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GEICO's advertising campaign strategy incorporates a saturation-level amount of print (primarily mail circulars) and television parody advertisements, as well as radio advertisements. A common tagline used by GEICO is "fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance."

The ads are effective at getting customers to switch to GEICO. Warren Buffet, owner of GEICO parent Berkshire Hathaway, has stated that over 40% of Americans could save money with GEICO. He has indicated that he would spend $2 billion on GEICO ads if he could[1], far exceeding the $751 million in advertising in 2007, the last year where data was available.[2]

Animated advertisements[]

As part of the early GEICO Direct ads and the "Dumb Things" campaign, those 15 second long commercials were animated by Bill Plympton, and feature a curious little man walking up to an object and end up getting hurt after being curious about the object. In early airings, the announcer said "You could still save money on car insurance...even if you made a few mistakes." In later broadcasts, he says "We all do dumb things. Paying too much for car insurance doesn't have to be one of them." In all, six commercials were made in this series.

  1. The man walking up to a cannon, pressing a button on the wall, and getting shot in the face by a cannonball.
  2. The man comes across a weight situated above; he pulls its string out, causing the weight to crush him.
  3. The man pulls a small pebble from underneath a boulder, causing it to roll over him.
  4. The man approaches a vacuum cleaner, turns it on, and gets sucked inside it.
  5. The man sees a sleeping bulldog and takes its bone; this wakes the dog up, to which it eats the man.
  6. The man encounters a large mallet, pulls the lever that's near it, and gets flattened.

Individual advertisements[]

GEICO has presented a number of memorable one shot ads. Amongst these are:

