Who doesn’t love a fancy hand-drawn moving picture?
The latest campaign from the kings of car insurance bears no sign of the famous gecko … or The Martin Agency, for that matter. It’s all classic-looking cartoons.
For “Ads From the Vault,” Geico turned to Chicago-based animation studio Demo Duck to imagine how the company might have promoted its assorted products back in, say, 1935.
First there’s this dude with the ‘stache and curious hairdo who loves to steal pies off window sills, because apparently that’s what everyone did during the Great Depression?
Then there’s a reminder that Geico also offers homeowner’s insurance … and that everyone including kitchen appliances loved swing dancing back in the day.
This one is a bit of a contradiction as we don’t think anybody had 24/7 access to anything then, but just roll with it because “It’s a Geico Ad.”
The gem in the bunch, in our humble opinions, is this little bit of llama-flavored cat-dog absurdity.
Demo Duck has worked with Geico on two past projects involving animated videos.
From the company’s associate creative director, Kelsie Ozamiz: “It’s tempting to always try what’s new or next—but sometimes the answer is getting back to basics. Nostalgia is popular right now, but it’s usually for the 1980s or ’90s, not the ’40s. We felt black and white could help these spots stand out in a sea of over-saturated color. We’re very happy with how it turned out, and we’re excited to give people a quick giggle before their videos play.”
The more interesting question is whether the client is changing things up by throwing a new creative partner into the mix.
As we reported earlier this month, The Martin Agency’s Geico account lead recently left for a gig at Amazon Music. But the agency said president Chris Mumford is running the business while it seeks a replacement, and the two parties have been solid partners through thick and thin for more than 20 years.
On another note, Geico may be able to save 15 percent or more in 15 minutes (dubious), but based on our experience, its communications department is completely incapable of responding to an email inquiry. What gives??
CREDITS
Client: Geico
Agency: Demo Duck
Campaign “Ads From the Vault”
Associate Creative Director: Kelsie Ozamiz
Producer: Theresa Brooks
Lead Writer: Jarrett Hothan
Art Director: Nicky Mazur
Design: Katie Trayte
Animation: Rohan McDonald, Zak Tietjen
Music and Sound Design: Clark Rhee