Bro bro bro bro BRO! That word will be lodged in your brain but good thanks to its unholy repetition in The Martin Agency's latest work for Geico.
A 30-second "Flextacular" spot presents two dead-eyed dudes who pump iron and discuss how switching to Geico can save you money on insurance. They pepper their patter with words and phrases like "brofessor," "brotein shake" and "Teddy Brosevelt."
Political humor—cool! ("Teddy Brosevelt" was our 26th president, after all.)
Folks who can't get enough might want to check out a companion series of short "Brocabulary" clips—with retro music and grainy VHS effects that are more distracting than endearing (check out the YouTube playlist below). Or you can order T-shirts that show "Brosevelt," "Edgar Allan Bro" and others lifting weights.
The whole "bro" thing feels a bit played out—Organic Valley's great "Save the Bros" campaign was a year ago now—but the agency believes the approach is timeless enough to connect. If nothing else, the creative team deserves kudos for tossing out restraint and indulging in gratuitous goofiness.
Martin has been expanding Geico's reach of late by adding online content to what would normally have been one-off commercials. For example, last month's "Spy" spot, part of the long-running "It's What You Do" campaign, launched with a series of "Momversation" clips that extended the scenario online.
"We look for 'extra content' opportunities where they make sense," group creative director Steve Bassett tells Adweek. "If we feel a particular spot has a social hook just waiting to be unleashed, we jump on it. It's not a new strategy for Geico. From the Cavemen to the Ickey Shuffle to Caleb the Camel, when an idea has the potential to spark something special on social media, we stand by with very big blankets ready to fan the flames."
Talk about bromide for the masses! (Extra points for using a real word.)
CREDITS
Client: Geico
Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Group Creative Director: Steve Bassett
Group Creative Director: Wade Alger
Creative Director: Neel Williams
Associate Creative Director: Justin Harris
Executive Producer: Brett Alexander
Broadcast Producer: Brian Camp
Junior Broadcast Producer: Coleman Sweeney
Group Account Director: Brad Higdon
Account Supervisor: Josh Lybarger
Account Executive: Allison Hensley
Account Coordinator: Allie Waller
Business Affairs Supervisor: Suzanne Wieringo
Financial Account Supervisor: Monica Cox
Senior Production Business Manager: Amy Trenz
Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward
Director, Marketing Media Advertising: Bill Brower
Sr. Mgr., Broadcast, Outdoor, Print & Sports Marketing: Melissa Halicy
Marketing Supervisor: Mike Grant
Marketing Buyer: Tom Perlozzo
Marketing Buyer: Brighid Griffin
Marketing Coordinator: Julia Nass
Senior Project Manager: Jason Ray
Project Manager: Stephanie Burdette
Production Company: Dummy
Director: Harold Einstein
Director of Photography: Ramsey Nickell
Executive Producer/Line Producer: Eric Liney
Production Designer: Patrick Lumb
Editorial Company: Arcade
Editor: Dave Anderson
Assistant Editor: Andrew Balasia
Managing Partner/EP: Sila Soyer
Producer: Gavin Carroll
Editorial Company: Running With Scissors
Assistant Editor: Drew Neuhart
Telecine: The Mill
Colorist: Greg Reese
Animation/VFX: The Mill
Producer: Colin Blaney
2D lead: Keith Sullivan, Jeff Butler
Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios
Engineer/Mixer: Jeff McManus