While watching Thursday night’s ESPN televised game between the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins, a special treat was in store for the small amount of viewers who paid close attention to the usually repetitive commercials that stream in-between snaps. Thanks to a two-year sponsorship deal with Geico, Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo will be a part of three nationally-televised commercials for the auto insurance company.
The advertisements, which were filmed earlier this year in Los Angeles, will feature the star linebacker out of the University of Texas interacting in humorous spots with the Geico Caveman. In the commercial televised during Thursday’s game, the Geico Caveman questions Orakpo about why he was only able to be on the football field as part of the cheerleading team.
Although Orakpo is still a relative unknown commodity to the average NFL fan, he played his part well in his commercial debut. Set in a locker room, Orakpo says only one line, “I did get you on the field,” yet gets the point across in the advertisement.
According to Geico Director of Advertising Bill Brower, the Redskin will be a part of three commercials that will connect to one another and tell a story about the unique relationship between the football player and caveman. CAA Football Marketing Agent Howard Skall, who is part of the agency that represent Orakpo, claims that his involvement in the advertisements will make his client more marketable and recognizable by saying “it is going to raise his profile.”
Orakpo’s not the only athlete from the Washington D.C. area to have cameos in advertisements for the insurance company, albeit his will be the only ones airing nationally. In the past, Washington Nationals star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and Washington Capitals best foreign player Alex Ovechkin represented Geico in regional advertisements. Even former Redskins quarterback and current Oakland Raiders starter Jason Campbell found himself as part of a regional campaign.
Due to Geico’s nearby ties to the area (the company is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland) and Orakpo’s growing success as a defensive force for the Redskins, this partnership looks like a win-win situation for both companies. Geico, which is also famous for having advertisements featuring a gecko with an Australian accent, used these television spots as an opportunity to reintroduce the somewhat-fading popularity of the “caveman” character that first helped them gain worldwide recognition as a company.
As for Orakpo, this may be the start of another career interest outside of football. “I’ve got a deep voice, hopefully I can get into some voice overs or something man, you never know,” said Orakpo in an interview with NBC Washington.
Sources:
Orakpo To Make Commercial Debut, NBC Washington
So Easy A Linebacker Can Do It: Redskins’ Brian Orakpo To Appear In Geico Ads, SportsBusiness Journal Daily
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Austin Chang is a lifelong football fan, San Francisco Bay Area native, and contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.