  • A duck (similar to the Aflac duck) says, "Am I on? (clears throat) GEICO could save you hundreds of dollars on car insurance. Result..." The duck then removes his bill, revealing a smaller one, whilst saying in a high-pitched voice, "...smaller bill."
  • A man, whose insurance company didn't offer a loaner car, left his house whilst covered in magnets and "bummed a ride" by attaching himself to a passing car. (Announcer: "At GEICO auto insurance, we handle your claim quickly, so you don't have to bum a ride to work.")
  • A woman with no car decides to pretend to be one to pick up her daughter from school. She uses her hands as signals, has a license plate stamped to her rear, and uses an air horn for a car horn. The girl and her friend notice this and the latter asks the former "Isn't that your mom?" before the girl responds "Ummm...no." (Announcer: "It's tough not having a car. With immediate claim service, GEICO gets you back on the road fast.")
  • A man's dog wears a fire proximity suit as he delivers a competing insurance company's bill because it is "too hot to handle". (Announcer: "Car insurance bills getting...too hot to handle?")
  • A woman arrives home to share a heartwarming cuddle with her rather fuzzy dog as the announcer states: "You can't stop all bad things from happening to you, but we sure can be there when they do." The woman then walks in another room with the dog, claiming that she smells something.
  • People running away from a giant piggy bank "terrorizing" the city. (Announcer: "Want to see your piggy bank really grow?")
  • A montage of three men doing "dumb things". First one is on a treadmill, and cranks up the speed to maximum, sending him flying. Second one checks the time on his watch with a mug in his hand, spilling coffee on his lap. Last one pours an insane amount of lighter fluid on a grill, and strikes a match, where an explosion occurs from behind his house. The second and third segments sometimes aired solo in later airings. (Announcer: "We all do dumb things. Fortunately, paying too much for car insurance doesn't have to be one of them." In short versions, he says "Paying too much for car insurance isn't that dumb.")
  • As an example of other companies' poor customer service, a man in a diner tells a waitress he didn't order mayo on his sandwich, at which point she scrapes it off onto the side of the table. (Announcer: "You don't have to sacrifice service to save money.")
  • To showcase GEICO's 24-hour customer service, GEICO employees are shown wearing beer helmets with cups of coffee attached to them instead of beer. (Announcer: "At GEICO, we provide service 24 hours a day. Fortunately, we're quick on the job.")
  • A mime trying to contact GEICO, but realizing he can't speak, he frowns and hangs up. (Announcer: "Need another way to call GEICO?")
  • A comparison of a regular insurance company's small coffee mug and GEICO's big coffee mug. (Announcer: "A typical car insurance agent is on the job during regular business hours. On the other hand, GEICO's insurance professionals are on the job....24 hours a day.")
  • A police unit tracks down an apparent earthquake, only to find the source is an obese man joyously jumping up and down because of the money that GEICO saved him.
  • A man trying to assemble a wooden toy for his son, as the announcer states that it can't be done in 15 minutes, but calling GEICO can. (Announcer: "You can't do much in fifteen minutes. But one fifteen minute call to GEICO could save you plenty on car insurance. Call us when you're free!")
  • An ad began with a woman in bed asking the viewer "How does GEICO process my claim quickly and still save me so much money?" We cut to GEICO's agency boss answering her with "Ancient martial arts secrets from the Wuxia." The employees around him then start floating and spinning to oriental music, much to his disbelief.
  • A vacuum cleaner sucking up money from the floor, until it goes far enough to unplug itself. (Announcer: "Remind you of your car insurance company? Maybe it's time to pull the plug.")
  • GEICO employees with earmuffs on talking to customers via speakers to notify that they save over 250 dollars by switching. Their customers scream in excitement. (Announcer: "Every week, ten thousand drivers switch their car insurance to GEICO. We take all the necessary precautions.")
  • Two men getting chased by an apparently sentient shopping cart in revenge for bumping into it. (Announcer: "Fast claim service, when trouble can't be avoided.")
  • Three men showcasing the different car models they have, with the last one, an old man, being a floating, futuristic car. (Announcer: "At GEICO, we offer renewal to over 98% of our policy holders, so people stay with GEICO year after year. Who knows how long they'll be with us.")
  • A man hires a team of bloodhounds to find his ACME Insurance agent after hours, only to find a terrified janitor in the building. (Announcer: "Searching for someone at your car insurance agency after dark? At GEICO, we're here 24 hours a day.")
  • Multiple people seemingly fitting into a normal sized car, representing all the drivers who are insured by GEICO. A man, having just switched to the company, joins in at the last second. (Announcer: "Ten thousand responsible drivers switch their car insurance to GEICO every week. But there's always room for one more.")
  • An ACME agent works at her desk as a bald man paces back in forth in another room. Throughout the ad, a saw cutting something can be heard, and when it stops, the man falls through the floor, indicating they were "cutting out the middle man". (Announcer: "How can GEICO save money on car insurance when you buy from us directly? We cut out the middle man.")
  • People riding around a city on donkeys, with one elderly woman attempting to make one move by tugging its harness. (Announcer: "True, there's other ways to reduce your car insurance premium instead of calling GEICO.")
  • A man bumming a ride to work by hanging onto a speeding chicken truck, getting a face full of feathers in the process. (Announcer: "At GEICO, we settle claims quickly, so you can get your car back, because no one likes to bum a ride to work.")
  • A man juggling balls as the announcer describes how he's a person who doesn't have to worry about renewal issues. Meanwhile, his dog tries to stand, but falls over. (Announcer: "A lot of people are afraid of being dropped by their car insurance company, but at GEICO, we offer renewal to over 98% of our customers. So we prefer to drop car insurance rates.")
  • An obese man dressed as a fairy trying to renew an ACME bill, but he only succeeds in making the bill itself smaller. He then falls. (Announcer: "To reduce your bill, call GEICO. Unless you believe in the Car Insurance Fairy.")
