The GEICO Gecko is the most recognizable and memorable insurance mascot, according to a new survey from Q&A Research, a full-service, qualitative and quantitative marketing research provider.

The Gecko, one of the stars in GEICO’s billion-dollar ad campaigns, was the highest-rated mascot overall and scored in the top 3 in every category of Q&A’s survey: recognition, influence in purchase decision, brand attribution, appeal, gives positive perception of company and memorability.

Coming in second overall was Allstate’s Dennis Haysbert, who was shown to have the most influence on the purchase decision and to give the most positive perception of the insurance company. Rounding out the top 5 were MetLife’s Snoopy, who was chosen as the most appealing mascot, the Aflac Duck and Progressive’s Flo. Coming in at the bottom overall were GEICO’s Mike McGlone and the 21st Century Guy.

Q&A chose 19 spokesperson/mascots for its “2015 Insurance Spokesperson/Mascot Survey,” including both current and “retired” mascots. Q&A said it elected to include a few retired mascots to serve as benchmarks for their staying power beyond retirement. A total of 354 online panelists completed this year’s survey, which was conducted in January.

The GEICO Gecko was the most recognized mascot, with a 94 percent recognition rate, followed by Progressive’s Flo (93 percent), the Aflac Duck (92 percent) and Allstate’s Dennis Haysbert (91 percent). Least recognized were the 21st Century Guy (19 percent recognition) and John Krasinski for Esurance (8 percent).

The mascot with the most influence on the purchasing decision was Allstate’s Dennis Haysbert, with 42 percent of respondents indicating they would consider purchasing insurance from a company that used him as a spokesperson. Next up were the GEICO Gecko (38 percent) and MetLife’s Snoopy (37 percent). Least influential were GEICO’s Mike McGlone (6 percent) and the 21st Century Guy (5 percent).

MetLife’s Snoopy was the most appealing mascot, ranked highly by 54 percent of the respondents, followed by State Farm’s Aaron Rodgers (51 percent). Least appealing were GEICO’s Caveman (9 percent) and the 21st Century Guy (2 percent).

Broken down by age and gender, Esurance’s John Krasinski was the most appealing to younger male respondents, while Nationwide’s Peyton Manning scored highest with older males. Allstate’s Dennis Haysbert appealed most to younger females, while older females found MetLife’s Snoopy most appealing.

Other key findings of the survey:

• The GEICO Gecko and the Aflac Duck were the two mascots participants most correctly associated with their respective brands, while GEICO’s Mike McGlone and the 21st Century Guy were rarely connected to their respective providers.
• Allstate’s Dennis Haysbert received the highest rating for creating a positive perception of the insurance provider he represents. Least likely to create a positive impression were were 21st Century Guy and the GEICO Caveman.