The Art of Knowing When Enough is Enough

Last night, I was at a friend's house watching the Stanley Cup Finals when the latest iteration of the Geico Caveman spots ran during a break.

Here's the spot for those of you not interested in the Stanley Cup...



Now, let me preface what I'm about to say with this: I think the guys at Martin have done a phenomenal job in making Geico a household name. The television spots they've created over the past decade and the characters they've introduced - the gecko and the cavemen specifically - have done more for the Geico brand than anything else the company has done during the same time span.

After the spot ran last night, a friend of mine said something to the effect of, "Those caveman ads have run their course." And, most people in the room agreed. (Except for me. I think the Zamboni spot is very clever and well placed...so I stuffed a handful of chips into my mouth and sat there without saying anything.)

But, those comments did make me stop and think about knowing when to retire a character. There is a fine art of knowing when enough is enough.

Charmin's iconic Mr. Whipple - brilliantly played by Dick Wilson - "lived" on television and in print for 21 years, from 1964 until the character was retired in 1985. (Note: Mr. Whipple did return briefly in 1999 and 2000 for a handful of not-so-successful spots.) Mr. Whipple starred in more than 500 television commercials for Charmin during that span and his charm never wore off.

On the other hand, there's Joe Isuzu. Remember him? The pathological liar spokesperson - played by David Leisure - for Isuzu created by Della Famina, Travisano and Partners. That character lasted only four years, from 1986 until 1990.

So, that brings us to Geico and their characters.

Mallory the Gecko (be honest, how many of you knew his name?) has been around since 1999. Due to his charm and wit, has embedded himself as a strong voice for the Geico brand. He has become a character that has earned the right to longevity.

The cavemen, apparently, are beginning to wear out their welcome. Is that due to stale concepts? I don't think so. As I stated before, I think the Zamboni spot is very good. So, why are the caveman characters beginning to irk people?

I think it's a combination of a couple of things.

First, the cavemen characters are in direct contrast personality-wise to Mallory the Gecko. Mallory is warm and charming. The cavemen are brash and crass. Maybe some people see that as two different brand voices and confusing. I can understand that.

Secondly, consumers are drawn more to cute, cuddly animals than they are hairy cavemen. AFLAC's duck, for example. Charmin's new bears. And, yes, Mallory the Gecko.

But, before you think Geico and Martin don't understand when enough is enough, remember this guy?



Kash lasted just over 18 months before the campaign was pulled.

I'm confident that when the time comes to retire the Geico Cavemen, Geico and Martin will have no problem letting them ride off into the sunset with what little dignity they have left.

Great Marriage of Copy and Art Direction

As a writer, I'm a firm believer that strong copy is much more important than strong imagery when it comes to producing memorable advertisements. Now, I'm sure several of my art director friends would disagree...and I wouldn't blame them.

However, when strong copy and strong art direction come together in an ad, the results are amazing.

Below are five ads from a Young & Rubicam Puerto Rico campaign for Buckler Beer, a non-alcoholic beer brand under the Heineken umbrella.

Great copy.

Great art direction.

Great ads.

Click on each for a larger view.

One of "Those" Campaigns

For those of you not familiar with the cultures that exist inside the advertising industry, I offer this nugget of insight: as a group, we are a very proud yet very critical people.

We like to criticize our own work, as it helps make our work better. Sharpening the blade, if you will. We take the internal criticism and use it to remove the rough edges and make sure that we're giving our clients the best possible ideas.

But, as much as we like to criticize our own work, we absolutely love to criticize the work of other agencies.

When the work is bad, there's a relief in knowing that, "hey, at least we didn't create that crap."

When the work is good, there's an opportunity to learn.

Then, there are those rare occasions when the work leaves you speechless. One of "those" campaigns, as we refer to them. Campaigns that you look at over and over saying, "Man, I wish we'd thought of that."

Below is one of those campaigns. A guerrilla marketing effort created by the geniuses at Ogilvy Brazil, designed to make people think about the real costs of drinking and driving.

It's simple.

It's memorable.

It's brilliant.

It's called The $73,000 Bar Tab.

Take a look.