  • A woman pulls over her car to drop off an insurance agent in the desert before speeding off. (Announcer: "Buy Direct from GEICO and you can drop off a very expensive person from your car insurance policy......the middle man.")
  • A man runs down a path only to collide with a deer, representing a car hitting wildlife on the road. After a struggle, the deer runs free and the man looks around cautiously. (Announcer: "Fast claim service, in case this happens....in a car." In later airings, he said "Round the clock claim service, in case this happens in a car.")
  • A man digging a hole to retrieve his car insurance money from underground, but is shocked by the fact it's missing. (Announcer: "So....what does happen to all that money you overpay for...car insurance?")
  • Two cars driving side to side as the announcer discuses that one costs 15% less to insure. The car described then speeds up to reveal it's towing a speedboat. (Announcer: "Same car, same price. But one of them costs 15% less to insure. It gives one driver more money for....accessory")
  • A woman staring at a tow truck presumably lifting her car, before being revealed to be her purse. (Announcer: "Unfortunately, most drivers are hit in the same place every time. And it's usually...when the car insurance bill arrives.")
  • A man walks on stage, apparently representing all the people who switched to GEICO. When asked to raise his hand 10,000 times, he immediately leaves the scene.
  • A man looks at his most recent auto insurance bill with his dog at his side; the dog, finding out his owner spent way too much money, rolls on the floor laughing. (Announcer: "Still paying too much for car insurance?")
  • A man with no car decides to take his child's kiddie car to drive to work, with disastrous results. (Announcer: "With complete 24 hour service, GEICO auto insurance starts working on your claim quickly. We'll get you back in your car, so that you'll won't have to rely on alternate transportation.")
  • A group of people in a small town bursting into a happy-go-lucky musical number, overjoyed about their successful car insurance bills. (Announcer: "Imagine feeling this good....about your car insurance bill.")
  • A man (played by Benton Jemmings) walking into a car wash with no car and is subjected to the cleaning methods, getting himself wet. (Announcer: "It's tough not having a car. With immediate claim service, GEICO gets you back on the road fast.")
  • A man places a long-distance collect phone call through an operator, using the code name Bob Wehaddababyitsaboy to avoid having the call's recipient billed for the call's charges. This commercial ran for a few weeks with the name joke and the pitch for GEICO, followed by a parting shot of the man on the telephone further exploiting his name trick, saying "Last name is Wehadababyitsaboyandweighs8pounds3ouncesandisdoingfine". The commercial was later re-edited to remove the ending joke. (Announcer: In the original, he says "If you like saving money, call GEICO." and "Don't cheat the telephone company. Save money the legal way." in the edited version.)
  • A three headed man (played by Sean Hayes) attempts to pick up a beautiful woman at a party, but the middle head wants nothing to do with it, to the other two's dismay. (Announcer: "Middle man getting in the way? At GEICO Auto Insurance, there is no middle man.")
  • A squirrel causes a car to swerve and crash off screen. He then performs a series of fist bumps and high fives with another squirrel, as if they planned it. (Announcer: "Accidents can happen any time. That's why GEICO's here, 24 hours a day every day.")
  • The camera pans up to a night sky to show a constellation of a car, whose "windshield" is hit by a shooting star. (Announcer: "At GEICO, we get the ball rolling on your claim quickly....even in the middle of the night.")
  • A man attempts to buy panties for his wife before the store shuts down for the night. He ends up trapped there. (Announcer: "Why shop around someone else's schedule? With complete 24 hour-service, GEICO lets you buy car insurance... anytime.")
  • Two apples are presented on a picnic table. One of them, representing someone who's paid too much for car insurance, gets promptly chopped with a knife. (Announcer: "At GEICO, it only takes 15 minutes to get a line by line comparison on your car insurance, so you'll know exactly what you're spending...and what you can cut out.")
  • A car salesman presents a very crummy car. Part of the front falls off when he pats it. (Announcer: "You wouldn't buy an overpriced car. So why buy overpriced car insurance?")
  • A man drives a golf cart retrieving a golf ball he found in the river and when he goes to tee off, the ball ends up in the river again, and he sets off to retrieve it, but ends up sinking in the river. (Announcer: "It's amazing what some people will do to save a little money. Yet with one call to GEICO, you could save fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Considering the alternatives, making a phone call is very simple.")
  • A man watches TV and thinks he had eaten chips, only to find he had eaten dead leaves off a plant. (Announcer: "At least you'll feel smart when your car insurance bill arrives.")
  • A depiction of lengthy customer service in the form of a long line of store employees passing an old woman's groceries to her car. (Announcer: "Just a reminder. It's easier to buy things without a lot of middle men. The same is true when purchasing car insurance.")
  • A man opens a package to reveal a small ACME calendar, much to his dismay. (Announcer: "What do you get from your agent for all that money you over pay on car insurance? Another year to wonder why.")
  • A paper boy accidentally throws a newspaper at a tree, which falls and destroys a nearby car in a driveway. (Announcer: "You may never need your car insurance company early in the morning or late at night, but we offer 24-hour service anyway.")
  • An answering machine on an ACME agent's empty desk gives off a message during the night, showing that they aren't available at that time. Fade to a female GEICO agent working nightly, proving that they're capable of overnight shifts. (Announcer: "There's a difference between their idea of 24 hour service and ours: a pulse.")
  • A bunch of elephants running across a white background. (Announcer: "Every week, ten thousand drivers switch their car insurance to GEICO for greater savings and 24-hour service. Maybe you should join the stampede.")
  • A truck arrives at a house to renovate it into a castle, to the delight of the owner. (Announcer: "It’s amazing what you can order by phone these days. Most amazing of all, you could buy car insurance direct from GEICO over the phone. You could even save fifteen percent or more, and who couldn’t use a little extra money around the house.")

