Geico turned a talking gecko into an advertising icon. Now its CMO wants that fame to sell more than car insurance

Geico has the kind of brand recognition most marketers spend their careers chasing. Its Geico Gecko has been selling car insurance for more than 25 years, while slogans like “15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance” have become embedded in American culture.

Arianna Orpello, Geico’s chief marketing officer, thinks the mascot’s recognition now approaches rarefied territory.

“Everybody loves the gecko,” Orpello tells Fortune. “It doesn’t matter if they’re 10 or 80.” She likens the character’s recognition and likability to that of Mickey Mouse, calling the advertising intellectual property an asset “most marketers would kill to have.”

Orpello’s challenge now is turning that enormous brand equity into a broader growth engine, using AI, data, and personalization to deepen customer relationships and expand what consumers associate with Geico.

“We definitely don’t have an auto insurance awareness problem,” says Orpello, who joined the insurer in January after years in financial services. “We do have an additional product line awareness problem.”

Auto insurance remains the foundation and vast majority of Geico’s business. Geico now wants consumers who know it for car insurance to consider it for everything from home and renters insurance to motorcycles, boats,........

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