In 2010, GEICO spent $745 million on advertising. You know — the ads featuring the talking gecko urging us to save 15 percent by switching insurance companies. What if GEICO spent more on supporting content creation than on buying ads?
You may already know this (I didn’t), but GEICO sells 19 different types of insurance. Even if you divided its ad spend across all 19 lines, each product would still get $39 million to produce content instead of advertising.
Who already owns the audience Geico wants to reach?
J&P Cycles is the “world’s largest aftermarket parts and accessories superstore.” Motorcycle enthusiasts love J&P Cycles. Not only does it sell aftermarket parts for your motorcycle, it has support technicians who will help you install whatever you buy.
They already create content
J&P Cycles creates tons of content (it’s worth checking out the blog,) including “how-to” videos designed to help customers install everything from a luggage rack to a lens grill. On average, J&P Cycles creates about 100 videos a year and distribute them freely on YouTube. The most popular how-to video has been viewed over 200,000 times. I know the team at J&P Cycles would love to produce more video for its customers and leads, but that gets expensive and it’s time consuming. This is where GEICO fits in.
A $39 million content budget for the right audience!
If GEICO is serious about getting its motorcycle insurance product in front of avid cycle enthusiasts, imagine what J&P Cycles could do with a $39 million video content budget. That’s almost a million dollars a week that could go toward content creation of video that’s valuable to the audience GEICO is hoping to attract.
What if?
What if GEICO invested in every single one of J&P Cycles videos on YouTube? What if GEICO and J&P Cycles worked together to create a compelling half-hour web series for motorcycle riders everywhere? J&P Cycles would serve its customers’ needs and GEICO’s consumers would find the company’s product to be more relevant, more often, and at the right time in their lives.
J&P Cycles’ videos could be distributed to every one of GEICO’s motorcycle insurance customers and all of J&P Cycles’ existing client base; not to mention the exposure the videos would generate on a platform like YouTube. Both brands would benefit. It’s a perfect symbiotic marketing relationship. (By the way, this is Brandscaping in action!)
Ask yourself…
Who already owns your next customer? What kind of content could they create for their audience, and how can you help? What resources do you have (it doesn’t have to be money) to create valuable content that your partner’s audience would love to consume?
For more ideas on creating powerful content partnerships, read Andrew Davis’ book, Brandscaping. For CMI readers, you can also buy a signed copy for $20: http://bit.ly/UhRvi6 (a limited quantity is available).
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