My husband laughs at the stupid woodchuck one every.single.time it comes on. I think that is legal cause for divorce…
But as posited in the nursery rhyme, yes, the piggy did cry “WHEEEEE!” all the way home. The woodchucks were never said to actually chuck wood.
Really, none of the things in the ads can be taken as literally true. To me, the humor is to take things that are nominally said to be true, and show them in a literal, mundane context. The woodchuck commercial fails because the chucking was never said to be true in the first place.
Men tango-ing together is pretty common in the Argentine style, as opposed to the early tango they were doing in the commercial.
It is unfortunate Gico did not spend the money to get the multi-partner scene from Sally Potter’s The Tango Lesson. The really fabulous part starts about 1.20 in the 2.45 clip.
I find the KIA commercial with the rodents (“You can deal with this…or you can deal with that”) freaking hilarious. It’s early yet, though.
Except that birds-in-bushes are not used as legal tender in any monetary system in the world, as far as I’m aware.
OMG those commercials are all wrong they suck LOLOL!!!11!!1!!!
No, the commercial works in spite of that. Why can’t you let your imagination run with an absurd picture of woodchucks throwing wood into a pond, whether they actually chuck wood or not? It’s a hypothetical question, not an absolute statement of fact.
By the way, the etymology of the word “woodchuck” has nothing to do with wood or chucking. It comes from the Algonquin word, “wuchak.”
First of all, I never said the commercials weren’t funny. I love the one with the bird in the hand. It was pitch perfect. But, that being said, to me the commercials have to have some sort of internal consistency. There IS a saying “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” There IS a saying that eh little piggie cries “whee whee whee, all the way home.” So, that literal translation works. BUT in the tongue twister, the wood chucks CAN’T chuck wood. So, it goes against what Geico is trying to say. I really don’t give a shit about what wood chucks can or can’t do, but if Geico is going for some sort of consistency with their “If A is true, B is true too” type stories then the woodchuck one doesn’t fit.
Anyway although I made this topic less to complain about Geico commercials but more to confirm that my interpretation of the saying, I do find their commercials annoying.
But both camps probably remember the name Geico, and the fact that they sell car insurance. Which is probably the important thing, when people call around to see who has the cheapest insurance rates, “how good is this insurance company at comedy” isn’t probably their primary concern.
But then I like the Gieco commericals. Rather watch them the the Allstate guy or the perky Progressive woman.
It’s a funny image, it’s technically well done, the woodchucks are clearly enjoying themselves; that part of it is kinda cute.
But the central theme of it fails. Listen to the announcer guy. He says “can Geico really save me up to 15% on my car insurance? Do woodchucks chuck wood?” No. They don’t. Not literally, and not in the tongue twister. The comparison fails, even if the vignette that follows is well done and entertaining.
Has anyone done a parody yet with the pope shitting in the woods?
YMMV. If it gets a laugh from me and makes me remember the client, then it works for me. Comedy doesn’t always have to be literal or consistent. The woodchuck commercial accomplishes its purpose as far as I’m concerned. I realize humor is subjective, but it hits the mark for me.
Consider this: Here we are, a bunch of people online, talking to an even larger group of people online, scattered across the country and even the world, about Geico… And they didn’t have to pay any of us one red cent!
Yeah, I’m sure Geico is really disappointed with their advertising firm over that one.
Exactly. Geico makes quirky ads because they want you to remember the name (and, they hope, the “save money” and “it’s easy / fast” messages, too).
Is the bear Catholic?
I could see them doing a “family friendly” version;
Announcer: Can Geico save you 15% or more on car insurance? Does a bear and the Pope /sudden cut scene
Next scene: You see the Pope in full regalia by himself climbing out of some bushes, then running away. A few seconds later you see an irritated bear emerge from the same bushes, then runs after him, toilet paper stuck to one of his rear feet.