Disney frog getting leg up from Geico gecko

The Martin Agency has cobbled together a cute Geico tie in with Disney's new movie The Princess and the Frog. In the spot, the frog prince Skypes the gecko to ask for advice about un-frogging himself and instead learns how he can save hundreds by switching to Geico. There doesn't seem to be anything to the tie-in beyond this one spot. And the only connection seems to be that the lizard and the frog are both small, talking, green things (OK, the frog's more of a sandy beige) with adorable accents. But who cares how they relate? Little greenish/beige spokescreatures are cute.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Previously on AdFreak:
Geico's gecko is still seeking YouTube glory
Why Geico's gecko is now a cockney yob

Published on November 11, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Cullers, Geico, Insurance, Martin Agency, Movies

Geico's gecko is still seeking YouTube glory

Geico's gecko breaks out the moves next to Judson Laipply in this remix of Laipply's incomprehensibly popular "Evolution of Dance" video (famous for being YouTube's most-watched clip ever, with 127 million views). The little green freak—the gecko, not Laipply—has crashed a number of these popular YouTube videos, though this is the first new one in several months. He did score more than 2.2 million views for his earlier appearance with the Numa Numa guy singing "Somebody's Watching Me." That made more sense, as the song is featured in Geico's Kash spots. In "Evolution," the gecko is more distracting than anything else. Still, his comedy stylings beat those of Saturday Night Live's newest recruit, Jenny Slate. The classy gecko, as always, works green, not blue.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

See also:
Is Geico missing the boat with the cavemen?
Geico's Kash rears his ugly head once again

Published on September 28, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Geico, Gianatasio, Insurance, Martin Agency

Talking branches and fenders shill for Geico

Geico touts its 24-hour claims service, H.R. Pufnstuf-style, in these new spots from The Martin Agency, which feature tree limbs and fenders that wisecrack after cracking a windshield and the rear bumper of another car. The tagline, "Accidents are bad, but Geico's good," could probably apply to the commercials themselves, which succeed against all reasonable expectations by being unabashedly and self-consciously silly in the extreme. Another plus: Geico's googly-eyed wad of Kash is nowhere in sight.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on June 19, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Geico, Gianatasio, Insurance, Martin Agency

Google shows you how to sell that pet stick

When I saw the little pair of googly eyes attached to the stick, I thought Google was trying to get into the car insurance business. But it turns out the truth is just as weird: Google is marketing to advertisers by giving a case study of how one might sell a pet stick. Over at the slimmed-down site, you can follow the case study through a chain of magical interlocking impact circles. They claim they chose the pet stick because it's "virtually unsellable" (though Ren and Stimpy already managed it brilliantly, and we all know how well the pet rock did). I would have given them more kudos if they had actually set up the pet-stick site and all the goodies Google promised. But what really concerns me is: How did Geico manage to completely own the notion of attaching googly eyes to an inanimate object so quickly that I can't think of anything else when I look at that stick?

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on June 15, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Cullers, Geico, Google

Geico's Kash pops up everywhere uninvited

Burger King is all proud about the creepiness of its commercials, but I think Geico's Kash spots are equally unsettling. In a new round of ads from The Martin Agency, the inanimate wad of money (which represents the savings people could be enjoying with Geico) really gets around. The googly-eyed pile of banknotes unexpectedly pops up at a late-night diner, a library and a gas station. The guy vacuuming his car with the big hose seems a tad too intrigued, perhaps fantasizing about a night spent sleeping atop a pile of money. Hey, it sure beats a nocturnal visit from the King.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on June 1, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Geico, Gianatasio, Insurance, Martin Agency

Real brands target vampires for 'True Blood'

