When we last saw the Geico Caveman, he was having nightmares about being slighted by the brand so many years ago, but resolved to tell his truth.
Now, just as it appears that the character is getting his due by being the subject of a Geico documentary, viewers will see that the modern Neanderthal plays second banana to the insurance brand’s lead spokescharacter, the Gecko.
From the looks of a new Caveman commercial and trailer, there’s a Gecko documentary in the works, showing how the little cockney lizard became an icon. The Caveman, in the meantime, is relegated to a bit player, and one who comes off a bit cocky and bitter.
A trailer for the documentary is uncovered in a two-minute spot, “Caveman Cuddles,” scheduled to stream Jan. 13 during Saturday Night Football on Peacock in a campaign that will continue to ramp up to the Super Bowl.
In the spot, the Caveman is seen settling into the couch, watching TV with his wife, Tina. Just when they’re excited to see what they think is the unveiling of the documentary starring the Caveman, instead, the action falls to the Gecko, who is the subject of “Legend of the Lizard,” a biography of “an iconic tail.”
Will seeing it help the Caveman anti-hero finally work through his deep-rooted trauma? Definitely not. It actually cues his next emotional breakdown, especially since “Cuddles” ends with the voiceover starting the phrase that causes him so much ire, “It’s so easy a caveman could do it.”
“He’s the most entertaining when he’s angry about something, so (we needed) new things to keep him angry about,” Ryan Raab, creative director at The Martin Agency, told Adweek, adding that the character also helps tell the story of ease of use for the brand.
Two mascots, one spot
The Gecko and the Caveman helped pave the way for the insurance industry to use mascots, and now there’s everything from a professor to a duck and an emu. But the Gecko continues to have lasting appeal, and The Martin Agency decided to play up the tension between the Caveman and the Gecko for a strong narrative. It’s actually the first time Geico has utilized two of its mascots within the same campaign.
In the new two-minute spot, viewers get to see the “Legend of the Lizard” trailer for a new 15-minute documentary that Geico has produced and will release ahead of the Super Bowl on social channels and possibly a streaming service.
