I could see metrosexual, especially because their clothes are in stark contrast to themselves, but gay. Nuh uh.

Gossamer · Sep 26, 2006, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Tennis is considered to be a soccer/golf/lacrosse type of sport. It's kind of an elitist activity in the U.S. I think this is the impression they're going for, not that the cavemen are gay.

Bingo

paul w · Sep 26, 2006, 04:48 PM

Pouting is an emotionally immature thing to do. I never saw a gay man do it.

I think it's amazing how people seem to think they know what "gay" people are like. My experience is that most gay people actually DON'T ACTUALLY ACT GAY. Do most straight people act like the "straight" stereotype? Of course not.

So yes there are effeminate straight men. And there are macho gay men. And then there are cave men who pout. My head is spinning...

marden · Sep 27, 2006, 02:17 AM

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

No, no, no.

He does his little gay wounded headshake complete with folding his arms - like a woman would do - not something a hetero man would do.

He pouts.

Not many men pout unless they're effeminate or gay.

Or computer geek metros raised by their moms.

Not a slam, just an observation. Can't help if the truth hurts.

That explains why their gaydar is so faulty. They never had a real male imprint and so they have broad interpretations of what is hetero maleness.

marden · Sep 27, 2006, 02:20 AM

Originally Posted by Dakar

Just looked like a dirty look to me, as if to say "you sicken me so much I can not eat"

Uh, I don't know a real guy who'd say that.

marden · Sep 27, 2006, 02:24 AM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

I didn't pick up any homosexal vibes at all from the first commercial. The cavemen definitely act somewhat metrosexual, but not even really strongly metro. They just seemed somewhat dignified. The new commercial has the caveman with a tennis racket. Tennis is considered to be a soccer/golf/lacrosse type of sport. It's kind of an elitist activity in the U.S. I think this is the impression they're going for, not that the cavemen are gay.

It's like SNL's The Ambiguously Gay Duo except the cavemen are really inkblots if you judge by the responses here. They can be gay or metro or straight or roomies or ethnic minorities. A stroke of brilliance in concept.

Mona Lisa's smile. Whatever you want them to be. Everything. Nothing. Yes. No. Maybe. So?

But I'm with the Dawg. I think they play with each other's rocks and clubs all night long.