When Marketing Becomes Bigger Than the Brand
- Alyxandra Sherwood
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
A friend made the classic "Hump Day!" joke to me recently. Immediately, I knew exactly what they were referencing - the GEICO camel. The campaign first aired over a decade ago, yet people still quote it today.
That's every marketer's dream. Create something so memorable that people are still talking about it years later. If people remember the campaign, but not why they should choose the brand, was the marketing really successful?
I've never been a GEICO customer. I've been with State Farm since I needed renters insurance for my tiny studio apartment after college. I remember the camel. I remember the gecko. I even remember a few of the jokes. None of them changed my decision.
That's not a criticism of GEICO. In fact, it's a testament to how memorable those campaigns are. It reminds me of something marketers sometimes overlook: Attention and persuasion aren't the same thing.
One way I think about it is like this:
Awareness: "I know the campaign."
Recall: "I remember the brand."
Preference: "I choose the brand."
Loyalty: "I stay with the brand."
Great marketing helps move people through each of those stages. That's why the Budweiser Clydesdales are such an interesting example. The last time I visited St. Louis, one of my favorite stops was the Budweiser Clydesdale stables.
The horses have become icons in their own right but they've never outgrown the brand.
The moment you see the Clydesdales, you don't think, "Those famous horses." You think, "Budweiser." The emotion, tradition, and nostalgia all reinforce the company behind them. That's marketing doing exactly what it's supposed to do.
Today, brands chase the next viral TikTok trend, hoping millions of people will remix their content. There's nothing wrong with creating something people want to share. The danger comes when the meme becomes more memorable than the company that created it.
Marketing should amplify the brand—not replace it. Emotion is one of the most powerful tools we have as marketers. But its job isn't to make the campaign unforgettable. It's to make the brand unforgettable.
