A camel walks into an office building…It sounds like the opening line to a really bad joke, but in reality, it’s the opening scene of a really awesome Geico commercial. They’ve had a number of crowd pleasers recently, but the Hump Day commercial takes the cake and is a favorite among many of their fans. It has had more than 14 million views on YouTube since it was published on May 22, 2013. What makes this video so special? Here are four marketing lessons you can learn from the Geico Hump Day video.
Make Your Message Timely
When you release your message is just as important as the message itself. The Geico video is a fun way to help us laugh through Wednesday, otherwise known as Hump Day. As we mentioned, the video was published on May 22. As you might have guessed, that day was a Wednesday. You can bet that thousands of people or more shared that message with their friends, family and colleagues on Hump Day.
Make It Short and Fun
There’s no denying that the Geico commercials are fun to watch. They’re short, about 30 seconds, and they add their product message at the end after people have had their laugh. “How happy are folks that save hundreds of dollars by switching to Geico?” “I’d say happier than a camel on Wednesday.” Indeed. With our short attention spans, a 30 second commercial ensures that our attention stays focused on the message whereas longer commercials can prompt us to change the channels or navigate to another site.
Make It Shareable
One of the reasons that the Geico videos are so shareable is because they don’t overwhelm you with their marketing message. They’re simple, like Shaker style furniture. The actual product isn’t mentioned until the video is two-thirds of the way over, at around 20 seconds. Even so, the advertising is kept to a minimum. The camel is still sashaying through the office building while the two guys on the platform stand off to the side to deliver their message. At the end, there’s a brief display of the Geico logo and their website. This formula works well because people don’t want to spam their friends. They don’t want to look like product pushers anymore than you do. The video is funny, and that is what makes it share-worthy.
Make It Memorable
If you’ve watched the video, you’ll probably be saying, “It’s Hump DAY!” in that camel’s voice for weeks to come. You’ll watch the video again and again, and you’ll talk about it with your friends. When a message is funny and engaging, it stays with the recipient of that message far longer than a brochure, PowerPoint video or lecture ever could.
Take these elements from Geico advertising and incorporate them into your own strategies.