The GEICO Gecko[]

The company's ads sometimes focus on its reptilian mascot, Martin the Gecko, an anthropomorphic Day Gecko created by The Martin Agency and most recently a CGI creature generated by Framestore CFC. The gecko first appeared in 1998 during the Screen Actors Guild strike that prevented the use of live actors.[3] In the original commercial, where the gecko pleads for people to stop calling him in error, mistaking gecko for GEICO, he was voiced by Kelsey Grammer.[4] Later "wrong number" ads used Dave Kelly as the voice of the gecko. In the subsequent commercials with Jake Wood,[5] (which portray him as a representative of the company), the gecko speaks with an English (Cockney) accent, because it would be unexpected, according to Martin Agency's Steve Bassett. Paul Morgan, a British actor and comedian, is the current voice of the GEICO gecko. In current commercials the gecko's accent is more working-class, perhaps in an effort to further "humanize" him.[6] "As computer animation got better and as we got to know the character better, we did a few things," says Steve Bassett, creative director at The Martin Agency. "We wanted to make him a little more guy-next-door. And he looks a lot more real than he's looked before."[3] A recent ad shows the gecko in a GEICO sales meeting. One of the people at the meeting says, "I could sell more insurance too if I was green with a British accent." to which a female counterpart says, "British? I thought you're from Australia." The commercial concludes with the gecko saying, "Actually I'm from-" and the commercial cuts off.

Parodies[]

Television parodies / "Why haven't you called GEICO?"[]

An additional commercial theme is the promotion of fictional products. In 2006 parody ads featured such products as long distance phone service, tomato soda, fast-food, a reality TV show, dolls, and even poking fun at the Old Navy commercials - in all cases, the parody portion of the ad ends with "but it won't save you any money on car insurance." After the GEICO slogan is heard, the commercials end with one or more characters from the fake ad asking "Why haven't you called GEICO?" This use of fictional products in commercials is reminiscent of the Energizer Bunny campaign for batteries from the late 1980s.

The parody pitch crossed over to the Caveman campaign (see below) in a recent 10-second spot that appears to be a talking heads news interview, but features the popular caveman.

These four ads parodied television genres and even other commercials. The set included:

  • A fake ad for a reality show called "Tiny House", where a couple is forced to live in a smaller than average home.
  • An infomercial for Wonder Glue.
  • A parody of cereal commercials with a "radical" mascot interacting with a kid eating the product.
  • A group of campers promoting a clothes brand called Campy.

"I've got good news/Saved a bunch of money"[]

In another ad campaign, a character would be breaking bad news to another, but then offer helpfully, "I've got good news!", and then explain, "I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to GEICO!". That news, of course, is of no immediate use at all to the other character(s). Some of the ads were parodies and/or featured celebrities. The exchange became parodied for a time while the ads were popular.

Some of the ads in the series included:

  • A baseball manager replacing a struggling pitcher with a reliever.
  • Esteban showing up to a teenage rock band in need of improving.
  • A soap opera parody where a man (played by Sebastian Siegel) attempts to comfort his lover.
  • A news reporter delivering updates on a volcanic eruption.
  • A Speed Racer parody where Trixie warns Speed of a fallen bridge. This ad actually uses footage from an episode.
  • An attorney having a talk with a prisoner.
  • A fake ad for a physician named John Barker.
  • A parody of the Chatty Cathy commercial.
  • A wrestler taunting his opponent.
  • A repairman listing off the damages in a couple's new home.
  • A faux nature documentary about bears eating salmon.
  • A committee hearing.
  • A fitness expert named Tony Little promoting healthy living.
  • A rapper auditioning for a performance.

