Best Car Insurance Commercials

Car accidents aren't funny and neither is not having enough car insurance should you be unlucky enough to be involved in one. However, funny does sell. It also helps you remember brand names.

Advertising is designed to grab your attention in the middle of the program that you are watching and there are several car insurance companies that have pretty much mastered the technique.

"Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance."

GEICO is not merely the leader of genius advertising campaigns; it is the King. GEICO was virtually unknown to the common consumer until the late-90s when the Gecko first was introduced receiving wrong numbers from people trying to buy GEICO car insurance, but misdialing the Gecko.

The Gecko has evolved over the last decade to become a representative for GEICO car insurance.

Another popular idea GEICO has used for its commercials are the GEICO Cavemen. These spots feature every day people interacting with modernized cavemen who get angry when someone utters the famous tagline, "it's so easy a caveman could do it."

The GEICO Cavemen were so liked by consumers that the idea lead to a short-lived spin-off TV Series titled, appropriately enough, Cavemen.

Other memorable GEICO car insurance advertising campaigns include:

Parodies: The commercial appears to be for a different product, but by the end becomes a plug for GEICO.

"I've got good news": Spots that show various characters breaking bad news to someone, then proclaiming that they've got good news because they just saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to GEICO.

Rhetorical Questions: The beginning scene shows a spokesman asking if GEICO can really save you 15% or more, then asking a rhetorical question with a cutaway showing that the question is indeed true.

In 2008, Progressive introduced the character Flo, a Progressive car insurance cashier at the store where you can buy Progressive boxed products right off the shelf for any type of vehicle insurance.

Hugely popular, Flo has an enormous following on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. She's played by actress and comedian Stephanie Courtney whose facial expressions and mannerisms used for Flo are perfection and led to the Boston Herald calling her "the commercial break's new sweetheart" in October 2009.

Not to be outdone, Allstate car insurance has gotten on board with funny and witty auto insurance commercials in the summer of 2010 by giving us the character Mayhem, played by the delightful actor, Dean Winters.

These Allstate commercials are some of the most clever advertising, showing everyday situations caused by Mayhem that may or may not be covered by other car insurance companies, but would be covered under an Allstate policy.

It remains to be seen if Progressive or Allstate can last as long as GEICO has with creative and imaginative advertising that propelled GEICO from a relative obscurity to one of the largest private car insurance providers. One thing is definitely sure. The three car insurance companies have captured not only the attention of consumers, but their hearts as well.