Like almost all traditional advertising, it's just about name/brand recognition. Almost nobody sees a geico ad and decides to go out and buy car insurance, so i

Like almost all traditional advertising, it's just about name/brand recognition. Almost nobody sees a geico ad and decides to go out and buy car insurance, so if direct sales lift was the objective, advertising is clearly a losing proposition. However, when someone decides they need insurance, there are probably a couple of companies whose names already stand out in their head, and that is when the advertising investment pays off.