RECOGNIZABLE REPTILIA

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There is quite a rich history behind the little GEICO gecko formally known as Martin. GEICO stands for Government Employees Insurance Company. It was created by Leo and Lillian Goodwin just after the peak of the Great Depression. After the company grew, Warren Buffet purchased a wealthy breadth of the stock, marking a pivotal transition in GEICO history. After further success, in 1993 Buffet’s investment company purchased the remaining stock left of GEICO. As a result, advertisement funding skyrocketed and 7 years later, the GEICO Gecko was born.1

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After his introduction during the year 2000’s television season, Martin quickly became an advertising icon. His odd, humanlike demeanor struck and entertained viewers as geckos and other small reptiles are typically at the bottom of the biological and intellectual food chain. Their bodies and brains are also smaller than those of other mammals. Several other animal ad campaigns came before and after him, however his strong and unique influence sets him apart. Perhaps his lack of adherence to social themes at the time of his creation is a reason for his universal likability and success.

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In his first advertisement, Martin was portrayed in more of a gecko-like way than he is now in modern day commercials. The commercial begins with a shot of a news podium. Martin quickly crawls onto the microphone, grasping onto it begging: “this is my final plea, I am a gecko, not to be confused with GEICO, which could save you hundreds on car insurance, so stop calling me!”4. This witty and cute line echoes the human frustration of having a phonebook neighbor, often being confused with someone else and receiving non-stop phone calls. However the contrast of the human-like intelligence and language with the gecko-like movement is unique—an atypical GEICO gecko commercial. It might represent the human understanding of animal intelligence, and gives a bit of respect to the small reptile. 

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Years later, another advertisement was released. This commercial features Martin pushing the phone off the kitchen counter, crying in frustration “Night and day, the calls. Save me this, save me that. I’m a gecko! Not GEICO!” He pushes the phone off the counter and it falls into the trash. He dusts off his hands in victory but moments later the cord pulls him into the trash along with the phone: “Euueheueueueh. So STOP CALLING ME!”5. In contrast to his first TV debut, in this ad Martin is standing, pushing the telephone which clearly weighs more than him. Here, he is much more human like. However, his falling into the trash, being pulled by the cord against his will reminds consumers of his gecko-ness. That because of his size, there are still many things that lie outside of his control.

The next iteration of the GEICO gecko is the first time he appears most similar to his portrayal today. This ad features a child’s toys getting into a verbal altercation while he sleeps. Before they appear to start physically fighting, Martin kindly interrupts to let them know that GEICO can solve most car insurance claims in 48 hours or less–the two toys gasp and cease fire. Instead, they sit kindly with Martin, expressing they are impressed with the ‘green one’ (Martin).6 Here, Martin is not aggressive nor frustrated, he is calm and friendly as consumers know him to be today. However his gecko-ness is still made apparent by his size, as he is in comparison with a child's toys.

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The GEICO Gecko commercials today all echo this type of structure: the Gecko has human-like voice, intelligence, wit, and actions. However he still holds gecko identity in his size, and body. A modern advertisement released in 2022 features him ‘driving’ a boat in Baltimore. Satirically, it is revealed at the end that a child is driving the boat, and Martin needs assistance to return to shore.7 This reveals potential for high societal opinion of geckos and other small reptiles and also perpetuates this opinion. Though they are small and their smallness affects them, they remain intelligent. But it is not just Martin of GEICO that holds the title of intelligent witty reptile. There is another smart and foolish reptile who holds a spot in the hearts of Americans: Kermit the Frog. Though he is not in advertisements nor in comparison with human beings during his time on the screen, Kermit wears the crown of a smart and witty entertainer that Americans love and cherish. It raises the question: what about these reptiles makes media companies pull from the wild for inspiration? Perhaps it is the native curiosity, desire for survival, or ‘cuteness’ that is not associated with humankind that draws media attention to these animals. Because humans don’t typically see these animals in everyday life, put them on the screen, grab consumer attention, and make them speak!

 

 

1 GEICO’s Story From the Beginning
2 Spears, Nancy, and Richard Germain. “1900-2000 in Review: The Shifting Role and Face of Animals

in Print Advertisements in the Twentieth Century.”

3 Spears, Nancy, and Richard Germain. “1900-2000 in Review: The Shifting Role and Face of Animals in Print Advertisements in the Twentieth Century.”

4 1999 Geico Gecko Commercial

5 1999-2004 Geico TV Ads *6 1999-2004 Geico TV Ads *7 The Gecko Goes Sailing

6 1999-2004 Geico TV Ads *7 The Gecko Goes Sailing

7 The Gecko Goes Sailing

(*These ads were not specifically dated. They were arranged in chronological order)

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Works Cited

Cwaraksa1. YouTube, YouTube, 5 Apr. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Y2efDNP8o. Accessed 8 Dec. 2022.

“1999 Geico Gecko Commercial.” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Nov. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LwASBkp0vo. Accessed 8 Dec. 2022.

“GEICO's Story from the Beginning.” GEICO, 2017, https://www.geico.com/about/corporate/history-the-full-story/.

GEICO, director. The Gecko Goes Sailing - GEICO Insurance. YouTube, YouTube, 17 Aug. 2021,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGrWDPPuz3A&list=PLwTsyIROsacirTnEiL8I2dP

4P_cQveKY7&index=11. Accessed 9 Dec. 2022.
Spears, Nancy, and Richard Germain. “1900-2000 in Review: The Shifting Role and Face of

Animals in Print Advertisements in the Twentieth Century.” Journal of Advertising, vol.

36, no. 3, 2007, pp. 19–33. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20460794. Accessed 9 Dec. 2022.