Or should I say… GEICO Cavemen slated to become a TV sitcom?
It’s right! Those insulted cavemen from the Geico Insurance commercials have a sitcom in development with ABC.
The cavemen ad campaign came about in 2005, with characters created by the Martin Agency, the same people behind the proposed Caveman sitcom. The premise of the Geico commercials is simple… and kind of strange. 2 cavemen, played by Ben Weber and Jeff Daniel Phillips are for, whatever reason, alive and well today, and are offended by Geico’s claim that geico.com is “so easy, a caveman could do it.”
The initial commercial, which was simple and to the “point” spawned at least 3 additional commercials, including my personal favorite (in a love to hate kind of way) that shows the Geico spokesperson who originally made the claim that geico.com was so easy a caveman could utilize it apologizing to the cavemen while browsing a menu at a fancy restaurant. Like in every commercial, the caveman is disgusted and that’s the big laugh. At least, I think that’s what they’re going for.
Like all things that annoy me to death, I figured the supposed-to-be-long-dead-yet-here-they-are-bugging-the-crap-out-of-me-cavemen’s days were shrimp. Apparently, I was wrong, and evidently, I’m in the minority wanting them to go away.
This year Geico launched a website, a highly interactive one at that, taking state in the cavemen’s apartment. This website, located at http://www.cavemanscrib.com invites you in and lets you play around with things in the apartment, including changing the music on the iPod, knocking the power out trying to microwave some dip, and even walking into the bathroom while a caveman is taking a shower. It’s like I’ve died and gone to Heaven, let me tell you. I’m positive there’s even more to do at the caveman’s crib; I couldn’t stomach sticking around any longer to find out.
The Internet and commercials, though, do not true annoyance make. Surely, a sitcom based on the caveman characters couldn’t be a reality. Couldn’t be… but is.
ABC isn’t just talking about it, they already ordered the pilot. The tentatively named “Cavemen” is one of 14 pilots being produced by Touchstone Television for the 2007 spring season. I deem it bears repeating… the pilot will indeed be written by Martin Agency, the creators of the cavemen for the Geico commercials.
The position of the new Cavemen sitcom is not exactly a long shot from the commercials – they are Neanderthals who live in modern times (Atlanta, 2007 to be exact) who don’t wish to be treated any differently than the rest of us. And isn’t that just completely understandable… after all, they’re only supposed to be Listless.
And there it is: The evolution from commercial, to website, to sitcom. I wonder if it’s those Nielsen families that are responsible for all this…
At any rate, how long do you believe this show can pull off the same caveman reaction to the same modern day prejudice? Will Geico advertising be sprinkled throughout the show, making it less a sitcom and more a really long, painful commercial?
On the upside, if they’re ever at a loss for guest stars, perhaps they could get the gecko to make a nice cameo!
As remarkable as I’d stay away from this show if it were on, I’m morbidly curious to see if it does collect picked up. It’s the masochist in me, I’m tellin’ ya!
Filed under Compare Car Insurance by on Mar 15th, 2011. Comment. 
When looking for auto insurance we all want the same thing – to place money. This is especially legal given the unique economic times. However, the current trend is to scour the internet searching for the best deal in car insurance. This, while useful at times, is often confusing, time consuming and even overwhelming – it would take days to search through all the available auto agencies online. Therefore, it is often much easier and more time effective to search the old fashioned way, pull out the phone book and call local agencies for. Searching among local insurance agents often offers various benefits.
Everyone, it seems, guarantees that they will save you money on your novel insurance rates. Geico promises 15% or more, Progressive promises to compare quotes for you to find you the best rate; Allstate promises “you will save more”; State Farm promises the “best rates”; and the list continues on. Undoubtedly, all these companies, and many others, honestly are interested in saving you money, they want your business and in order to get your business they have to be competitive in their pricing.
Nevertheless, almost all these companies’ websites use fairly generic information forms when generating your car insurance quotes. These estimated quotes are often worthy higher than what they would be if you where to actually visit these agencies in person or speak with an agent. These is because local insurance agents also want your business, often more so than a national company, and are aware of the prices online and are likely to be wiling to do whatever they can to beat any online price you may fetch. A apt example of this is my experience with Allstate.
When I entered my information into Allstate’s online quote estimator the estimate was just over $1000 every six months or $180 a month. My wife and I have two cars, and have totaled one with in the last year, and have been in three other accidents (it has been a banner year). However, when I went into a local Allstate agent’s office he quoted me an insurance premium which was noteworthy less: $790 for six months or $132.38 a month. I was surprised at the difference. This may not always be the case, but often is. If you are truly looking for the best auto insurance rate available to you it would be worth your while to devote at least half of your looking efforts towards local agencies. Sometimes the best deals are with local car insurance agents who sell for a larger national company.
Filed under Car Insurance Questions by on Feb 27th, 2011. Comment.
How do you know which auto insurance is honest for you? Follow these tips to locate an auto insurance company out there which fits your needs in pricing, payment options, coverage and discounts.
You Better Shop Around
Shopping around is the best way for you to collect the best rates for the coverage you or your family needs is to compare prices. Use an online auto insurance price quoting service, or a comparison service. Or use a list of auto insurance companies offering coverage in your state and start making phone calls, writing down or typing the price quotes.
Applicable Discounts
Auto insurance companies offer different types of discounts. While anti-theft, ABS, multiple-car and multiple line (when you have auto and home insurance from the same company, for example) discounts are approved, some discounts are unique to each auto insurance company.
