Shawn Burklin, regional vice president for Geico, says the Geico Gecko exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium is configured to showcase more than just the “spokes-creature” made famous in the wildly popular Geico commercials. The lovable lizard is also designed to impart the importance of nature preservation, attract people to zoos and aquariums, and increase awareness of the Geico brand.
“[The exhibit] benefits all wildlife because … we are contributing to wildlife conservation knowledge. We wanted to disseminate that information. We know the importance of bio diversity [and] protecting the diversity of our planet … That’s critically important to us at Geico and we know that makes a difference,” he says. “No surprise that the Gecko is a green animal — Geico is a green company. That is very important to us.”
The Geico Gecko Exhibit, which is touring select zoos and aquariums across the country, enables one of the nation’s most popular insurance companies to familiarize the public with its products and services and increase its regional market share.
“First of all, we love Atlanta. We are so glad that this exhibit came to Atlanta. It doesn’t go everywhere. The [American Zoo and Aquarium Association] has 200 zoos and aquariums. We are fortunate and we’re proud to have it in [the] ATL, the most important city in the state and the southeast,” he says. “… We have our regional office [here] … there are over 4,000 Geico associates working [in Atlanta]. We wanted it in [the] ATL. We love this city. We can’t wait to do more in this town.” –terry shropshire
