Twitter

• @TheGEICOGecko – 8,050 Followers & 1,236 Tweets
• @GEICO – 6,845 Followers & 2,598 Tweets

GEICO’s Twitter pages, @TheGEICOGecko and @GEICO, were so-so.  The number of followers was about a third of @StateFarm and @StateFarmNation, which is surprising because of the large Gecko following. GEICO does tweet almost every business day, mostly touching on popular marketing characters. GEICO does a nice job of intertwining their other social media pages with noticeable links that redirect followers to the GEICO Facebook and YouTube pages. As for the tweets…There is a nice mix of Gecko and recent events such as: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and shopping on Black Friday. However, they do a poor job of tweeting about current pop-culture events that connect with the average twitter demographic.

Overall, GEICO puts forth the effort on Twitter…just not to the level of State Farm Nation.

Twitter Grade:  C+

Facebook

• The GEICO Gecko – 201,080 “Likes”
• GEICO – 198,666 “Likes”
• GEICO Motorcycle – 5,002 “Likes”
• GEICO Military – 952 “Likes”

GEICO has numerous Facebook pages, many more than the four I listed above (RV, Local Office, Nascar, Careers, Caveman, Kash, and Skytyperse to name a few). Not to mention Warren Buffet has a large following of over 200K. Character appeal is overly apparent with pages dedicated to each of GEICO’s marketing personalities, with the Gecko getting the most love.

GEICO does a great job of bringing the Gecko to life. You’ll notice a lot of pictures and videos of him on Trips to New York and Buffalo.  Shots of the Gecko sightseeing at Niagara Falls…Hanging out with the Bills WR David Nelson at the Buffalo Zoo …Getting a self-portrait in Central Park…Even dancing with the Naked Cowboy in Time Square.

GEICO has a great thing going on Facebook, but again, they haven’t reach their max potential. Relying on the Gecko is working, but there is room for more.

Facebook Grade:  B

YouTube

• GEICO Channel – 16,705 Subscribers & 37,118,819 Million Uploads

GEICO has set the bar for the YouTube standard in the insurance industry.  The number of video uploads and page subscribers far exceed GEICO’s competition. The abundance of activity is a result of successful advertising through various popular characters that star in the GEICO commercials.  The Gecko is the most prominent TV personality on the YouTube page; however, Guinea Pigs, Mr. Butters and the Cockatoo, and the GEICO Question Guy make appearances.

On the top of the webpage, the Gecko is featured, in which consumers can “Follow the Gecko’s Journey.” This feature includes links to the Gecko Facebook page, the Gecko Twitter page, and  GEICO.com.

The number of subscribers, views, and uploads says it all.

YouTube Grade:  A

Overall Grade

GEICO has done a great job of leveraging the popularity of its television marketing. The Gecko is an obvious staple in GEICO marketing, but social media efforts need to be pushed further if they hope to connect with consumers on Facebook and Twitter.  GEICO is one of the best in this space…I just think they can do better.

Social Media Grade:  B+