Geico’s cavemen play the field

The site is a continuation of a campaign the company started last year, creating a Caveman’s Crib Web site that has received 4.5 million visitors, according to Phil Ovuka, director of creative services for Geico.

The cavemen characters appeal to customers in a younger market, while Geico has its enduring gecko character to reach a broader audience, according to marketing expert Peter Koeppel, president of Koeppel Direct marketing company.

Geico recently introduced a new TV spot for the gecko as well, introducing a new nature-expert character who is stalking the gecko.

“I think a lot of our characters have staying power because they’re not trying to do the hard sell,” said Steve Bassett, creative director at the Martin Agency in Richmond, which creates Geico’s advertising campaigns. “It’s almost as if you’re eavesdropping on their life.”

The popularity of the cavemen took a hit in the fall, when ABC debuted “Cavemen,” a sitcom based on the characters, which ran for just over a month to low ratings and was canceled during the writers’ strike.

“You have to be careful not to overexpose it, but they always seem to be coming up with new and creative ways to use them,” Koeppel said.

Bassett said the television show’s lack of popularity was not a cue to the firm to discontinue the characters.

“The people who originally got the cavemen are starting to return to the original concept because of the way Geico has developed it,” Bassett said.

But branding expert Rob Frankel, author of “The Revenge of Brand X,” wondered how much the popularity the Geico characters actually translate into sales.

“One of the common mistakes that advertisers and manufacturers make is confusing brand awareness with brand value,” he said.

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