THE ASK AT A GLANCE

November 2025 – Create a New Brand Platform: How we reasserted what has always made GEICO different, challenged the industry that’s gone transactional, and made people fall in love with GEICO all over again?

Brand Strategy
GEICO is a victim of its own success. The Gecko and “15 minutes can save you 15%” forever changed the category.

GEICO Perception Challenge
People believe GEICO is a starter insurance, only good for cheap car insurance with funny commercials. How do we make them feel more than that?

The category has run away with our playbook, but people aren’t sticking around with any brand. It has become a widespread annual habit to search for a cheaper policy.

50% increase in the cost of car insurance since 2021.
8/10 American drivers say insurance prices are unaffordable.
57% of customers are shopping around for a new insurance plan.

The Truth is people feel a lot of feels about insurance. And it’s rarely good.

Feel alone. “Insurance never feels like they’re fighting for me. It feels like I have to fight them.”-Gabby
Feel unloved. “I’ve been with mine for years and they’ve never offered me anything.” -Catherine
Feel cold. “You’re calling scared and they’re reading from a screen—it’s cold.” -Brandi
Feel rushed. “They always rush through the claim but never explain what’s actually happening.” -Tyler
Feel forgotten. “Every time I call, it’s like starting over. They don’t remember me or my claim, and it’s exhausting.” -Mateo

We need to challenge the transactional nature of the category by showing people what it feels like to be a GEICO customer.

Revisiting our history:

GEICO was founded with a simple but radical idea: Put people first.

While others kept business hours, GEICO led the way with 24/7 service. In the 1980s, GEICO introduced a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year telephone service for claims, sales and service. This people-first model remains today, though adapted for a more digital world and experience.

While others treated digital as an afterthought, GEICO put policies in people’s hands. Fifteen years after launching its first website, GEICO became the first insurance company to provide the ability to not only get a quote online but buy a policy right from your iPhone or Android mobile device.

While others sold fear, GEICO famously humanized the category in advertising. From a talking gecko to cultural humor and real-life stories, GEICO made insurance approachable, entertaining, and emotionally resonant—redefining what it means to connect with consumers.

Imagine what would happen if we gave people reasons to feel something good from their insurance company?

Brand Platform

It Feels Good to GEICO

ECD: Fabio Costa
Group Strategy Director: Andrew Augeri
Strategy Director: Sean Boutchard
Strategist: Andre Harrell
Strategist: Charlotte Bryant

THE ASK AT A GLANCE

March 2024 – How we created a Brand Creative Idea for a leading Fintech.

“Create a new brand idea & tagline that encapsulates our new brand mission – Unite Everyday People To Unlock Financial Progress. A Brand Creative Idea (BCI) that will serve as the foundation for our brand creative for the next 3+ years.”

[Ask Me About a Different Path: Chime doesn’t make money from you but with you.
Being brutally honest about how their business works.]

CREATIVE BRIEF

CHIME DIFFERENCE
Chime is not a bank but does banking better.
What the banks call progress shouldn’t be called that. Everyday financial progress shouldn’t be so difficult.

INSIGHT
Progress isn’t the end goal destination.
Financial progress is impossible to define as one single destination. Rather, it’s a series of ongoing and evolving improvements that people know when they feel it. 

BRAND CREATIVE IDEA

Feels Like Progress

Anthem 

Results

The #1 ad in the financial services category (out of 100 spots in Financial services this year)

Viewer Feedback:

“Very inspiring to many who work very hard to better themselves in life. Shows that upward mobility is possible and that is inspirational!”

Client:

“This truly demonstrates the resonance of the spot and that we clearly communicated our mission. Really appreciate the partnership bringing this work to life. Huge congrats team!”

THE ASK AT A GLANCE

April 2023— Create a complete Brand Strategy for Level Locks.

Brand Book includes:

[Click the slideshow for fullscreen size]

4C’s Positioning
Communications Framework
Brand Purpose (Reversing Simon Sinek)
Messaging Philosophy
Brand Archetype
Personas (Segmentation)
Product Architecture

Research Involved:

• Focus Groups with Three Segments (Smart Lock Owners, Deadbolt Owners, Keypad Owners)
• Quantitative Study: Survey to validate positioning, including MaxDiff on Product Benefits
• Audience Media Sizing

THE ASK AT A GLANCE

November 2020 – Come up with a T-Mobile Uncarrier Move and a Campaign Wrapper that turns heads and resets how people in Small-Town Rural (STR) communities see us. [We want to show them they can have it all.]

Challenge:
We’re not considered in Small-Town Rural communities. Our Ambition is to become THE mobile carrier in Small-Town Rural America. We need to become part of their communities and earn their love & loyalty.

BRAND TRUTH: People thrive when we’re all connected. 
T-Mobile’s mission and our ambition.

BUSINESS (UGLY) TRUTH: Here has never meant here. 
We are an urban brand, not from around here. T-Mobile is not seen as a viable option. They are aware but have tuned us out.
Un-carrier Move needs to feel like something they haven’t seen before from us.

The Myth
The mythic start-up culture of Silicon Valley is NOT where the most entrepreneurial spirit lives.
The more rural the county, the higher its level of entrepreneurship.

Rural entrepreneurship rates are higher than in urban areas, even if we remove farms.

AUDIENCE TRUTH: They are Proud of their adaptations. 
They are proud of their work-arounds and ingenuity. This work ethic & resilience is baked into their personal identity and generational roots. This translates into every aspect of their life. They made it work.

Strategy
Make Their Adaptive Spirit Thrive.

Result:

This consultancy work led to the creation of the  “Hometown Grant,” “Hometown Heroes,” and “Hometown Experts” initiatives from T-Mobile.

[Please contact sean@boutchard.com for the Consumer Tension/T-Mobile Solutions and Campaign Wrapper.]

Real Problem
Aston Martin’s brand has not taken a solid stance in the Americas. The brand has strayed too far into exclusivity and gone dormant. The name, Aston Martin alone no longer carries strong meaning. Aston’s only strong recognition is its long history with James Bond, which has become a golden shackle for acquiring new consumers.

Market Forces – Setting the Stage

Category: The luxury vehicle category worships speed, flash, and brash colors. These vehicles represent the rich who throw away their wealth on tasteless pursuits. They are the Soulless.

Culture: The affluent have been criticized for their wealth and, as such, do not connect with cliché displays of luxury.

The Ultra-Rich: Most ultra-wealthy were not born into their riches. They believe that their success is due to their clear sense of purpose in life (Passion). These people believe they have earned their success from personal hard work (Merit) and perseverance (Soul) in the face of failure. They even cite that their happiness is determined by realizing personal potential (Success), but the weak fall prey to the trappings of success. These people chased success for the wrong reasons.

Our Target Audience – The Likable Rich (Mirrors of the brand)
The Likable Rich, who knows that success is only the beginning. We like them for their enduring passion because they continue to share it with us. These people continue to strive past success because they adhere to their core values.

True Success is not found when we reach it but when we share it with others and are recognized for our success.

Audience Insight: People driven by passion who find success can preserve their meaning and purpose after becoming wealthy.

Brand Truth: Imprinted with the values of passion, merit, and perseverance. The car with soul, in a category of the soulless.

Strategic Platform: For whom success is only the beginning

There is an untraditional brief, too. It explores the demise in 2016 of 2013’s slew of Ultimate Men (the most interesting man goes to space / retires). The Parable of an Uncle’s Mistake is an attempt to explain the true insight. But you’ll have to email sean@boutchard.com to read, an Uncle’s Parable on Success – ‘Buying a Porsche.’

Pitch Brand Manifesto Video 

Creative Demo for Global Site