GEICO Cavemen

{{short description|Trademarked advertising characters used by GEICO}}

The GEICO Cavemen are trademarked characters of the auto insurance company GEICO, used in a series of television advertisements that aired beginning in 2004. The campaign was created by Joe Lawson and Noel Ritter while working at The Martin Agency. According to an episode of the public radio show 99% Invisible, "It's so easy a caveman could do it" was first coined by Ritter.{{cite web|last1=Saunders|first1=George|last2=Ritter|first2=Noel|title=99% Invisible #57-What Gave You That Idea (Standard 4:30 version)|url=https://beta.prx.org/stories/84066|website=PRX|access-date=2017-04-25|archive-date=2017-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426060214/https://beta.prx.org/stories/84066|url-status=live}} The inspiration for the campaign came from "Pastoralia",{{cite book|last1=Saunders|first1=George|title=Pastoralia|date=May 2000|publisher=Riverhead Books|location=United States|isbn=1-57322-161-9|url=https://archive.org/details/pastoraliastorie00saun|url-access=registration}} a short story by George Saunders, which revolves around a man and a woman, who work as "cave-people" for a failing theme park. In 2004, GEICO began an advertising campaign featuring Neanderthal-like cavemen in a modern setting.[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=geico+caveman&search=Search Geico Caveman Commercials] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124215017/https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=geico+caveman&search=Search |date=2016-11-24 }} at youtube.com The premise of the commercials is that using GEICO's website is "so easy, a caveman could do it"; and that this slogan offends several cavemen, who not only still exist in modern society but live as intelligent, urbane bachelors. The first three GEICO commercials to feature cavemen were "Apartment", "Apology", and "Boom Mic".

Jeff Daniel Phillips and Ben Weber played the two earliest cavemen. Actor John Lehr appears most frequently as the caveman, while Ben Wilson has also portrayed one of the characters.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} The makeup effects for the cavemen include facial prosthetics, dental veneers, lace hairpieces, and body hair. They were designed and created by Tony Gardner and his special effects company Alterian, Inc. In an online interview with Esquire, Joe Lawson said that one aspect of the ads is a critique of modern political correctness.{{Cite web|url=https://www.esquire.com/the-side/qa/geico032007|title=The Evolution of the Postmodern Caveman|first=Erin|last=Schulte|date=March 22, 2007|website=Esquire|access-date=July 3, 2019|archive-date=October 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013025923/http://www.esquire.com/the-side/qa/geico032007|url-status=live}}

The cavemen have been honored by the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame.{{cite news|url=http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/local/article/MART24_20091223-222005/313354/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100107112742/http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/local/article/MART24_20091223-222005/313354/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-01-07 |title=Martin Agency rolling out new ads for GEICO |last=Llovio |first=Louis |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=2009-12-24 |accessdate=2010-04-13 }} The ABC TV show Cavemen is based on the commercials. In 2010, one of the cavemen was spotted filming a series of commercials in Homer, Alaska on the fishing boat FV Time Bandit from the television show The Deadliest Catch. During the shoot, the mayor of the city presented the caveman with a key to the city.{{Cite web |url=https://www.adn.com/uncategorized/article/geico-caveman-gets-key-city-homer/2010/03/15/ |title=Geico 'caveman' gets key to city in Homer |access-date=2021-04-29 |archive-date=2021-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429053652/https://www.adn.com/uncategorized/article/geico-caveman-gets-key-city-homer/2010/03/15/ |url-status=live }}