If anyone picked their March Madness brackets based on the talent in Geico\u2019s campaign for the tournament, they might find themselves in good shape: Both of the college stars featured in its work, UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd and Michigan Wolverines guard Trey McKenney, are headed to the Final Four.<\/p>\n
The marketing team at Geico wasn\u2019t purposefully trying to pick winners, according to CMO Arianna Orpello. Instead, they were largely focused on finding athletes with stories that matched the narrative the company is trying to convey in its docuseries campaign about families and support systems. The docuseries approach, Orpello said, is meant to help Geico stand out in the sports space, which is crowded with insurance companies.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeico has always tried to redefine the storytelling of the category,\u201d Orpello, who joined from Goldman Sachs three months ago, told Marketing Brew. \u201cThat\u2019s been happening for over 30 years, mostly in the traditional advertising space, and\u2026we really tried to think about, \u2018How do we create a different kind of platform for NCAA than we have in any of the other sports?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The resulting campaign, a three-part docuseries about Fudd, McKenney, and WNBA star and UConn grad Napheesa Collier, marks the start of Orpello\u2019s effort to differentiate Geico in the insurance category, in part by betting more on women\u2019s sports, she said.<\/p>\n
Go the distance<\/h2>\n
The docuseries, Miles that Matter<\/em>, focuses on moments of transition\u2014McKenney is making his March Madness debut, and Fudd is about to enter the WNBA Draft as the projected No. 1 pick\u2014and how parents support their children in those moments, often with conversations during car rides to and from practices and games.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really do believe that there\u2019s a real connection to all of these transitions in life and the car,\u201d Orpello said. \u201cIt used to be that you sat at the dinner table and you had these connected conversations with your parents or your caregivers, and now that happens in the car, too.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to Miles that Matter<\/em>, which is streaming on Paramount+, Geico, an official NCAA sponsor, is set to have a presence on the ground at both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s Final Fours with fan fests that include photo ops and merch drops. The company is also the presenting sponsor of youth basketball events at both Final Fours, all as part of an effort to drive consideration, likability, favorability, and, eventually, new business, especially among women, Orpello said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have an awareness problem,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to connect\u2026It is smart commercial business for us to be in women\u2019s sports and in places where women want us to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Geico, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, reported a decrease in its pretax underwriting profit for the fourth quarter of 2025 due in part to an increase in ad spend. Across the financial and insurance categories, total ad spend increased by about 14% YoY in the second half of 2025, up to more than $6.6 billion, per MediaRadar stats cited by Emarketer.<\/p>\n Orpello is also tracking social metrics like shares, engagements, and sentiment around the campaign, which has so far been about 95% positive, she told us. When Geico announced its multiyear partnership with Fudd earlier this month, the brand had its best-performing day of the year in terms of engagements, mentions, and impressions, according to Orpello. Engagement with Instagram static posts featuring Fudd is 1,231% higher than Geico\u2019s benchmark, Reels engagement is 392% higher, and TikToks are 1,459% higher, according to the company. (Geico didn\u2019t share its exact internal social benchmarks.)<\/p>\n With its overall NCAA deal, Geico isn\u2019t entirely new to women\u2019s sports, but Fudd is the first woman athlete sponsored by the company, and Orpello said Geico\u2019s media spend still skews more toward men\u2019s sports. That\u2019s something she\u2019s working to change, including by hiring someone to lead Geico\u2019s women\u2019s sports efforts specifically. Geico is also sponsoring Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment\u2019s upcoming Business of Women\u2019s Sports Summit.<\/p>\n Orpello said she\u2019s hoping to one day expand further into other sports outside of basketball, particularly flag football. Geico will be sticking with basketball for the foreseeable future, though, with plans to activate alongside Fudd as she is drafted into the WNBA, and likely in whichever city she ends up playing for, Orpello added.<\/p>\n The brand will also continue to embrace storytelling and shoulder programming around women\u2019s sports, Orpello said. It\u2019s something of a gap in the market, as well as an area where Geico can \u201cstake claim on\u201d as part of its efforts to stand out among its competitors.<\/p>\n \u201cThese [women\u2019s sports] experiences are deep and meaningful,\u201d Orpello said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t miss a game, and they don\u2019t miss a story around their favorite athlete, and they want more of it. I think the question is, \u2018How do we use our heft and our spend to drive that up?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n 03\/31\/26 Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Geico will not be activating at the WNBA Draft.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nGet marketing news you’ll actually want to read<\/h5>\n
Leading pass<\/h2>\n