Geico's Cavemen Learn ABCs of TV
The low, flat, elongated skull; the broad, projecting nose; tell-tale signs you're talking to a network television executive, uh, displaced Neanderthal who's just gotten a TV pilot commitment from ABC.
Yes, we've all seen the genius Geico.com insurance commercials: "So simple, even a caveman could use it."
Now these quirky spots, Variety reports, are being turned into an actual half-hour comedy project. Viz, " 'Cavemen' will revolve around three pre-historic men who must battle prejudice as they attempt to live as normal thirtysomethings in modern Atlanta."
While we've got no idea whether this modern stone age family will make it to air, let alone be a hit, there's definitely some good news for a Madison Avenue terrified about the extinction of TV ads: Commericials that are funny and original break through, even in the age of ad zapping TiVo and DVRs.
Last month, the New York Times covered a new Nielsen study that found, amazingly enough, "...even when people watch recorded shows later, many are not fast-forwarding through the ads. On average, Nielsen found, DVR owners watch 40 percent of commercials that they could skip over -- perhaps because they like ads, don't mind them or simply can't be bothered."We're guessing it's the first reason: We all just want to be entertained. Since the dawn of TV time, simply jamming a product in front of our faces worked well enough; now, Madison Avenue is in tears that they now have to be super creative. Well, get over it, ad-men. It's not the Stone Age anymore.
Or, is it?
