When the Handcuffs Come Off Posted on October 31, 2007 Post a comment

We’ve been watching the unfolding of Geico’s ad campaign since the launch of the caveman ads. Certainly the upcoming ABC television show is a shining example of branded content, but what we find interesting is Geico’s break from a traditional integrated marketing approach.

For years we’ve all been schooled that the best campaign is an integrated campaign, one in which everything looks and feels the same, sounds the same, and is the same across all marketing platforms.

We are delighted to see the folks at Geico and their smart creative strategists at the Martin Agency break out of the handcuffs and begin to redefine integration. While the caveman, Beverly Hillbillies, and Flintstones ads aren’t by strict creative definition "integrated," they are tightly integrated as a brand experience standpoint. By using humor and entertainment, they are defining the brand and doing it without a cookie-cutter creative execution. We’d love to see follow-up research, but our guess is that within seconds, viewers are able to connect an ad with Geico, and they look forward to the next one. We know we do.

Yes, as a brand, you risk running into dangerous territory when you loosen the creative reins. The trick is to put those reins into the right creative hands so you know you won’t stray too far. Not easy to do, but it pays off beautifully when executed well.

Nice job, team at Martin, give us more.