Inside Geico’s classic Halloween ad that’s still running 10 years later

Advertisers always talk about getting their work into culture. But few ads have had the kind of staying power Geico has enjoyed with a comedy/horror commercial that’s enjoying yet another Halloween run and has now been airing for 10 years in all. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here Part of a then-new campaign themed “It’s What You Do,” the spot, called “Horror Movie,” first aired in September 2014. It shows a group of young people in a horror movie being pursued by a killer—and making the kinds of stereotypically bad choices all victims in such movies make, putting them in even more danger. After debating whether to hide in the attic or the basement of a creepy-looking house, then deciding that jumping in a running car would be “crazy,” they take refuge behind some chainsaws hanging in a shed—much to the weary disdain of the villain who’s hunting them. “If you’re in a horror movie, you make poor decisions. It’s what you do,” says the voiceover. “If you want to save on car insurance, you switch to Geico. It’s what you do.” Created by The Martin Agency and Hungry Man director Wayne McClammy, the spot is classic Geico—funny, well-made and anchored by a broadly recognizable truth viewers can embrace. Yet no one expected it would still be running a decade later. (It returns most years around Halloween, and is currently running on linear and streaming, including during the Major League Baseball playoffs recently.) Ad Age caught up with the agency and client to hear about the making of the spot—and how the strategy and execution combined to produce what’s become a modern advertising classic. A strong foundation Tom Perlozzo, Geico’s director of brand and creative, said the first reason the spot was successful is the strong foundation built through years of creative that made the brand synonymous with savings. This set the groundwork for simple storytelling, where Geico could frame itself as the obvious choice—and liken that to other obvious choices. “I don’t know any other brand that’s really been successful at pulling this off, but we had cemented that Geico can save you money as a kind of immutable truth,” Perlozzo said. “What better way to land that than by comparing it to other immutable truths?” Still, it wasn’t necessarily a slam dunk. “It’s What You Do” was a new campaign, after all, and they had to wait and see how viewers would react to it. (“Horror Movie” was one of four launch spots. The others were one with Salt-N-Pepa, a sequel to the famous “Hump Day” camel ad and one with a screaming goat at a peanut butter factory.) “We never know what’s going to take off,” said Sean Riley, creative director at Martin. “We had a sense that the premise [of ‘Horror Movie’] was good. But when we saw the cut, we realized we had something really strong.” “It was one of those shoots where the magic is starting to happen, but you’re still reserving judgment,” said Perlozzo. “The edit is when things come together. And when we saw that first rough cut, man, we were blown away.” Elevating the craft, from script to shoot That people do dumb things in horror movies was an amusing insight—universally known yet largely unspoken. But it would require strong craft, from the writing to the directing to the performances, to do the idea justice. One key punch-up in the script actually didn’t happen until pre-production, when they added the idea of the running car. “At first it was just them cycling through the bad ideas. It didn’t have the juxtaposition between the best idea ever and the worst idea ever,” said Perlozzo. “I remember an impassioned conversation about why it had to be a Mini Cooper convertible. It was just funnier that way.” Executing at the shoot was critical, too, beginning with the visual look. They all knew it had to look like a legitimate horror movie—setting up the misdirect before the punch line—for the joke to land. They shot overnight on an avocado farm in California. (Video village was set up amid a crop of avocado trees, which were apparently quite valuable—the cast and crew were warned they could be arrested just for touching them.) McClammy set the mood largely through dramatic lighting, though a house on the property didn’t need much set dressing—it already looked haunted. “It looked like a place you’d murder people,” said Riley. “When you start lighting an environment like that, you already feel like you’re in a horror movie. The light was streaming through the shadowy trees. It was amazing.” This kind of sweeping cinematic vibe was new territory for Geico, which usually did more modest, dialogue-driven comedy. “Campaigns like the Caveman were pretty small in terms of production,” said Ken Marcus, creative director at Martin. “‘It’s What You Do’ really launched an era for them that was more cinematic. ‘Spy Mom’ [in 2015] was the same—we were running around on rooftops with a helicopter and stuff.” Perlozzo said the cinematography was strong throughout, adding to the Hollywood atmosphere. “You’ve got the handheld feel when they’re running through the field and catching their breath in front of the house,” he said. “Then the moment you see the red Mini Cooper and the rack focus from the car to the talent—to me, that was a chef’s kiss.” The score and sound design helped, too. “You can hear the chainsaws jingling against each other. It just captures that tension,” Perlozzo said. “I don’t know if the layman could articulate those things, but they feel it. That conveys so much about your brand and what you stand for—that whatever endeavor you take on, you’re going to do it with passion and craft in mind.” A cast committed to the bit The acting performances—from Creagen Dow, Cali Fredrichs, Aaron Jennings and Carrie Wiita, with David Figlioli playing the villain (and Jon Curry providing the voiceover)—are also believable, which was key to the comedy. “The way they delivered their lines in earnest and made you believe they were actually mulling over these terrible decisions—it makes you feel like you’re in on the joke, and they’re not,” Perlozzo said. The villain’s wordless reaction toward the end is a fun moment, too. And having the killer be the character that viewers identify with was an unusual twist as well. “The villain’s little eye roll, that was literally the last take of the day,” said Marcus. “The sun’s coming up. DPs and directors are always fussy about the light matching, but we knew we needed that little reaction from him.” “At the end, the only smart person is the crazy guy,” said Riley. “And then you have the last line, ‘Head for the cemetery,’ which is the exclamation point on the joke.” The Stephen King stamp of approval “Horror Movie” was a big success, helping to launch “It’s What You Do” with a bang. The campaign would continue with multiple rounds of work over the next several years—more than 20 spots in all. Perlozzo called it “one of our most successful television campaigns,” adding that “Horror Movie” is personally his favorite Geico spot. Riley and Marcus have also enjoyed seeing it revived year after year—not something that happens often with a commercial. But perhaps the most gratifying endorsement of the ad came from none other than horror master Stephen King. In 2022, King linked to the spot on X while writing the novel “Holly.” Then, in 2023, “Holly” was published—and featured a mini-tribute to the commercial. “This campaign, early on, didn’t really get any awards at Cannes or The One Show,” said Marcus. “But to have a spot last for 10 years and get featured in a Stephen King book, it’s a nice recognition. Martin always tries to get things in culture, and this is a great example of that.” A-List & Creativity Awards Enter for a chance to be recognized as the best in advertising Submit your entry here

Inside Geico’s classic Halloween ad that’s still running 10 years later

Featured Stories