Geico cavemen now offer Zamboni coverage.

When you fall off the Zamboni of failed network sitcoms, you get right back up on it again—and drive it into a wall. Forced acting from Mike Green and the manager aside, fans of Cavemen Nation at least have a new spot to continue their ongoing feud:

“you mom is like geico shes so easy a caveman can do her.”

“I FUCKING HATE the caveman commercials for Geico. So easy a caveman can do it...STUPID.”

“hahaha my new favorite commercial.”

I Heart Cavemen.

No, not like that you freaks. But yeah, I dig the campaign, ya probably know that by now, but if you’d let me finish, geez. Anyway what I mean is the new Geico Cavemen dating site iheartcavemen.com, for the discerning caveman, matched on 29 levels of evolution. Which would explain one of them asking for a threesome at SXSW last night. (Sorry Darryl, all dry here.) Site was also done in-house at Geico.

Tags: Geico Caveman, iheartcavemen

THIS is what SxSW should be about.

Forget seminars and FB interviews, it’s about the more important things, like drunk cavemen. (Or, blurry cavemen.)

(Via Darryl.)

Tags: Geico cavemen, SxSW

Oh well.

Since I talk up the Geico commercials so much, might as well be honest here. This one isn’t gonna be for me unless it changes more. Including the dreadful Dilbert meets Office Space car pool show that followed, and unless I just haven’t watched enough network TV lately to see what passes for humor, I think ABC just killed the sitcom. A few laughs is pretty fair. The real estate lady was probably the funniest character on the show, and that’s a problem when you have three leads who are just kinda so-so, hang loose slacker dudes. But it went too far in trying to be “Oh, we’re just cavemen in a normal world” without the funny scenarios of the commercials. Maybe Talia Shire should be the shrink that one of them sees each week. Coneheads handled the same fish out of water trying to be normal territory, but at least the situations were funnier.

I know they’re establishing characters in the first show, but it felt like there wasn’t really a central theme except for the girlfriend thing. When an episode is called “Kramer tries out for the Yankees” on Seinfeld, you know what that’s about. Here, it was like, three cavemen live together, one works at an Ikea knockoff and has a hot girlfirend into cavemen. Okay, but what was the show about?

In trying to be so normal, it went too far towards being serious. In this case, I’d rather have seen it go further and play as a reality show shot like COPS. Or at least move to cable where the humor could be riskier like Always Sunny. Variety has a pretty accurate review.

Tags: Cavemen show

The hype is over tonight.

Damn I really hope Cavemen is better than Mad Men.


Tags: Geico, Cavemen

Geico’s caveman kidnapped at UA.

I doubt this is part of the upcoming show’s promotional efforts.

He’s definitely missed and we’re concerned about his welfare...

“Okay, this goes out to the dudes who took my caveman dummy. This isn’t funny anymore. I needed that for a project. Really. Give it back.”

Why do I feel the need to work in a Jurassic Park ‘Amber’ Alert prehistoric missing link thing here somewhere.

(Tip of the hat to Darryl and ‘other’ cavemen informants.)

Tags: Geico cavemen

Vote for the Geico Cavemen.

Steve had this up already but someone forwarded it to me today for a mention. (Besides, ‘Geico Cavemen anything’ is always good for a traffic bump here.) Vote for any of your favorite advertising icons over at Yahoo! in honor of Advertising Week. It is a little strange though that it has a Twinkie the Kid but no Aunt Jamima, Ronald McDonald or M&M’s? (Maybe Ronald had to withdrawl from the race after being caught in that airport sting?)

Tags: Geico Cavemen

Geico goes back to the stone age.

A left turn from the cavemen? Tip from Caffeine Goddess about Geico’s new campaign that plays off famous cartoons we all know and love. There’s also TV that features the secret past of a Cabbage Patch doll.

Tags: Geico cavemen

Cavemen responding to critics?

Or PR push. Lately I always seem to be away from the desk when Tim catches cavemen stuff. They’ve also increased the number of teasers for the cavemen crib.

Tags: Geico cavemen, Caveman’s crib, viral

Cavechicks.

According to this article, Geico has nothing to do with the series, but I think they’ll benefit from the association anyway.

Tags: Geico cavemen

Cavemen Mecca.

The tour is producing some interesting results along the way. We were able to take advantage of some free time and get over to The Martin Agency and meet with some creatives in the interactive space, throw some Twinkies and shirts at them, then show them the van. No, we did not see a caveman walking around either. I did though score a few cavemen bumper stickers though, one officially blended in with the van now. We also hit DC for some tourist action minus the fanny packs.

Geico cavemen show preview.

Yikes. While I’m one of the biggest fans of the commercials, and I never judge something until I see it or at least a clip, Cavemen looks like it may be yanked halfway through the first show. Especially if this clip is indicative of the writing. (It loads slow.) This comes off to me as dumbed-down with mostly different actors than the original commercials, and sorry, but they come off as buffoons in a way. That’s why the spots work though. Clever, understated dialogue and situations with modern cavemen playing against the inherent stereotype of a cavemen.

