Ad of the Day: Geico's New Mom Character Is So Good, They Couldn't Do Just One Spot

In The Martin Agency's latest "It's What You Do" ad for Geico, a James Bond-style super-spy takes an unexpected phone call that severely cramps his style just as the bad guys and helicopter close in. Check out the spot here to find out who's on the other end of the line: Whoa, the squirrels are back in the attic, and Dad won't call an exterminator!? That's just one of the scintillating topics to savor when you hear from Mama, with love. She calls at the worst times. That's what she does. "My mom is guilty of this," Martin senior copywriter Ken Marcus tells Adweek. "She's always calling at the worst time. I guess if you're a retiree, you forget things like work hours." Note the squirrels racing through the yard behind Mom as she makes the call. Nice touch from Hungry Man director Wayne McClammy. But why focus on moms in the first place? "Moms call a lot," says agency creative director Sean Riley. "I think most people would see some truth there. The hard part is finding the funny twist to the story. We just thought it was fun to contrast a mundane phone call with the seriousness of a spy scene." It's a tried-and-true trope, essentially a cliché, but actress Cindy Drummond really shines. So much so, in fact, that Martin extended the bit beyond the 30-second "Spy" commercial with shorter "Momversations" showcasing her delightful deadpan delivery and penchant for amusing ad-libs on topics like tattoos, hashtags and beaver-like rodents called nutrias. "She's a better writer than I am," says Marcus. "She kept giving us so much fun material. It would have been a shame to leave that all behind on a hard drive somewhere." "We had to do a lot of extra takes on the line, 'Your father was attacked by a big angry beaver,' " says Riley. "Cindy cracked up every time." CREDITS Client: Geico Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward Director, Marketing: Bill Brower Senior Manager, Marketing: Melissa Halicy Marketing Supervisor: Mike Grant Marketing Buyers: Tom Perlozzo, Brighid Griffin, Katherine Kalec Marketing Specialist: Julia Nass Agency: The Martin Agency Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander Group Creative Directors: Wade Alger, Steve Bassett Creative Director: Sean Riley Senior Copywriter: Ken Marcus Executive Producer: Brett Alexander Senior Broadcast Producer: Heather Tanton Junior Broadcast Producer: Sara Montgomery Group Account Director: Brad Higdon Account Executives: Jon Glomb, Allison Hensley Account Coordinator: Allie Waller Business Affairs Supervisor: Suzanne Wieringo Financial Account Supervisor: Monica Cox Senior Production Business Manager: Amy Trenz Project Manager: Karen McEwen Production Company: Hungry Man Director: Wayne McClammy Managing Partner, Executive Producer: Kevin Byrne Executive Producer, Head of Sales: Dan Duffy Executive Producers: Mino Jarjoura, Nancy Hacohen Producer: Dave Bernstein Production Supervisor: Shelly Silverman Editing Company: Rock Paper Scissors Editor: Christjan Jordan Assistant Editor: Pieter Viljoen Executive Producer: Angela Dorian Producer: Helena Lee Telecine: Moving Picture Company Colorist: Ricky Gausis Animation, Visual Effects: Moving Picture Company Executive Producer: Elexis Stearn Senior Producer: Juliet Tierney Production Coordinator: Valentina Cokonis Line Producer: Goutham Hampankatta Flame Lead: Mark Holden Nuke Artists: Janice Tso, Jim Spratling Visual Effects Supervisor, Head of 3-D: Jason Schugardt Lead Lighter: Tim Kafka Render, Look Development: Jessica Groom DMP: Partha Modal 3-D Supervisor: Nishanth Shrinivasa Original Music and Sound Design: Q Department Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios Engineer, Mixer: Jeff McManus

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Geico's New Mom Character Is So Good, They Couldn't Do Just One Spot

Cindy Drummond gives Martin plenty of material

David Gianatasio

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David Gianatasio