Ad of the Day: Geico

Must be nice to have pummeled your audience with enough advertising that they think of your pitch as literally common knowledge. That's the enviable position Geico finds itself in, as it launches yet another mini campaign through The Martin Agency. There is hardly a more famous line in advertising than "Fifteen minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance"—not because it's so special, but because it's so ubiquitous. The new ads play off that. They begin with someone reciting the line after spying it on billboards or in magazine ads. "Everybody knows that," someone else replies dismissively—prompting the first person, feeling lightly chastised, to offer other factoids that might be more surprising. "Well, did you know that some owls aren't that wise?" a wife tells her husband in one of two launch spots, as the scene shifts to a pair of owls having a particularly dumb conversation. "Well, did you know that Old MacDonald was a really bad speller?" one co-worker tells another in the other spot. That ad then shows a spelling bee, in which the farmer indeed proves his gross inadequacy at spelling the simplest barnyard words. The campaign is classic Geico: a rigid, repeatable structure; goofy characters; quietly offbeat humor. It's also a great example of the marketer having its cake and eating it, too. The campaign is all about how the "Fifteen minutes" line is so familiar, it's barely worth saying—and yet each ad opens with exactly that. That's one way to subvert what might be actual consumer fatigue around the line, and give it yet another airing. From setup to payoff, the "Did you know?" structure might be a little less smooth than some other Geico campaigns, like the rhetorical questions work or the "Happier than" stuff. But like most other Geico work, it affords the creatives an almost unlimited canvas for exploring amusing plot lines. If "Owl" and "Old MacDonald" don't do it for you, maybe some others will. The campaign launches today, and more spots will roll out in the coming months. CREDITS Client: Geico Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward Manager, Broadcast Production and Agency Relations: Amy Hooks Marketing Planner: Amy Ruddell Spots: "Owl," "Old MacDonald" Agency: The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander Senior Vice President, Group Creative Director: Steve Bassett Vice President, Creative Director: Wade Alger Senior Copywriter: Neel Williams Vice President, Senior Art Director: Justin Harris Vice President, Account Director: Brad Higdon Account Supervisor: Parker Collins Account Executive: Marisa Weber Account Coordinator: Carter Crenshaw Project Manager: Jason Ray Vice President, Agency Executive Broadcast Producer: Molly Souter Agency Producer: Nicole Hollis-Vitale Agency Junior Producer: Emily Taylor Group Talent Director: Suzanne Wieringo Senior Integrated Production Business Manager: Amy Trenz Production Company: Radical Media Director: Steve Miller Director of Photography: Salvatore Totino Executive Producer: Gregg Carlesimo Line Producer: Barbara Benson Editorial Company: Whitehouse Editorial Editor: Matthew Wood Assistant Editor: Caleb Hepler Editorial Executive Producer: Dan Byrant Editorial Producer: Dawn Guzowski Telecine: Company 3 Colorist: Tim Masick Animation, Visual Effects: The Mill Visual Effects Producer: Colin Blaney Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios Engineer: Jeff McManus Music: "Pyramids" licensed from APM

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Geico

You know the 'Fifteen minutes' line by heart, but did you also know…

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd