Yes, it’s true. ABC has announced that “Caveman“, a sitcom based on the common caveman characters from the GEICO insurance television ads, will be on their fall schedule. While spinning off a television commercial into a sitcom may appear to be a violation of FCC rules by some, there has been precedent.
The most recent example is “Baby Bob“, a very short-lived 2002 sitcom starring a talking man-baby character that had starred in a series of ads for FreeInternet.com. Although the high-profile company died after the infamous dotcom crash, the talking baby emerged unscathed with his own CBS sitcom, “Baby Bob.” When the network cancelled the display after only nine episodes, Bob emerged one more time to star in a series of TV commercials for Quiznos Subs. In 2007, he was even too creepy for Quiznos and his character was pulled from all further ads. But, don’t feel too sorry for Bob. He serene has his believe web page on the Quiznos site.
From a critic’s standpoint, “Baby Bob” serves as additional proof that what has worked in the 30-second ad format has been difficult to sustain in a remarkable longer sitcom or motion describe format.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.
Jim Varney’s quick-witted “Hey Vern!” character, Ernest P. Worrell, not only translated well into a children’s television show, but also became a successful series on the big screen.
In 1980, a Nashville-based advertising agency, Carden & Cherry, cast struggling droll actor Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell in a series of Southern regional TV ads for a variety of products. His Ernest character was a talkative nosy neighbor whose catchphrase was “know whut I mean? ” The ads caught on and the Ernest P. Worrell character then began appearing in various commercials across the country. In 1988, CBS brought “Hey, Vern! It’s Ernest!” to their Saturday children’s television line-up. Although the series lasted only a year, the Ernest P. Worrell character next made a successful transition to the big screen, starring in a series of profitable low-budget movie comedies including “Ernest Goes to Camp”, “Ernest Saves Christmas”, and six others.
The California Raisins also transitioned to children’s television, in their case, a cell-animated series. They made their debut as a claymation-animated Motown-style singing group in a 1987 commercial for the California Raisin Advisory Board. Like Ernest, their TV series only lasted a year. However, their ancillary merchandise still continues to sell.
The Max Headroom character took the opposite route from the prior mentioned characters. He began as a cyberpunk protagonist in a 1984 British television movie. In 1987, Max Headroom came to the States as an ABC television series. Despite a strong cult following, it only lasted fourteen episodes. After the show was cancelled, Max appeared in a series of highly successful commercials for Coca-Cola.
SOURCES:
“Gauging viewer tastes”, Stuart Elliot, New York Times, URL: (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/business/media/16adco.html? _r=1&oref=slogin)
“Who Owns Your Great Idea? “, Noreen O’Leary, Adweek, URL: (http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp? vnu_content_id=1003556825)
“Why advertising’s cavemen are going totally Hollyrock? “, Brooks Barnes and Suzanne Vranica, Wall Street Journal, URL: (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117305670677226518-GDYgRU6JmWO40cfjfFMEDLLE_DM_20070311.html)
“Caveman Chic”, Ramin Setoodeh, Newsweek, URL: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17887559/site/newsweek/)
http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2006/06/quiznos_finally.html
“Look who’s hawking”, Seth Stevenson, Slate, URL: (http://www.slate.com/id/2112786/)
“Advergaming”, David Radd, Business Week, URL: (http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/oct2006/id20061011_567417.htm? chan=innovation_game+room_top+stories)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_P._Worrell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Raisin
“Max Headroom”, Henry Jenkins, Museum of Broadcasting Communications, URL: (http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/maxheadroom/maxheadroom.htm)
Filed under Progressive Insurance by on Feb 26th, 2011. Comment. 
Classic car auto insurance can be more difficult to find in a standard car auto insurance company than traditional insurance. Finding classic car auto insurance at competitive rates can be even more difficult. In many cases, a person will have to locate a classic car auto insurance specialty company to insure his or her car with. It is especially helpful to choose a company that specializes in classic car auto insurance, because these companies may have a better understanding of the type of insurance principal for a classic car. Some of these classic car auto insurance carriers can be found on the Internet.
There are several classic car auto insurance carriers that are available on the Internet, both for quotes and the buy of auto insurance policies. The policies offered by these carriers may be more capable for classic cars than those offered by aged insurance companies. Hagerty is a classic car network that offers many different services for classic car owners, including classic car auto insurance.
Another classic car auto insurance carrier is American Collectors Insurance, which is said to be the leading provider of classic auto insurance and collectibles insurance in the United States. This company, and others like it, will work out and agreed value on a car with the insured. What this does is allows a classic car collector to maintain a classic car in perfect condition, or restore it perfect condition, with the knowledge that his or her investment will be protected by that individual’s insurance company. In difference, many standard insurance companies will simply work out what they determined to be the blue book value of a car, whether it is classic or not, which may cut the value of a classic car owners claim in the event something were to happen to his or her car.
Although classic car auto insurance can be more difficult to find at times than traditional auto insurance, there are companies that specialize in class car auto insurance. While a person may be able to acquire classic car auto insurance through a traditional broker, it may be obedient for a person to research what is available online prior to committing to one insurance company. By using the Internet, a person can find classic car auto insurance through specialized dealers who understand what a person seeking this type of insurance really needs.
Filed under Progressive Insurance by on Feb 24th, 2011. Comment.
You have seen them almost every day those irritating commercials about saving money on car insurance. You know, AIG.com and Esurance.com and many others. You can go online and in five minutes glean the quote you have looked for. They all say the same thing, you can set aside up to $364.95. Yep, they claim to have people who have switched from State Farm, Farmers, Allstate, and Geico and saved great time.
Well I can tell you that this is not exactly true. I spent about 2 hours online one day checking all the websites for quotes. When I went to Esurance I found that my insurance would raise about $400.00 every six months through them. AIG was even worse, it took me over 30 minutes to even get my quote and I am sure you figured out already the quote was upwards of $500.00 more than I already pay.
Interestingly I am a married woman age 57 ½ and I have a clean driving picture. My husband also has a clean record. So why I ask myself were our quotes so high. Not because of our credit rating as it is 769, which not to brag but this is a good rating. When I challenged these companies regarding the cost of my quote. I was told, it was because they included my adult children in the quote. Why I ask, because they use my home address as their own. Now my children do not live in the house they use our address as their permanent address of relate. So when they run a check to quote your insurance in Oregon, they run the records of all residents at your address. Even if those people do not reside in the home nor drive your automobile.
No spot with this as I was just testing the waters. We are privileged to carry Geico because my husband is a government employee so we are have our policies through them. They are not the lowest I am sure of that, no accident forgiveness like Allstate. But as my mother use to say, “if it sounds too good to be true, it is too wonderful to be true.” I must assume there is a catch to the entire accident forgiveness and the check they site will come to you for no accidents every 6 months or year.
So in the end I decided it is better to pause with my little lizard friend, I deem he is so cute anyway.
Filed under Progressive Insurance by on Feb 20th, 2011. Comment.
No Medical Insurance, No Medical Care!
Why is it a gigantic secret that if you don’t have good medical insurance, a doctor won’t see you? This is somthing that’s very close to home for me and I’m sure for others who have experenced the same thing I have. It hurt to call to try fabricate an appointment for a doctor because you are sick and they asked, “What Insurance Do You Have? ” If it’s not Blue Cross, Aetna, Humana or some well known insurance, they tell you; “NO”!
I knew for a long time now that doctor’s don’t want to except Medicaid (State Government Insurance For Low Income) because they say they don’t get paid; and if they do receive a payment, it’s penny’s on a dollar. But now it’s Medicare too!
I am on Disibility and have had Medicare for years now. I also have Medicaid as my secondary insurance. I have never really had a problem with Medicare; I have had problems with Medicaid in the past before I was eligible for Medicare. It hurts when you go to a doctor and they tell you that they haven’t received a payment in 1 year; they next time I come in, can I bring at least $400 dollars to make toward my account? I’ve been there and this was what was asked of me!
So now, they just won’t except Medicaid period! What is it to do when there is NO doctor in your area you can see when you’re sick? Doctor’s rep mad if you go to the ER for a cold or something that could have been taken care of with a doctor’s appointment!
Recently I’ve been very sick; I can’t get my blood pressure down. I called all over Joliet to try get into a doctor! I went down the list in the Yellow Pages, I couldn’t find one doctor that would except Medicare! Medicare? WOW! And the only one that did except it, they told me since I had Medicaid as 2ndry, they couldn’t take me. I CRIED LIKE A BABY! My GYN doctor told me last month that they stopped taking patients with Medicare as well due to non-payment!
I’m can’t see a GYN for female issues anymore and can’t find a Internal Med doctor for other issues! What are we to do? We can’t get out to other places; Maywood or Chicago.
They wonder why we are die’n at an early age! We can’t rep the exams that’s needed to Dx problems like Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Prostate Cancer, and other major things.
We realize that rich people could care less about us! They don’t have a problem getting treatment because all they have to do is hurry in and pay.
There is no No Middle class anymore. You either have it or you don’t!
Another example of not having medical insurance is: I had a baby premature 3 years ago; 6 months/3 weeks. Instead them flying him to Children’s Memorial Hospital from Joliet; in the middle of rush hour, they send by ambulance. They next morning, when I called ot see how my baby was doing, I was told he needed a blood transfusion. I gave them the okay but asked why was it needed. I was told that he could be bleeding on the brain or he just may have indecent blood. They didn’t take him in for a MRI till Monday morning. My son bleed on the brain from Saturday to Monday; it was too late for him. When I got them call to come in, they had to talk to me; it was a very cold/not caring voice over the phone. I have never been on the Northside of Chicago; I had to earn someone to drive me there. They told me it would be best to just let him die; he would be no good to me or himself in life. I had to make the hardest decision in my life to pull the plug on my son. A day I will never forget.
I went in the hospital that Friday and had to have an emergency C-section. No one came to change me or my covers; I kept asking for pads, nothing. I had to call a friend from far away to have her bring me pads; but by that time it was Sunday; I had to push myself out of bed and try clean myself up.
I had another baby last year that died as well; I couldn’t/or they wouldn’t give me proper medical care till it was too late!
I could protest you more but I will leave it alone.
This subject should be an open peek to the government!
Medicaid, Kid Care, Medicare; Doctor’s Don’t Want To Except!
HELP
Filed under Progressive Insurance by on Dec 18th, 2010. Comment.
A couple months, Allstate obtained been mailing a lot of features to my mother for her to change her vehicle insurance coverage Contemplating my mother is on the collection with the credit score bureaus not to receive gives of services, credit score, and so on, we thought after a whilst that the junk mail from Allstate would stop When it didn’t, I decided to name in to the Allstate consumer support line listed in the letter.
The representative advised me that she could not take care of a removal request and she transferred me to an additional division He deleted my mother with out any troubles and then I instructed him to clear away me as well In a rather unprofessional matter, he flipped out wanting to know who he was talking to I tried to explain that I deal with every thing for my mother, but he was not listening at all He refused to eradicate me from the variety and began lecturing me about how I could not take away her.He really added her back to the mailing variety.I hung up and then referred to as straight back in I received to be transferred yet once more to a different division I requested for a manager When the manager came on, I briefly explained the scenario to him, but apparently, he was already aware of the representative’s version of what acquired take place Then, he started out attempting to get me to change to Allstate I advised him that I didn’t appreciate the tough sale pitch and obtained no interest in changing organizations He explained my mom’s name and that he was removing her, whoever she was He then requested wouldn’t it be less complicated to trash the letters than to name in to be taken off from the mailing variety.I explained to him that I care about the atmosphere and I normally take the time to name in to providers who send the most junk mail to be taken away from their mailing lists.He echoed the word atmosphere as if I received just mentioned some thing entirely ludicrous and foreign I requested, doesn’t Allstate care about the natural environment?He did not reply and hung up on me He never taken away me from the mailing checklist either But at least my mother was eradicated considering that she was receiving the most junk mail from Allstate.I obtained my mother name a local Allstate workplace to make confident I was deleted The individual informed her to be taken off to make positive that we are on the collection with the credit score bureaus to stay away from supplies of company, credit score, and so forth.My mother assured her that we both are on that number, but were still receiving these advertising supplies The lady at the Allstate workplace stated she would do her perfect to uncover a way to clear away me.We haven’t gotten any extra junk mail from Allstate given that this happened If their consumer support is this poor when attempting to be taken out from a mailing collection, what would they be like when filing a claim .
Filed under Progressive Insurance by on Nov 8th, 2010. Comment.
