ESPN Saves Geico Cavemen From Extinction

Cavemen KrollIt seems that ESPN’s days of appealing to sports Neanderthals are not over. AdvertisingAge is reporting today that ESPN will be using the Geico cavemen as pitchmen for their online fantasy football and SportsCenter.

The insurance-shilling Neanderthals will be spotted frequently across the cable-sports behemoth’s media properties over the next year as part of a novel integration deal between Geico and ESPN that casts the cavemen as fantasy-football salesmen, as well as stars of a series of vignettes promoting the network’s flagship SportsCenter program.

The Geico cavemen may be the most overrated, overhyped and underfunny marketing gimmicks ever, and I’m old enough to remember Spuds McKenzie. The ads for SportsCenter have been unique, inventive, funny and memorable, and completely the opposite of the cavemen. Maybe there’s a stubborn marketing exec at Disney/ABC/ESPN who forgot what happened the last time they got into bed with the Geico cavemen.

Photo: © 2007 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Credit: Craig Sjodin

About Ryan Berenz 2166 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.