Bland salesman[]

In another series of ads, a GEICO pitchman is played by actor Jerry Lambert in an extremely bland and understated way, parodying the stereotype of an insurance man, such as reading to some bored-looking kids, from a book of fairy tales about insurance. In one segment, he reads a supposed e-mail from a viewer saying it would be "da bomb", i.e. something good, if the Gecko would do a dance called "The Robot". Cut to the Gecko doing that dance smoothly and gracefully (to the tune of a not-for-public-sale melody called "Sweet World" by a group called "Omega Men"[7], which was used in the arcade video game In the Groove 2) and then back to the insurance salesman attempting to do the same dance, seemingly more stiffly than an actual robot would. The newest commercial featuring the GEICO gecko depicts the Gecko receiving a business suit from the salesman, in order to present a more professional appearance, but he declines.

Celebrities[]

There are also GEICO ads that feature stories from GEICO customers about situations in which the company assisted them, but are narrated by celebrities such as Charo, Burt Bacharach, Little Richard, Don LaFontaine, Peter Graves, and Verne Troyer.

Other ads have included James Lipton, Michael Winslow, Peter Frampton, Joan Rivers, The Pips and Mrs. Butterworth's talking syrup bottle.

In response to the ads, Seth Green and Matthew Senreich wrote a sketch using the character Jar Jar Binks in a parody of one of the celebrity ads for their second Robot Chicken Star Wars special.

Cavemen[]

Main article: GEICO Cavemen

A popular series of well-received advertisements uses cavemen as pitchmen. Also developed by the Martin Agency, the ads center on Neanderthal-like cavemen, no different from modern-day individuals (outside of the somewhat pre-historic facial features), encountering either an ad or commercial with the tagline "GEICO: so easy a caveman could do it," followed by their disgust with the supposed stereotype of caveman stupidity. The ads posit a world where cavemen are still alive and active members of society in the present day, behaving and living nothing at all like the stereotypical caveman. The main characters presented in the ads are affluent, educated, and cultured, eating at fancy restaurants, going to exclusive parties, and seeing their therapists (portrayed in the commercials by two-time Oscar-nominated actress Talia Shire). The humor revolves around the relative normality of the cavemen's presence and their reactions to the stereotype represented in the ads, and their attempts at defending themselves from the stereotype.

The ads were so successful that the commercial actors are appearing in a successful series of interactive websites written and produced by GEICO's in-house creative team at Caveman's Crib and most recently, iHeartcavemen. A spin off TV series, titled Cavemen and starring new actors, debuted on ABC in October 2006[8] to overwhelmingly negative critical reaction. It was canceled after only six episodes were aired.

My Great Rides[]

In 2006, GEICO also launched a social networking site, My Great Rides, for motorcycle owners. My Great Rides is a place for cycle owners to share stories about trips they have taken on their bikes, as well as post pictures of their motorcycles, and comment on other members stories and pictures.

GEICO Racing[]

The number 7 car of the NASCAR Nationwide Series is driven by Mike Wallace and was sponsored by GEICO prior to 2009.[9][10] Commercials involving the race team are of a memorably disdainful young boy, played by actor Eddie Heffernan claiming to be a relative of Mike Wallace and being a better driver.[11] The boy says, "When people see Mike Wallace and the GEICO number 7 doing well, they'll think of saving a bunch of money on car insurance. But when they see me, they'll say, 'There goes Lauren Wallace; the greatest thing to ever climb into a race car.'"[12]

The commercials are sometimes presented in an interview fashion, where an unseen narrator speaks to the ambitious go-kart driver. "What do you think of Mike Wallace?" the child is asked, to which he responds, "Whatever, he's out there selling car insurance, I'm out there to win." When questioned on his relation to the NASCAR driver, Lauren shakes his head and concludes, "I didn't say I wouldn't go fishing with the man, all I'm saying is if he comes near me, I'll put him in the wall." To which the narrator questions him, "You don't race in the Busch Series." Lauren replies "Listen, go-kart track, grocery store, those remote controlled boats; when it comes to Mike Wallace the story ends with me putting him in the wall."

