Awareness rating: 54%
59% of consumers said they like the character and 17% dislike Dr. Rick.
(Credit: Progressive)
Awareness rating: 76%
67% of consumers said they like the character and 8% dislike Professor Burke.
(Credit: Farmers Insurance)
Awareness rating: 77%
61% of consumers said they like the character and 9% dislike the Original Jake.
(Credit: State Farm)
Awareness rating: 79%
67% of consumers said they like the character and 15% dislike Mayhem.
(Credit: Allstate)
Awareness rating: 83%
69% of consumers said they like the character and 10% dislike the New Jake.
(Credit: State Farm)
Awareness rating: 84%
54% of consumers said they like the character and 25% dislike LiMu Emu and Doug.
LiMu Emu & Doug were the most disliked characters, despite a high awareness level.
(Credit: Liberty Mutual)
Awareness rating: 87%
52% of consumers said they like the character and 21% dislike Jamie.
(Credit: Progressive)
Awareness rating: 92%
66% of consumers said they like the character and 10% dislike the Aflac Duck.
(Credit: Aflac)
Awareness rating: 95%
66% of consumers said they like the character and 16% dislike Flo.
(Credit: Progressive)
Awareness rating: 98%
75% of consumers said they like the character and 10% dislike the Gecko.
Martin the Gecko has the highest awareness and likeability ratings (Credit: GEICO)
The insurance industry’s advertising has become so strongly linked to anthropomorphic characters and over-the-top personalities that not having a mascot (or jingle) has become a point of differentiation for at least one company. However, talking animals and character-driven ads do have a payoff as 48% of U.S. adults agree that mascots make it easier to relate to insurance ads, according to a survey from The Harris-Poll and Ad Age.
At the same time, 53% of U.S. adults said they want to see relatable insurance ads, the survey found. As well as relatable ads, 63% of U.S. consumers said they prefer informational ads, while fewer preferred an emotional approach.
However, adults under the age of 30 show do favor “humor and heart,” according to The Harris Poll. When segmented out, 63% of Gen Z and young millennials said they want to see funny insurance ads, according to The Harris Poll. Just 48% of U.S. adults across all cohorts said the same. Gen Z and young millennials also show a stronger preference for nostalgia-driven ads than the overall population.
Yet, when it comes time to sign on the dotted line for a policy, emotion plays less of a role, the survey found. Around 40% of respondents said they find ads highlighting coverages and rates offered to be the most impactful. Just 21% were influenced by the tone of an advertisement and 19% said a featured spokesperson swayed their decision.
Overall, 45% of U.S. adults have changed or considered changing their insurance policy after viewing an ad, but only 28% went through with it, according to The Harris Poll.
While mascots make it easier to relate to insurance ads, only 34% of U.S. consumers said the same about insurance ads that feature celebrity spokespeople.
In fact, 55% of people surveyed said they prefer insurance advertisements that feature fictional characters over those with celebrities. Famous spokespeople do help insurance companies reach younger audiences and people of color, according to The Harris Poll.
Although clever character-driven ads can build awareness among potential policyholders, The Harris Poll cautions that companies shouldn’t add too many spokespeople, as 6 in 10 U.S. adults don’t think insurance companies should have multiple spokespeople.
So who is more popular Flo, Dr. Rick or Martin the Gecko? Is the new Jake from State Farm more popular than the old Jake from State Farm? The above slideshow reveals the most popular insurance ad based on awareness for the campaigns, according to results from the Harris Poll-Ad Age survey.
