Keeping a slogan fresh after 15 years isn’t easy – not for cavemen, and not for ad men.
But that’s the challenge the Richmond-based Martin Agency faces each time it conjures a new ad campaign for Geico, the latest of which brings to life rhetorical questions with the help of America’s most honest presidents and one of its strictest drill sergeants.
The Martin Agency’s Justin Harris and Wade Alger discussed the creation of the newest and perhaps most comical editions of the ads that try to convince viewers that they can save 15 percent or more on car insurance by switching to Geico.
“They’ve had the same tag line for 12 or 15 years,” said Harris, senior art director at the agency. “We’re always looking for a new way to serve that up. It has been out there for so long, unless you’ve been living under a rock or your Amish perhaps, you’ve heard it.”
So they ask rhetorical questions whose answers are obviously yes, along the lines of the more infamous of such questions like the one about the pope, or the bear in the woods or Howdy Doody’s rear end.
“We can’t talk about a bear doing his thing in the woods,” Harris said.
The ads begin with a hard-edged detective type whose voice sounds like Robert Stack, and he’s constantly pondering these questions.
“The obvious yes, that’s kind of our guide post,” said Alger, vice president and associate creative director at Martin and copywriter on the campaign.
The drill sergeant/therapist is played perfectly by R. Lee Ermey, the former Marine Corp drill instructor-turned actor most famous for his role in “Full Metal Jacket.” He also did a show called “Mail Call”. Ermey grills a “namby-pamby” who is venting about his feelings.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFgiUm4lQig[/youtube]
The Abe Lincoln spot features an actor who was cast mostly because he was tall. He beat out professional Lincoln impersonators. This Lincoln is so honest he can’t even lie to his wife when she asks him if her outfit makes her look fat.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdy3orO6tQA[/youtube]
The obvious question campaign began about a year ago, and Martin has made 13 of the ads for Geico, six of which have yet to air.
The ads were shot in New York and Los Angeles. The Lincoln and drills sergeant spots were done in one day in about 15 hours of shooting.
The rhetorical question campaign also aims to keep viewers more engaged because each time one of the ads is seen it could be the Abe Lincoln version, the drill sergeant therapist version or some of the older ones that ask whether Elmer Fudd really does have trouble pronouncing the letter “R.”
“Even though its starts with the guy, you don’t know what question he’s going to ask,” Harris said.
And each time the challenge is also to keep the humor alive for a 16-year client that has multiple well-known ads, including the infamous cavemen.
“There’s a high bar set for what’s going to work,” Alger said.
Michael Schwartz is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to [email protected].
Keeping a slogan fresh after 15 years isn’t easy – not for cavemen, and not for ad men.
But that’s the challenge the Richmond-based Martin Agency faces each time it conjures a new ad campaign for Geico, the latest of which brings to life rhetorical questions with the help of America’s most honest presidents and one of its strictest drill sergeants.
The Martin Agency’s Justin Harris and Wade Alger discussed the creation of the newest and perhaps most comical editions of the ads that try to convince viewers that they can save 15 percent or more on car insurance by switching to Geico.
“They’ve had the same tag line for 12 or 15 years,” said Harris, senior art director at the agency. “We’re always looking for a new way to serve that up. It has been out there for so long, unless you’ve been living under a rock or your Amish perhaps, you’ve heard it.”
So they ask rhetorical questions whose answers are obviously yes, along the lines of the more infamous of such questions like the one about the pope, or the bear in the woods or Howdy Doody’s rear end.
“We can’t talk about a bear doing his thing in the woods,” Harris said.
The ads begin with a hard-edged detective type whose voice sounds like Robert Stack, and he’s constantly pondering these questions.
“The obvious yes, that’s kind of our guide post,” said Alger, vice president and associate creative director at Martin and copywriter on the campaign.
The drill sergeant/therapist is played perfectly by R. Lee Ermey, the former Marine Corp drill instructor-turned actor most famous for his role in “Full Metal Jacket.” He also did a show called “Mail Call”. Ermey grills a “namby-pamby” who is venting about his feelings.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFgiUm4lQig[/youtube]
The Abe Lincoln spot features an actor who was cast mostly because he was tall. He beat out professional Lincoln impersonators. This Lincoln is so honest he can’t even lie to his wife when she asks him if her outfit makes her look fat.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdy3orO6tQA[/youtube]
The obvious question campaign began about a year ago, and Martin has made 13 of the ads for Geico, six of which have yet to air.
The ads were shot in New York and Los Angeles. The Lincoln and drills sergeant spots were done in one day in about 15 hours of shooting.
The rhetorical question campaign also aims to keep viewers more engaged because each time one of the ads is seen it could be the Abe Lincoln version, the drill sergeant therapist version or some of the older ones that ask whether Elmer Fudd really does have trouble pronouncing the letter “R.”
“Even though its starts with the guy, you don’t know what question he’s going to ask,” Harris said.
And each time the challenge is also to keep the humor alive for a 16-year client that has multiple well-known ads, including the infamous cavemen.
“There’s a high bar set for what’s going to work,” Alger said.
Michael Schwartz is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to [email protected].
These are the types of commercials that I will stop fast forwarding the DVR and reverse just to watch them. I don’t care how many times I see them.
@Irony, you are right on. These are the only commercials on TV that don’t annoy me. GEICO understands brand building, and even attracted myself as a customer last year.
These are very funny ads (R. Lee Ermey one is the best!), but I really dislike any advertiser using a former President to hock they wares. Very distasteful and I refuse to do business with those companies. Dodge using Washington on a battlefield is another current example.
What’s next, Jesus hanging on the cross and the thief next to him telling him to buy GEICO? Martin Agency (and others), some things should be held sacred.
Indeed, the Lincoln ad and the Huggies “I poo in blue” ad’s are worth rewind and rewatch.
Bravo. If only we had such creativity in movies.
The only commercials I watch are GEICO . I’m glad at least GEICO people are aware how to sell to the public. If the commercial is funny and well done and I look forward to seeing them.