Yes it’s pretend, get that, but people already believe cavemen are dumb, why take two steps back on the evolutionary scale and reinforce that notion with Everyone Loves Raymond broadstroke bullshit? Not to mention, the driver sounds like John Travolta. Losing the actors from the spots may have hurt as it was the only equity they had. Move it to cable where the writing can have the same edge the spots had. There you go. I’ll still wait for the final death roll until I see the actual pilot though.

(And if you have a sec, watch the series about Carpoolers. Worse than Cavemen, even though I couldn’t tell the difference. So bad it looks like they planted this show just to throw off the other networks as to just what their real show schedule will be. Jerry O’Connell’s in it so you know it’s doomed.)

(UPDATE: Tim at AdFreak points me to an SNL clip in a comment that’s actually funnier than the Cavemen trailer.)

(ANOTHER UPDATE: After our trip to Martin today, I think some of what’s been said about the show in the press is definitely at odds with what I heard, so I’m waiting until it airs. Can’t trust bloggers, can ya.)


Tags: Geico cavemen

ABC still all in on Cavemen show.

From Drudge comes word that despite previous reports of the pilot from hell, ABC is apparently sticking with the Geico Cavemen to help their lineup. We’ll know soon enough if it’s any good, (although I still think it would be better suited for cable than network).

Tags: Geico cavemen

Cavemen show sucks?

Tim has a link about the preview episode for the new Geico cavemen show. Apparently, not so good. Until I see it, gotta hold off on commenting. But if they wrote it as the article says, then it probably does. Just write a funny show. Forget deeper messages and keep it simple for the 8:00 pm audience. Link to a clip will likely be on YouTube any hour I bet.

Tags: Geico cavemen

You’ve got reptile dysfunction.

TSC Insurance thinks so. In yet another “let’s bash our competitor” move, they’ve had an ongoing radio and website campaign running that takes direct aim at all things Geico. The latest radio spot I heard in NYC sends up both Geico and pharma with a ‘reptile dysfunction’ shot. I guess when you’re trying to get a seat at the table, you do what you can. I might’ve recommended it as a way to get attention for a little while, but a year later? Guess not everybody at TSC got that letter. (I don’t have the actual spot, but you can hear others in the campaign on the agency’s website under TLC at the bottom.

Next in the pipeline: “It’s ok. It happens to a lot of cavemen.”

Tags: Geico gecko, TSC Insurance

It’s about time.

Like the development of fire, I’m a little late on the news today which Tim alerted me to. You can also read about it here and over on AC. Of course it’s risky to take a commercial and make it into a show, even though I’m behind that all the way. How many ads transition successfully? Not to mention, the shoulder on televison’s highway is littered with critic’s favs that bombed in the ratings. And, the writing on the spots now is better than most sitcoms. Will Geico have to dumb it down for the Everybody Loves Seinfeld crowd?

If so, it may lose its edge. It needs to be written as tightly as it is now, and no damn audience or laugh track. Ironically, even though the deal is with ABC, they may also be the wildcard show killer here. I’d rather see the show written for cable over network. They can take more risks and cable has the audience numbers compared to a decade ago.

Tags: Geico cavemen

Geico Cavemen double-header.

Interesting use of back-to-back :15 second spots that revisit and continue earlier spots in the series. Props to Awful Commercials for that clip and also finding the Phil Sims golf segment prior to the Super Bowl that day. Probably some of the best branding that occurred by anyone shelling out the big bucks, but not many likely ever saw it until now. Best line as the caveman tees it up: “Just have fun? What is this, youth soccer?” An anonymous post here also updated two more of the actors, Jeff Daniel Phillips and Ben Weber.

Tags: Geico cavemen

Naked Teen Geico Cavemen.

After checking out a few of the keywords some of you freaks type to end up here, I give you Chaka: the perfect blend of search and Pacuni, ’cause I’m all about the SEO yo. Apparently Chaka hasn’t exactly been living in a cave since he has a myspace. Hey why not. If anyone can, (wait for it),

Chaka can.

Tags: naked teen chaka, Geico Cavemen, Pacuni, Philip Paley

To the Cave Crib.

Just checked out the microsite called Caveman’s Crib. Looks like royalties from their spots have them living the high life mon ami. Ok, before you bitch, Logo freaks know I love the campaign so here I go and others can take the hate somewhere else. Nice microsite with Flash work that’s solid and fast. Great integration of the campaign in everything as you explore each area too. (Read the magazine on the table to see where they take things. There’s also a hint of a blog on the laptop. I’d like to see more of that though, blog whore that I am.) Like the rest of the TV spots, the Geico branding’s also there, just not as much. You already know the campaign so less is more in this case. Besides, I’m guessing a lot of people like me will spend more than just two seconds going through the site. Far as I’m concerned, that time is as valuable as watching any brand logo in the righthand corner.

Semi-update: The site was actually done in-house by Geico, who tells me the one of the cavemen will be playing golf with Phil Simms in his “All-Iron Team: The Difference Makers,” airing before the game on Sunday between 1:00 and 2:00 pm.

Tags: Geico cavemen, caveman’s crib

Geico cavemen meet the OC.

They’re back, drama and all.

Tags: advertising, Geico cavemen