True Blood, the HBO vampire series that kicks off its second season next month, has embarked on a marketing blitz. And while its ill-fated Bloodcopy adver-blog deal with Gawker Media has gotten most of the headlines, its banner ads, in which real brands (Mini, Ekco, Geico, Harley-Davidson, Monster.com) reach out to vampires, are pretty amusing. Note I said "vampires" and not "the living dead," to make a distinction between the fang gang and the rest of the generally mindless media-consuming population (myself included, naturally). One ad shows a blood-red Mini and the headline "Type GO," with the "Type" and "O" rendered in crimson. It's hemoglobin humor! Harley offers a TrueBlood motorcycle that helps vampires "Outrun the sun." And yes, the humor continues in that same—you know what's coming—vein in the other ads. (Geico's Kash also appears, but even with the vampire motif, he doesn't "Count" for much.) It's all in fun, which is good, because the demographically insignificant vampire population wouldn't do much to boost sales overall. Though vampire brand loyalty is legendary, often stretching for a thousand years. If nothing else, this may mark the first time blood-suckers have been both the targets and creators of an ad campaign.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on May 28, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Geico, Gianatasio, Harley-Davidson, HBO

Geico cavemen feeling the catharsis of rock

In a sure sign that civilized man has begun to devolve back to the hirsute, rock 'n' roll party animals from whence we sprang (that's some lede!), Geico's cavemen rock out with the band 3 Doors Down in commercials and a video for the song "Let Me Be Myself." That caveman really does capture the Fender Strat-fueled angst of the tune, which, let's face it, is all the cro-magnon has ever asked of the world in Geico's iconic ads from The Martin Agency. Are we 100 percent sure that's not Charlie Daniels in that clip above? There is a resemblance. Or maybe a long-lost Allman Brother. Or Jim Morrison? That's how he'd look if he were still alive. In fact, that's pretty much how he looked in '69. Jim was the Lizard King, though. He'd jam with the gecko.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on May 15, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Geico, Gianatasio, Insurance, Martin Agency

Geico's Kash joins Twitter, says very little

In a move that ranks among the gravest misuses of social media of all time, Kash, the unspeaking, inanimate, googly-eyed wad of bank notes who stumps for Geico, has opened a Twitter account. He's being typically tight-lipped, as there's just one Tweet so far, from Feb. 13: "Who likes saving money?" Well, it figures he'd tow the company line. God, is Twitter about nothing more than marketing and self-promotion? It used to be ever so slightly less about those things, and those are the days I long for! The roll of bills has 128 followers, all of whom need to get lives. Except @AdFreak, of course. We're keeping an eye on Kash for purely professional reasons.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on February 17, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Geico, Gianatasio, Social networks, Twitter

NBA to play H-O-R-S-E, but call it G-E-I-C-O

This is just idiotic. USA Today is reporting that the NBA is organizing its first H-O-R-S-E contest for All-Star Weekend on Feb. 13-15. Only it's not calling it H-O-R-S-E. It's calling it G-E-I-C-O. Which sounds so authentic! Corporate sponsorship has its place, but this move will get ridiculed endlessly, and deserves to. What a bunch of P-I-G-s.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 6, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Geico, Insurance, NBA, Nudd

Geico's Kash rears his ugly head once again

Geico's much-maligned inanimate wad of bills, known as "Kash," returns in these two new spots by The Martin Agency. In the ad above, the banknotes briefly flutter in the breeze. That's pretty much the highlight of the action here. To his credit, though, the guy who plays the stereotype hick rancher really does seem inbred. The gecko is also back in some more palatable offerings. Maybe the lizard could eat or burn or tear "Kash" to shreds in a Japanese monster-movie style "Gecko vs. Kash" commercial. "Cavemen vs. Kash" would also be fine. Just as long as there's no Kash back.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on January 6, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (31)
Filed under Geico, Gianatasio, Insurance, Martin Agency

Geico's new mascot doesn't quite stack up

So, it's come to this. Forget about the caveman and the gecko. Geico has introduced a new commercial character that requires no budget for actors, makeup, animation or voice talent. "Kash" is just a stack of bills with eyeballs, designed to get down to the basics of how much customers can save on car insurance with Geico. In two new spots by The Martin Agency—one set in a corporate meeting room, the other in a restaurant—the wad of greenbacks shows little in the way of personality. It doesn't talk, walk or earn interest. It just sits there, inert, begging for viewers to find the concept cute or kitschy. It's not weird cool—it's weird weird. Actually, it's not even weird. It's just a misfire made worse by the use of an insufferable remake of the Rockwell/Michael Jackson song "Somebody's Watching Me." And now I've got that stupid tune stuck in my head! The caveman was like Shakespeare in comparison.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on December 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (18)
Filed under Geico, Gianatasio, Insurance, Martin Agency