New ads in this lineup include Lauren referring to himself as being, "100 miles away and ready to strike," and "lightning in a bottle."

The success of those ads resulted in the launch of an interactive website written and produced by GEICO's in-house creative team at GEICO Garage. The site includes cameo appearances by Lauren Wallace and drivers Mike Wallace, his daughter Chrissy Wallace, Speed TV's Tommy Kendall, Paul Tracy, Christian Fittipaldi and Max Papis.

15 Minutes Online[]

Reminiscent of the old "Stupid Things" commercials, these show videos of people doing stupid things, such as running in hallways with pillows, done YouTube style.

TRS: The Real Scoop[]

Introduced in September, 2007, this series of ads features an E! True Hollywood Story-type show about famed fictional characters such as Fred Flintstone, Jed Clampett, and even a Cabbage Patch Kid named Ben Winkler claiming to have their cars (the Flintmobile, Jed's 1923 Oldsmobile truck, and a Plymouth Reliant, respectively) insured by GEICO, featuring interviews with made-up investigators (however, the Ben Winkler spot does not have an interview). These commercials were voiced over by narrator David O'Brien.

Kash[]

Starting in 2008, GEICO has been airing a series of television ads featuring "The Money You Could Be Saving," in the form of two paper-banded stacks of U.S. bills with a pair of Googly eyes on top. This character is possibly similar to Fajo from Conker's Bad Fur Day[13] and is known as "Kash". In some commercials, someone discovers this "character" (or "stalker") sitting nearby, and in others it simply stares at the camera while a voice-over talks about how it wants you to save money. These ads includes a remix[14] by Mysto & Pizzi of the 1980s song "Somebody's Watching Me". During the Halloween 2009 season, GEICO tied in with HBO's True Blood series on bus bench ads and dressed up Kash in fang dentures[15].

Talking inanimate objects[]

In 2009, GEICO began a series of commercials featuring talking inanimate objects doing damage to cars. So far, they have used a talking tree limb falling on a windshield and breaking it. The tree limb makes fun of the car right before a smaller limb falls on the hood. The next one is a talking pothole with a thick southern girl accent causing a flat tire. The pothole somewhat apologizes then says she'll get her cell phone out and call a wrecker before realizing that she doesn't have one because she's a pothole. Other recent ones include a talking car bumper and talking husband and wife pipes that have Russian accents.

Robert Stack "Unsolved Mysteries" Parody / Rhetorical Questions[]

Another ad campaign GEICO released in late 2009 includes actor Mike McGlone looking into the camera and asking "Could switching to GEICO save you 15% or more on your car insurance?" followed by another question that has an obvious answer. These included:

  • Is Ed "Too Tall" Jones too tall?: Jones is seen in a doctor's office being measured for his height, even though he is too tall for the maximum length of the measure. The nurse then says, "I'm just gonna guesstimate."
  • Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?: Daniels energetically plays a fiddle in a classy restaurant after taking it from a violinist. Once he finishes, he hands it back and states "That's how you do it, son".
  • Does Elmer Fudd have trouble with the letter R?: Elmer is seen hunting and telling the audience to be "vewy quiet" while he's "hunting wabbits", the director correcting his rhoticism to the former's frustration, and eventually walking off set while muttering about how "this diwector is starting to wub (him) the wong way".
  • Did The Waltons take way too long to say good night?: The Walton family are shown saying "good night" to each other numerous times.
  • Does a ten-pound bag of flour make a really big biscuit?: A child is seen buttering an enormous biscuit on the kitchen counter humming as his mom walks in with a dismayed look upon her face.
  • Did the caveman invent fire?: The GEICO caveman is sitting in a living room on a couch with a female companion. He looks disdainfully at the camera, then activates the fireplace by remote control before scowling at the camera once more.
  • Was Abe Lincoln honest?: An old-style black and white film plays of Mary Todd Lincoln asking "Does this dress make my backside look big?" After a lengthy pause and deliberation, Lincoln sheepishly responds, saying "Perhaps a ...", interrupted as she gets up and walks out perturbed.
  • Is having a snowball fight with pitching great Randy Johnson a bad idea?: Johnson helps a man to his feet, the latter with a hole in the arm of his jacket, in a snowy street. After lamenting the heavily damaged garage door behind them, they agree to go sledding instead.
  • Is a bird in the hand worth two in the bush?: An Antiques Roadshow appraiser examines a small statue of a human hand holding a bird. He tells the statue's owner that it is indeed worth at least two in the bush.
  • Can fútbol announcer Andrés Cantor make any sport exciting?: Cantor loudly and energetically calls a slow-paced chess match. When one player makes a move, he yells his trademark "GOOAAALLL!" much to the players' annoyance.
  • Does a former drill sergeant make a terrible therapist?: R. Lee Ermey talks to a man on a psychiatrist's couch, then abruptly yelling at him for crying and then throws a box of tissues at him, calling him a crybaby.
  • Do woodchucks chuck wood?: A jovial pair of woodchucks throw chopped logs into a pond and get admonished by the farmer who chopped them.
  • Did the little piggy cry 'wee wee wee' all the way home?: A pig named Maxwell rides in the back seat of an SUV holding pinwheels, yelling "wee wee wee" out the window, before being dropped off at his house by his friend's exasperated mother. Was later spun off into its own series of commercials.
  • Does it take two to tango?: A man and woman dance the tango while another man tries to dance with them.
  • What, do you live under a rock?: A man living underground moves a rock so he can raise his head above ground to see outside, and then gets excited when he sees a GEICO billboard and invites his friend Rick to move his own rock and take a peek.
  • Does the buck stop here?; The camera zooms out as a deer walks onto the soundstage and stops next to McGlone, who then shrugs his shoulders.
  • Do dogs chase cats?: A dog and cat engage in a Bullitt-style car chase.
  • Would Foghorn Leghorn make a really bad book narrator?: Foghorn is reading A Tale of Two Cities in a recording studio. His ad-libbing and talking over the director causes an exasperated Henery Hawk to get up from the control panel and whack him with a club.
  • Is the pen mightier than the sword?: A ninja menacingly demonstrates his swordsmanship to his opponent, who counter maneuvers by using a pen to sign for the delivery of his new taser, with which he promptly dispatches the ninja.
  • Do people use smartphones to do dumb things?: Three office workers use very silly smartphone apps to help celebrate the end of the workweek.

In addition, a series of ads were made exclusively for radio as well:

  • Would helium make opera sound less stuffy?: A male opera singer sings in a deep voice, then inhales helium, and continues in a high-pitched voice.
  • Do mimes make even less sense when you can't see them?: A narrator describes a mime pretending to be inside an invisible box.
  • Is sneaking out of a really boring meeting while wearing tap shoes a bad idea?: A boring meeting is disrupted with the sound of tap shoes in the background, until the boss catches on.
  • Does a rolling stone gather no moss?: We hear the sound of a boulder rolling through various things until it crashes to a stop, with McGlone then saying, "No moss – you're gonna have to trust me on this one."
  • Do only dogs hear dog whistles?: Someone inhales, then blows in a dog whistle a few times, before being interrupted by several barking dogs.
  • If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a noise?: Cue the sound of a tree falling and crashing, with McGlone then saying, "Yep."
  • Is texting getting way out of hand?: (McGlone then begins to elaborate, but is interrupted and distracted by several incoming texts, ultimately responding to one message with "LOL, UR my BFF.")

Emma Watson movies[]

Main article: Emma Watson GEICO ads

Starting in 2002, Emma Watson appeared in various GEICO ads featuring her reprising her role from a movie, TV series, or web series. The full list is here.

References[]

  1. http://inoculatedinvestor.blogspot.com/2009/05/2009-berkshire-hathway-annual-meeting.html
  2. http://web.archive.org/web/20090514072408/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-35522806_ITM
  3. 3.0 3.1 Gecko wasn't first choice for GEICO. USA Today, July 16, 2006. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
  4. "Geico Gecko Campiagns". The Inspiration Room. Retrieved on 2010-04-22.
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  8. ABC developing 'Cavemen' - Entertainment News, Pilot Watch, Media - Variety
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  13. http://www.conker-base.com/artworks/6.jpg
  14. The Remake of "Somebody's Watching Me" at geico.com
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