Geico Milks Online Memes
Geico is running a series of online videos parodying famous net memes while apparently starring some of the original characters, like the Numa Numa guy in the spot above. Smart and good for viewership, but as one YouTube commenter Agolosha wrote, "Way too much time has passed to be milking this. Should have been done like 5 years ago." I haven't seen many references to net pop culture in "mainstream" brands' work, except for that WoW Toyota truck spot channeling Leeroy Jenkins. The question is, is this a one-time stunt with a short shelf life, or can online meme celebs be employed reliably over the long term?
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I agree with Agolosha. Too much time has passed for this advertisement to work. With the amount of time it takes to create and produce a commercial, the YouTube is old news. Mixing new media (YouTube) with old media (television) is a creative way to advertise, but I find it very hard for this to work because new YouTube phenomenos happen daily. This YouTube is old news and it makes Geico seem 'behind the times.' I do not think using online meme celebs could ever work for long-term advertisements due to the fact that people weekly find new YouTube favorites. If the commercial can be produced and aired in a timely manner, it could work but the company or service needs to be careful the way they go about advertising it and how long they air the commercial.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Good parodies are timeless. But in advertising, context and timing is everything. This is a it passé, although funny :)
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