Real people meet celebrity testimonials in this tongue-in-cheek Geico insurance campaign directed by Chris Smith of bicoastal Smuggler for The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. In “Burt Bacharach,” the noted songwriter, clad in a tuxedo, sits at a piano alongside Brenda Coates, a real Geico customer. Coates relates her story, which is then translated sentence by sentence into song by Bacharach who plays the piano.
“Last year, I was rear-ended by a Geico customer,” says Coates.
“I was hit in the rear,” sings Bacharch, offering piano accompaniment.
“The first thought in my mind was that funny lizard,” continues Coates, referring to the Geico mascot/spokesreptile.
“Lizard licks his eyeball,” croons Bacharach while tickling the ivories.
“I was so impressed with how they handled my claim, I switched,” noted Coates.
“I hope I never get hit in the rear again,” sings Bacharach in a big-finish style, at which point Geico and its Web site address (geico.com) appear on screen.
The creative ensemble at The Martin Agency consisted of creative director Steve Bassett, copywriter Bob Meagher, art director Adam Stockton, producer Holly Flaisher and assistant producer Varlier Battenfeld.
Smith’s support team at Smuggler included executive producer Brian Carmody and producer Suzanne Hargrove. The DP was Stefan Czapsky.
Editor was Dick Gordon of bicoastal Spot Welders.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More