In our class discussion about interpreting advertising I was reminded of a GEICO commercial about renter's insurance. What is fascinating about the commercial is that it opens with a well-dressed man seated next to an octopus on a table who sings nonsense at you for thirty seconds. The commercial ends with GEICO saying you can save on renters insurance.
The commercial baffled me but when I was first reminded of it I could not recall what the ad was for, only that it had a singing octopus. They were able to grab my attention but were unable to relate GEICO to the singing octopus. I wondered what the commercial was even trying to say to me and how it related to GEICO. I am still baffled.
It is possible that there is no explicit meaning and that GEICO was merely attempting to shock and confuse it's viewers hoping that this would generate hype about the commercial and the company. The commercial would become well-known specifically for the fact that is bewildering in its message and content. It fits into the realm of shock-value and definitely sticks in your memory, which is a goal of advertising. But the commercial might have failed in defining a definitive relationship to GEICO which is also imperative for any advertisement.
youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIxuP4UJNUM
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