Geico's cavemen find more time for tennis

Like all actors from canceled sitcoms, Geico's cavemen have quietly retreated to commercials. One new spot shows our hirsute hero, who rather resembles Björn Borg circa 1980, playing a tennis match against all-time great Billie Jean King. Not since King trounced Bobby Riggs 35 years ago in the pop-culture watershed “Battle of the Sexes” has she faced an opponent with such intense sideburns. In another ad breaking this week, the prehistoric pitchman tries to relax on a beach with model Lauren Hastings—to no avail. Seven of the 13 episodes produced for ABC’s Cavemen series never aired. Unfortunately, both of these ads from The Martin Agency will probably air for some time. Hey, I’m a gecko fan—no apologies!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 7, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Geico, Gianatasio, Martin Agency

Mrs. Butterworth in full-speed selling mode

It was about a year ago that Merkley brought Mrs. Butterworth out of semi-retirement and back into commercials after a decade away. Now, she’s moving on to other brands, co-starring in this new Geico spot from The Martin Agency. She doesn’t much like the logo placement at the end, though.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (12)
Filed under Geico, Martin Agency, Nudd

Must be a brand opportunity here for Geico

He spins a good yarn, but his tail is key.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

Published on March 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Dolliver, Geico

Cavemen pre-emptively flipping off critics

Three cavemen, apparently from ABC’s Cavemen sitcom (based on the Geico ads), were photographed in L.A. this week looking more aggrieved than usual—and more hostile as well. Perhaps the show’s recent retooling has de-emphasized the characters’ wimpy, PC righteousness and turned them into violent hoodlums. (Not the worst idea.) Whatever the case, they’ll want to keep an eye on their road rage if they want to keep their car-insurance rates down.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on August 24, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Geico

Ways to save ABC’s ‘Cavemen’ from itself

In May, the pilot episode of Cavemen, the ABC sitcom based on Geico’s ad campaign, was proclaimed “astoundingly awful.” So it’s no surprise that Cavemen now ranks among the highest-rated new fall shows, at least in terms of viewer buzz. It actually placed second to NBC’s Bionic Woman remake in a TV Dailies poll. If both shows end up lacking in quality, perhaps they could join forces. There’s clearly crossover potential here. True fans will recall that the original Bionic Woman, played by the inimitable Lindsay Wagner (shown here), battled a hairy nemesis. It was a Sasquatch, actually, played by Ted “Lurch” Cassidy from The Addams Family! But that’s close enough to a caveman. Sandy Duncan guest starred! (Google her, people. For some of us, she was the ’70s.) Naturally, the plot involved aliens, tying into today’s extraterrestrial theme on AdFreak. Where were we—Cavemen? Is it just me, or does David Duchovny (well acquainted with mythical creatures and aliens) resemble one these days?

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 8, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Geico

Sneak peek at ‘Cavemen’ not encouraging

Bill at Make the Logo Bigger has unearthed a clip of ABC’s new sitcom Cavemen, based on the Geico commercials, and wonders if the series could make history by being “yanked halfway through the first show.” It is painful to watch. Bill laments that the actors from the ads are gone—they’ve been replaced by newcomers Nick Kroll, Dash Mihok and Bill English, whom you may know from T-Mobile’s popular “Secret Lovers” ad, in which he plays the betrayed friend. The only marginally recognizable name in the cast is John Heard, who apparently has fallen on hard times.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 21, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Geico

Cavemen pilot called ‘astoundingly awful’

Ain’t It Cool News has posted the first seat-of-the-pants review of ABC’s sitcom Cavemen, adapted from Geico’s ad campaign. And the news isn’t great. Derek Flint, who sat through the pilot, writes: “Cavemen has a lot of people talking since it was first announced. People will continue to talk … about just how astoundingly awful it is.” Flint reveals that the show is set up as “an allegory for prejudice. They draw astoundingly leaden parallels to every minority group in the world without a laugh in sight. It’s jaw-dropping horrendous and actually makes American Dad’s lunkheaded topicality seem sophisticated.” Most disappointing is the news that the actors from the ads have been replaced. But it gets worse. One of the new actors, says Flint, “actually reminded me a little bit of Sanjaya.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 3, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (22) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Geico