Discounts which could apply to you or your family include good student discounts, safe or defensive driver discounts (could be limited by state), 55+ or 60+ discount, or hybrid discounts.
Payment Options
Consider the payment options for your auto insurance. Some insurance companies require a double payment upon renewal, while others waive the requirement for long-term policyholders. Also consider the steady available payment methods your insurance company offers and determine if it is convenient for you. Some auto insurance companies only take checks by mail or online checking account payments. Others will take payments over the phone, or they make it easy for you to pay with a debit or credit card online.
Customer Service
Evaluate the level of customer service you receive when making an inquiry over the phone. When making an inquiry about prices and policy options, you should receive nothing less than top-notch service. If you receive anything less, it’s a suitable indicator of what you can expect when you need to make a claim or change your policy.
Reputation
Before committing to a new auto insurance company, check customer satisfaction ratings at independent sites. Also visit your state’s auto insurance department to review consumer complaints.
Filed under Car Insurance Companies by on Feb 25th, 2011. Comment.
This week is going to be major for finance. The bank stress test results are due in Thursday, and more bailouts are expected. The bank stress test results will instruct which of America’s largest nineteen (19) banks will need new capital. With each and every blow our nations banking system inches closer and closer to nationalization of the weakest banks in need of capital. This means the government will have a greater stake in obvious banks. Is this a good thing? On one hand, it keeps banks from going under. On the other hand it just adds to our nation’s exponentially growing debt load.
In addition to the bank stress test results, the jobs report is due out on Friday. In March, our nation lost 663,000 jobs. I would like you to think about this number. In 2007 the city of Memphis had a population of 677,272. Look at how close those numbers are. In the month of March, 2009 our economy lost close to the entire population of Memphis. Infoplease.com indicated that during 2007, Memphis was the 18th largest city in the nation. Experts project that in April 2009 our economy lost an additional 620,000 jobs. Even though the population of Memphis is totally unrelated to job losses it serves as a powerful illustration of just how many jobs our economy is hemorrhaging. Forbes projects unemployment to come 8.9% for April. This rate is uncomfortably conclude to 10%.
Construction spending and housing stat reports are due Monday. Although I could not locate any projections, I don’t think the news will be great. Our housing market is far from recovered. If our economy is hemorrhaging jobs at an exponential rate, it’s not likely that there will be a spike in new home sales that will hold strong. However, the $8,000 first homeowner tax credit available in 2009 may wait on. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Companies expected to give earnings report this week include Beazer Homes, Centex, CVS, AIG, Allstate, Sunoco, and Cisco. Be especially mindful of anything pertaining to AIG. Stay tuned to Bloomberg, MSN Money, or Yahoo! Finance to keep up to date market news.
Despite all the financial doom and gloom we have experienced in the last year, there’s reason not to panic. This is part of the natural economic cycle. You have to take the good with the bad, stay completive, think intelligent and you will fare just fine.
References:
www.forbes.com
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Filed under Car Insurance Wikipedia by on Feb 23rd, 2011. Comment.
If you have recently purchased a new car or unbiased want to make sure you are getting a respectable deal on your current car insurance, it pays to buy time to compare quotes. When shopping for car insurance support these tips in mind.
Shop around – Compare car insurance rates by getting online quotes from all of the major companies. Answer all their questions about your vehicle and driving record honestly and in detail.
Ask for Car Insurance Discounts – Ask an agent to have a look at your application and make sure you have been given all the discounts that you qualify for. In this economy car insurance companies, like every other business are putting a premium on acquiring and retaining customers. When talking to an agent make determined they understand that you are shopping around and will be comparing their quote with their competitor’s quotes. The most common discounts are listed below:
• Multiple Discounts – If you own a home it’s a good idea to contact the company you have homeowners insurance with as many companies give discounts if you have both your home and cars with them. Also ask for multiple car discounts if you have more then one car to insure.
• Electronic Car Insurance Bills – You can often receive a discount for receiving your statements and bills online as well as setting up automatic electronic payments.
• Car Alarms – If your car does not have an anti-theft device, have one installed. Most insurance companies offer discounts for these devices.
• Defensive Driving Course – Passing a defensive driving course can result in a 15% discount on your car insurance. Defensive driving courses are fairly inexpensive and usually only take a few hours. In some states you can take defensive driving courses online.
Higher Deductibles – The higher your car insurance deductible, the lower your monthly payment so choose the highest deductible you can realistically afford. Asking for a one-year policy instead of a six-month one will also reduce your monthly payment.
Coverage Needed – Become familiar with insurance terms and the various types of coverage and limits. Before talking to an agent, or getting an online quote know what coverage you need as well as the limits that fit your needs. Don’t end up buying more car insurance than you need.
Credit History – A clean credit history will result in a better discount so do everything you can to get your credit history in order.
Commuting Mileage – Check your commuting mileage closely and give the lowest possible one-way mileage. Insurance companies use this information to compute your premium.
Teenage Drivers - If you have a teenage driver in your house be sure they attend driver’s education. Check if your teenage driver qualifies for a good student discount.
Check Yearly - Get car insurance rate quotes once a year. Insurance rates change often and your circumstances may have changed. Ask if you qualify for new discounts.
Searching for cheap car insurance is never fun and can require a lot of legwork. In the end, the effort will be worth it as you watch your premiums drop. Following these tips will help you net the perfect car insurance policy.
Filed under Compare Car Insurance by on Feb 20th, 2011. Comment.
