I think they call that "Buying the wrong demo"

[Dan.Strassberg]

So explain this one: From what I've read, GEICO still does not sell
auto-insurance in Mass. My car was insured by GEICO around 1973, when
the company was in deep financial trouble (this was before Warren
Buffet bought it) and it pulled out of Mass. I had to scramble to find
another insurer before my policy was cancelled.

Now, even if you don't count all of the GEICO ads that appear to be
national buys that are seen/heard on radio and TV stations in Mass,
the number of GEICO ads that appear to have been bought intentionally
on Mass stations must place GEICO ad buys very near the top of
auto-insurance ad expenditures in this state. Since GEICO doesn't sell
auto insurance in Mass, what are they doing? All I can figure is that
they are contemplating a return to Mass and they are buying name
recognition here in anticipation of that return. But they aren't yet
convinced that they can make a profit with the new competitve rates
here and are gambling that the name recognition will buy them a big
advantage if and when they pull the trigger. Sounds like an expensive
wager to me, but with Buffet behind the company, they must know what
they are doing.

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Garrett Wollman" <wollman@bimajority.org>
To: <bri@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2008 2:54 PM
Subject: I think they call that "Buying the wrong demo"


> Driving home from Tanglewood last night, I listened for about half
> an
> hour to WRNX (100.9A Amherst).  They had two stop sets during that
> time; the first spot in both was for Wells Fargo reverse
> mortgages --
> a product which is by law restricted to those over 62 1/2 years old.
> I don't think there are too many people my father's age listening to
> that station.
>
> -GAWollman
>