The gecko is down, but he’s not quite out

He doesn’t have his own sitcom in development, but Geico’s gecko does have a couple of new commercials out—see them here and here. He avoids directly addressing the fact that he is yesterday’s news, but he does admit to feeling a lot of pressure these days when shooting the ads. Meanwhile, in caveman news, Slate’s Seth Stevenson this week got around to wondering if the caveman sitcom has a chance of succeeding.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 23, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Geico, Martin Agency

Quiz: Are you a caveman or a gecko?

Viva Rock Vegas, I’m caught up in caveman sitcom fever! Which got me thinking — people sometimes try to discern if they’re more like dogs or cats. So, in honor of ABC’s decision to develop the Geico ad concept into a show, the question should be: Are you a caveman or a gecko?
  Cavemen are: hirsute, hulking, surly, whiny, insecure, unevolved, extinct.
  Geckos are: green, slender, witty, cocky, Cockney, self-assured, cold-blooded.
  I’m neither hulking nor green (most days), and I’ve started recycling cans and bottles to avoid extinction. Still, truth be told, I do combine several attributes of both. OK, on to the next question: Are you a John Hodgman or a Justin Long? It’s so simple, a Dave-man can do it! (I couldn’t resist.)

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on March 7, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Geico, Martin Agency

Anthropologists side with Geico’s cavemen

It’s been a good week for the Geico cavemen. First, they score a development deal for a sitcom on ABC. Now, they’ll be celebrating the news that actual real-world anthropologists in England have deemed the phrase “stone age” to be an offensive term that should not be used to describe living peoples. The BBC reports: “Survival, the campaign group that supports tribal people, says that ‘stone age’ is a term that has been used for many years to create an impression that such people are ‘backward.’ This is dangerous because it is often used to justify the persecution or forced ‘development’ of tribal peoples.” It’s implied, though not explicitly stated, that you shouldn’t say things like, “So easy, even someone from the stone age could do it.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 6, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Geico, Martin Agency

Geico’s cavemen getting own ABC sitcom

At least one person may be quite happy this morning to learn that Geico’s caveman campaign, created by The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., is being developed into a sitcom at ABC. Variety reports: “Cavemen will revolve around three prehistoric men who must battle prejudice as they attempt to live as normal thirtysomethings in modern Atlanta.” Sounds heavy. Perhaps Aaron Sorkin can write the show if Studio 60 goes under. It’s unclear if the actors from the TV commercials, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Ben Weber and John Lehr, have signed on for the series. Via American Copywriter. UPDATE: A colleague suggests that the gecko could play the wacky neighbor, à la Mr. Furley from Three’s Company. Hilarious!

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 2, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (23) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Geico

Geico caveman proves terrible golfing buddy

Here’s footage from the caveman/Phil Simms golf outing that aired on CBS the day of the Super Bowl. Also unveiled by caveman überfan Make the Logo Bigger are the names of two more of the caveman actors: Jeff Daniel Phillips and Ben Weber, the stars of Son of Darkness: To Die for II (1991, uncredited) and The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000), respectively. A third caveman, John Lehr, can be seen in the TBS comedy 10 Items or Less.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on February 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Geico, Martin Agency

Geico’s caveman shows off his cavepad

Make the Logo Bigger isn’t sick of Geico’s cavemen, and neither are we. In the next phase of the campaign, the main caveman has invited us into his very own Caveman’s Crib. As usual, he’s conflicted about this, and drops little insults here and there. He has a nice place, though—evidence that he’s doing OK, despite the world being against him.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on January 30, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Geico, Martin Agency

At least one caveman doesn’t mind Geico

Yet another Geico caveman spot, unearthed (once again) by the heroic Make the Logo Bigger. This time, one of the Neanderthals, at his peril, has forsaken his brothers and signed up for insurance through Geico.com.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on January 16, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Geico