Geico has tapped Ice T as the latest cameo in its ongoing "It's Not Surprising" campaign. And while that may be a surprising follow-up to guys like Marco Polo, he breathes comical new life into the ongoing shtick.
The rapper takes a break from his packed film and TV career to appear as The Martin Agency's latest punch line. The first ad has a pretty basic setup: Neighborhood regulars, passing by a lemonade stand, lean toward the kids and conspiratorially ask, "Is that iced tea?" "Nope, it's lemonade," they reply, with growing frustration.
You're smart; you can see where this is going.
The second piece of content, "The Art of the Squeeze," makes way better use of the man who brought us "I'm Your Pusher," all while mocking a tome of a similar name that's probably way less useful. Watch as Ice T uses lemonade to explain his nuanced and diverse negotiating arts, in steps as simple as making the drink itself.
"It's said when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Then what do you do—drink it? Please. I say, you take that lemonade and you sell it to a thirsty fool at top dollar," he says. "Now pay attention and imma show you how to negotiate like a G, or like me, Ice T. This is priceless."
In Step 1, "Establish Dominance," he explains why it's key to keep eye contact, a trick that works even better with sunglasses. "This forces the customer to stare at themselves, and who's not gonna buy lemonade from themselves? It also helps you look cool—unless you're me, in which case, I always look cool."
Ice T conveys a big-brother quality, and the time we spend with him is a solid payoff after the first ad, which feels like a tease in comparison. (Also, it's clear that lots of agencies have taken his advice on haggling.)
The content comes with its own subsite and hashtag, #lemonadenoticet, which Ice T himself is gleefully punting on the socnets:
Let me know what you think. @GEICO has me out here selling #LemonadeNotIceT! Come and get some, it's delicious! https://t.co/o2IxSfYJPp
— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) September 9, 2016
That tweet isn't much, but coupled with all this tangy goodness, it's still more satisfying than the sponsored social missives from people who actually seem to be making a living that way. And if you want more, there's behind-the-scenes content, too, which manages to be just as shades-wearingly cool as the ads themselves.
We leave you with Ice T's recap of the purpose of a director: "I always tell people acting's pretty easy because you have a guy called a director, and his job is to tell you what to fucking do, so you just do what he tells you to do."
CREDITS
Client: Geico
Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward
Director, Marketing Media Advertising: Bill Brower
Sr. Mgr.,Brand Team/Media Advertising/Sports Marketing: Melissa Halicy
Brand Team Senior Supervisor: Mike Grant
Brand Team Planner: Brighid Griffin
Brand Team Planner: Tom Perlozzo
Brand Team Coordinator: Julia Nass
Brand Team Coordinator: Tim Ware:
Topic: Geico Savings TV – It's Not Surprising Campaign
First Run Date: September 8, 2016
Medium(s): Broadcast/Internet
Ad Name(s): "Ice T", "Ice T CTA", "Ice T :15", "Art of the Squeeze"
Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Group Creative Director: Steve Bassett
Group Creative Director: Wade Alger
Creative Director: Sean Riley
Senior Copywriter II: Ken Marcus:
Executive Producer: Brett Alexander
Broadcast Producer: Brian Camp
Associate Broadcast Producer: Coleman Sweeney
Junior Broadcast Producer: Sara Montgomery
Account Director: Ben Creasey
Account Supervisor: Allison Hensley
Account Executive: Jon Glomb
Account Coordinator: Allie Waller
Business Affairs Supervisor: Suzanne Wieringo
Financial Account Supervisor: Monica Cox
Senior Production Business Manager: Amy Trenz
Project Manager: Karen McEwen
Production Company: RadicalMedia
Director: Steve Miller
Executive Producer: Gregg Carlesimo
Head of Production: Frank Dituri
Producer: Jonathan Dino
Editorial Company (Broadcast): MackCut
Editor: Ian MacKenzie
Assistant Editor: Drew Neuhart
Assistant Editor: Mike Leuis
Executive Producer: Gina Pagano
Producer: Sabina-Elease Utley
Sound Design: Sam Shaffer
Telecine (Broadcast): The Mill
Colorist: Fergus McCall
Editorial Company (Social): Running With Scissors:
Editor: Drew Neuhart:
Head of Production: Brian Creech
Post Producer: Katherine Leatherwood:
Telecine (Social): Running With Scissors
Colorist: Drew Neuhart
Finishing/VFX: RWS
Head of Production: Brian Creech
Flame Artist: Chris Hagen
Flame Assistant: Paul Widerholt
Post Producer: Katherine Leatherwood
Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios
Senior Sound Designer: Jeff McManus
Executive Producer, Owner: Kristin O'Connor
General Manager/Scheduler: Clinton Spell II
Stock Music (Social): Lulatone