Geico Storms Halloween With Witches, Mannequins and Casper the Annoying Ghost

It’s tough to pay the rent these days. Sometimes, you need a third roommate to get the job done. And even though she’s a witch who brews up evil potions and turns your friends into cat/human crossbreeds, you’ll be glad she’s around when the first of the month arrives. 

The Martin Agency conjures up that scenario in the first spot below, one of three Halloween-themed commercials breaking this week for insurance giant Geico.

“If Geico were a holiday, it would probably be Halloween,” Martin creative director Neel Williams tells Muse. “Halloween appeals to all ages, with a little something for everyone, not to mention a touch of whimsy. By leaning into the best parts of the Halloween spirit, we were able to experiment a bit.” 

If witches aren’t your jam, how about mannequins? What if you found a whole bunch of the plastic freaks posed spookily around a table in the attic of your brand new house? What if they invaded your mind?

So, he’s terrified of the mannequins, but the talking gecko doesn’t bother him a whit? 

Next, a visit from everyone’s favorite friendly ghost, Casper! Though he’s a lot more annoying than we remembered. 

Notice the “Happy GeicoWeen” tag at the end? Now that’s scary!

Finally, more tomb-foolery’s afoot in the brand’s classic slasher flick sendup from 2014, which rises like the Spirit of Halloween Past for a month-long run:

One from the vault, you might say.

“Halloween is all about bringing things back from the dead, that’s why reviving ‘Horror Movie’ is so perfect,” says senior copywriter Ken Marcus. “At any other time, having a chainsaw-bearing maniac would likely be off-putting.”

Geico already exhumed plenty of its cherished commercials dating back to 1997 for national broadcast earlier this year, but it’s great to know they still have a few treats lurking in their bag of tricks.

CREDITS

Client: GEICO 
Joe Pusateri Vice President, Marketing
Amy Furman Assistant Vice President, Marketing
Tom Perlozzo Brand Team Manager
Tim Ware Brand Team Supervisor
Brighid Griffin Brand Team Program Lead I 
Olivia Ashby Brand Team Program Lead I 
Rese Chorpening Brand Team Planner
Catherine Hefferan Brand Team Buyer

Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Karen Costello
Executive Creative Director: Jerry Hoak
SVP, Creative Director: Neel Williams
Creative Director: Dave Gibson
Associate Creative Director: Mauricio Mazzariol
SVP, Head of Integrated Production: Tasha Dean
Executive Producer: Heather Collier
Senior Producer: Liza Miller
Junior Producer: Elise Canup
Senior Business Affairs Supervisor: Suzanne Wieringo 
Senior Financial Affairs Manager: Amy Trenz
Financial Account Supervisor: Monica Cox 
SVP, Group Account Director: Matt Mattox
Account Director: Jon Glomb 
Account Supervisor: Allie Waller
Account Coordinator: Yoon Ko
Senior Project Manager: Stephanie Ashworth
Project Manager: Heather Hartman

—WITCH
Witch Production
Production Company: Hungry Man 
Director: Wayne McClammy

Witch Editorial 
Editorial Company: Union Editorial 
Editor: Christjan Jordan 

Visual Effects and Finishing: 
VFX: The Mill LA 

—ATTIC
Attic Production
Production Company: Smuggler 
Director: Randy Krallman

Attic Editorial 
Editorial Company: Whitehouse Post 
Editor: Heidi Black 

Attic Visual Effects and Finishing: 
VFX: Framestore

—HAUNTING
Haunting Production
Production Company: Hungry Man 
Director: Wayne McClammy

Haunting Editorial 
Editorial Company: Union Editorial 
Editor: Christjan Jordan 

Haunting Visual Effects and Finishing: 
VFX: The Mill