Ice T Talks Lemonade for Geico, and the TV Spot Isn't Even the Best Part

Geico has tapped Ice T as the latest cameo in its ongoing "It's Not Surprising" campaign. And while that may be a surprising follow-up to guys like Marco Polo, he breathes comical new life into the ongoing shtick. The rapper takes a break from his packed film and TV career to appear as The Martin Agency's latest punch line. The first ad has a pretty basic setup: Neighborhood regulars, passing by a lemonade stand, lean toward the kids and conspiratorially ask, "Is that iced tea?" "Nope, it's lemonade," they reply, with growing frustration. You're smart; you can see where this is going. The second piece of content, "The Art of the Squeeze," makes way better use of the man who brought us "I'm Your Pusher," all while mocking a tome of a similar name that's probably way less useful. Watch as Ice T uses lemonade to explain his nuanced and diverse negotiating arts, in steps as simple as making the drink itself. "It's said when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Then what do you do—drink it? Please. I say, you take that lemonade and you sell it to a thirsty fool at top dollar," he says. "Now pay attention and imma show you how to negotiate like a G, or like me, Ice T. This is priceless." In Step 1, "Establish Dominance," he explains why it's key to keep eye contact, a trick that works even better with sunglasses. "This forces the customer to stare at themselves, and who's not gonna buy lemonade from themselves? It also helps you look cool—unless you're me, in which case, I always look cool." Ice T conveys a big-brother quality, and the time we spend with him is a solid payoff after the first ad, which feels like a tease in comparison. (Also, it's clear that lots of agencies have taken his advice on haggling.) The content comes with its own subsite and hashtag, #lemonadenoticet, which Ice T himself is gleefully punting on the socnets: Let me know what you think. @GEICO has me out here selling #LemonadeNotIceT! Come and get some, it's delicious! https://t.co/o2IxSfYJPp — ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) September 9, 2016 That tweet isn't much, but coupled with all this tangy goodness, it's still more satisfying than the sponsored social missives from people who actually seem to be making a living that way. And if you want more, there's behind-the-scenes content, too, which manages to be just as shades-wearingly cool as the ads themselves. We leave you with Ice T's recap of the purpose of a director: "I always tell people acting's pretty easy because you have a guy called a director, and his job is to tell you what to fucking do, so you just do what he tells you to do." CREDITS Client: Geico Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward Director, Marketing Media Advertising: Bill Brower Brand Team, Media Advertising, Sports Marketing Senior Manager: Melissa Halicy Brand Team Senior Supervisor: Mike Grant Brand Team Planners: Brighid Griffin, Tom Perlozzo Brand Team Buyer: Julia Nass Brand Team Coordinator: Tim Ware Topic: Geico Savings TV – "It's Not Surprising" Campaign First Run Date: Sept. 8, 2016 Media: Broadcast, Internet Ad Name(s): "Ice T," "Ice T CTA," "Ice T :15," "Art of the Squeeze" Agency: The Martin Agency Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander Group Creative Directors: Steve Bassett, Wade Alger Creative Director: Sean Riley Senior Copywriter: Ken Marcus Art Director: Jesse Mitchell Copywriter: Ryan Durr Executive Producer: Brett Alexander Broadcast Producer: Brian Camp Associate Broadcast Producer: Coleman Sweeney Junior Broadcast Producer: Sara Montgomery Account Director: Ben Creasey Account Supervisor: Allison Hensley Account Executive: Jon Glomb 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: RadicalMedia Director: Steve Miller Executive Producer: Gregg Carlesimo Head of Production: Frank Dituri Producer: Jonathan Dino Editing Company (Broadcast): MackCut Editor: Ian MacKenzie Assistant Editor (RWS): Drew Neuhart Assistant Editor: Mike Leuis Executive Producer: Gina Pagano Producer: Sabina-Elease Utley Sound Design: Sam Shaffer Telecine (Broadcast): The Mill Colorist: Fergus McCall Editing Company (Social): Running With Scissors Editor: Drew Neuhart Head of Production: Brian Creech Post Producer: Katherine Leatherwood Telecine (Social): Running With Scissors Colorist: Drew Neuhart Finishing, Visual Effects: RWS Head of Production: Brian Creech Flame Artist: Chris Hagen Flame Assistant: Paul Wiederholt Post Producer: Katherine Leatherwood Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios Senior Sound Designer: Jeff McManus Executive Producer, Owner: Kristin O'Connor General Manager, Scheduler: Clinton Spell II Stock Music (Social): Lulatone

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Ice T Talks Lemonade for Geico, and the TV Spot Isn't Even the Best Part

Rapper punts 'the milk of the lemons'

Angela Natividad

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Angela Natividad