| Framestore NY Gets Geico Gecko Geared Up Again
Not so long ago, auto insurance company Geico and ad agency The Martin Agency approached animation and effects company Framestore NY to draw on the 3D talents behind such projects as WALKING WITH DINOSAURS, DINOTOPIA and HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE and "reinterpret" the already-beloved Geico Gecko mascot. The Framestore NY team then transformed the urbane lizard into a more versatile, decidedly cheekier cockney bloke. The risky move paid off, evidenced by the new Gecko's win as "Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial or Music Video" at the 5th annual VES (Visual Effects Society) Awards. Never ones to rest on their laurels, the Framestore NY team recently reteamed with The Martin Agency and upped the ante in eight comedy-driven new spots featuring the loveable reptile.
Geico Takes Varied Roads to Customers
We've seen a new and unique practice of running simultaneous and differing television campaigns representing the same product. Could you counteract the television effort of a competitor by targeting your message to varied potential customer segments, each with a different version of the same message? Does this strategy really work? And is it worth the extra expense? Geico Insurance, with its three different TV campaigns, is an excellent example of this strategy at use. We spoke with Ted Ward, vice president of marketing at Geico, and Steve Bassett, creative director at the Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., about this breakthrough idea. TelevisionWeek: First off, how did the creative ideas of the "Caveman," the "Gecko" and the "Spokesperson" ads begin?
Steve Bassett: The Cavemen idea started with a simple laser-focused creative strategy to "tell people that Geico.com is easy to use." Cavemen are historically dumb, reasoned the creative team, so we said, why don't we say Geico.com is so easy to use a caveman could do it? Little did the creative team or Geico realize that cavemen are still around—and that they're tired of being portrayed as Neanderthals.
ABC Plans Show Based On GEICO Caveman
OMAHA, Neb. -- ABC has inked a deal that may look a lot like 30-minute weekly ads for an insurance company, ShowBuzz.com reported on Monday. The cavemen featured in Berkshire Hathaway-owned GEICO car insurance commercials have a cult following. Comedian John Lehr told Newsweek magazine that he has been mobbed by paparazzi that want their own photos taken with him in caveman costume. He plays one of his cavemen in the wildly popular ads. ShowBuzz.com reported that the creators of "Third Rock From the Sun" have signed a two-year deal with ABC to create a sitcom based on the cavemen. Bill Martin and Mike Schiff reportedly signed a seven-figure pact, which has an option for a third year. They also will develop new projects for ABC TV Studio. .
Report Released on Use of Occupation and Education as Factors in ...
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) today issued a report analyzing the insurance industry's use of occupation and education for the underwriting and rating of auto insurance policies. The report finds the use of these practices unintentionally harms minorities and low-income individuals in determining auto insurance premiums and insurance eligibility. "Let me be perfectly clear," states Commissioner Kevin McCarty, "this practice is legal under current Florida law. However, similar to insurance companies' past use of credit scoring, this practice creates unintended effects that policymakers may find unacceptable." In 2003, the Florida Legislature passed Section 626.9741 severely limiting the use of credit scoring in insurance underwriting after this practice was also shown to disproportionately impact minorities and low-income individuals.
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