You know those Geico Cavemen? Yes, the ones that are not exactly the stereotypical cavemen, but more high-class than most of us. Well, it seems like they are getting their own sitcom on ABC. They've come along way from the proverbial cave and into several factes of our daily lives.
The ad series has already spawned a website, and now a pilot has been picked up by the network that will focus on three cavemen living their thirty-something lives and facing prejudices in modern day America. Sounds like a decent show, but you’ve got to remember that this is…or was…an advertisement. It was originally set up as a way to get consumers to purchase a service and now we’re blurring that line between selling and entertainment. Personally, I like the commercials…but am not sure I’m ready for a full-blown tv series.
If you look at the history of ads, not many have been made it to entertainment programs…especially successful ones. Max Headroom and The California Raisins are great examples of what can happen when an ad has a mass appeal and becomes a successful tv show. On the flipside, Baby Bob, who sold Quizno’s subs had a tv show for a very short time that went nowhere.
So can a thirty-second ad be a ratings-successful show? And the question remains: how much of a factor will Geico play in this show? I suppose we will find out when the sitcom hits the airwaves in the fall of 2007. Talk about taking tv advertising to the next level!
The ad series has already spawned a website, and now a pilot has been picked up by the network that will focus on three cavemen living their thirty-something lives and facing prejudices in modern day America. Sounds like a decent show, but you’ve got to remember that this is…or was…an advertisement. It was originally set up as a way to get consumers to purchase a service and now we’re blurring that line between selling and entertainment. Personally, I like the commercials…but am not sure I’m ready for a full-blown tv series.
If you look at the history of ads, not many have been made it to entertainment programs…especially successful ones. Max Headroom and The California Raisins are great examples of what can happen when an ad has a mass appeal and becomes a successful tv show. On the flipside, Baby Bob, who sold Quizno’s subs had a tv show for a very short time that went nowhere.
So can a thirty-second ad be a ratings-successful show? And the question remains: how much of a factor will Geico play in this show? I suppose we will find out when the sitcom hits the airwaves in the fall of 2007. Talk about taking tv advertising to the next level!
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