Unless you have been living under a rock, chances are you have seen one of GEICO’s many advertisements. Regardless of which ones you have seen, they do precisely what they intend to; inform their consumers while entertaining them at the same time. Most of their commercials are so memorable that they are discussed long after they have aired.

Here is our first installment of the best GEICO commercials and why we enjoy them so much. Just remember that this is just our first installment. There will be many more to come to tickle your funny bone.

“Happier Than…”

Between 2012-2013, GEICO debuted a series of ads that featured the slogan, “Get Happy, Get Geico.” This campaign featured two bluegrass musicians discussing how happy people could be by switching their insurance to GEICO by comparing them to other people or scenarios. This is where our top picks begin.

A Witch in a Broom Factory

This commercial shows a factory with unamused workers assembling brooms while a giggling witch is flying around the room on a broom. Papers on cork-boards are flying in the breeze as she whizzes by. She descends to the ground in front of an employee assembling a broom and drops the one she was flying onto the floor. They stare at each other for a moment until the witch gestures towards the broom he is holding, which he gives up quickly. She mounts the broom and ascends into the air again while the worker looks at his peer and says, “I’m going to stand up to her.” His co-worker says, “No, you’re not,” and he says, “I know,” with a look of defeat. We hear the sounds of bluegrass guitars and the slogan that people who switch to GEICO are so happy (how happy are they?) that they’re “happier than a witch in a broom factory.” This commercial not only works as a seasonal advertisement for the fall, but it is also entertaining. Everyone can relate to being annoyed by someone at your place of employment and wanting to “stand up” to them. But the ridiculousness of it being a witch makes it simply funny. There is also something to be said for watching this commercial and not realizing it was an ad for car insurance. That in itself made it worthy of our top picks.

A Camel on Hump Day

Even from the title of this commercial, you most likely know this ad. It has become such a staple in our pop culture that it is still referenced in offices around the US. This ad opens with a camel in the background of an office saying, “Uh oh. Guess what day it is?” while employees at their computers roll their eyes. The camel unsuccessfully attempts to get his co-workers, Julie and Mike, to answer this question, but they just ignore him. He finally gets to another’s desk, who appeases him with a taciturn and resigned response, “It’s hump day.” Again, we’re met with the bluegrass guitar and the musicians telling us that people who save on car insurance by switching to GEICO are “happier than a camel on Wednesday.” The success of this commercial can be due, in part, to the anthropomorphism of the camel, which is almost always funny to audiences. But experts also believe that the day-related trigger embedded within the ad is also why it did so well. The commercial is shared on social media or referenced most often, not surprisingly, on Wednesdays. No wonder this ad became GEICO’s most popular commercial to date!

“Surprising”

Another successful GEICO campaign was their “surprising” ads that typically featured famous people in situations you may not expect. Two commercials that were part of this campaign have made it to our top picks list.

Ice-T At a Lemonade Stand

At the start of this ad, we see two children behind a table on a lawn. They have a sign in front that advertises lemonade with three pitchers and some empty plastic cups. A couple of neighbors walk by and stop. They smirk and say, “ice tea?” Each time, the little boys shake their heads, point to their pitchers, and say they are selling lemonade. One final neighbor stops and repeats the same question. This time, the camera pans out to show the rapper/actor Ice-T in a lawn chair behind the children. He is supervising the lemonade stand and is frustrated at the questions. “What’s with these people, man?” he says to the children. “It’s lemonade. Read the sign!” We hear the voice-over telling us that Ice-T at a lemonade stand is surprising, but what is not surprising is how much money customers can save with GEICO. Celebrities in commercials are always a recipe for success since they get attention and enhance brands. But what is especially funny about this particular commercial is that Ice-T is a famous gangster rapper and actor. Seeing him at a child’s lemonade stand in the middle of suburbia is surprising. Likewise, having him appear in an advertisement for car insurance is just as humorous.

Washington Crossing the Delaware

This commercial begins with two men in Revolutionary War-era clothing pulling a wooden boat across a modern-day highway. We hear the sounds of car horns in the background while the men struggle to pull the boat on the ground. A man dressed very similarly to George Washington in the famous “Crossing the Delaware” portrait is in the front of the ship with a few other men attempting to row and push. Another car horn blares, and George looks at the exasperated driver and yells, “Alright, alright! We’ve all got places to go!” The slogan for this ad is “Washington crossing the Delaware turnpike? Surprising.” What makes this ad stand out is how funny it is to see a historical character placed in modern society. The attention to detail to match the famous portrait is also so impressive that this commercial had to make it into our all-time favorite list of GIEKO commercials.

Keep your eye out for our next installment of clever and catchy GEIKO commercials!