NEW Advertising: Sleeping Beauty: "It's What You DO"

We admit it: we love this revisionist take on the fairy tale!

Fairy tales have been used in advertising for as long as... well, likely since there was advertising. GEICO has mined the richness of fairy tales for advertising before with Pinocchio and Jack and the Beanstalk.

Sleeping Beauty is a tale that hasn't been used quite as often by advertisers (unless sleeping can be directly related in the product, such as for mattresses), as the princess is considered passive, but it works perfectly here for this GEICO ad, in their "It's what you do" campaign.

Enjoy!

Description: What if Prince Charming's kiss never woke Sleeping Beauty? What if Sleeping Beauty was never actually "asleep" at all? This latest 'It's What You Do' campaign commercial turns a classic fairy tale on it's head with one of the oldest tricks in the book.

See why we like it?

We've seen a rise in different approaches to Sleeping Beauty's "sleep" recently. We look forward to seeing if this idea of using sleep as a personal asset, instead of being victim to it, spreads.

Ad: GEICO's Giant

Not much to say here really, except that the new GEICO ad for Fall (bad pun) makes it look like there's a set-up for a whole slew of sequels in which the giant can do lots of damage that GEICO customers simply don't get stressed about (though it's actually part of a "Brighter Side" campaign).

It does seem as if giants are one of the trope du jour right now (the others being Peter Pan, Neverland and possibly male genies). There's lots in development with regard to giants. Even super hero trends are all about giants of one form or another these days. Looks like the boys tales are taking center stage for the next round - something I don't mind too much with all the princess culture debacles of the past few years. I just wish we didn't have to do either girls OR boys tales.

Fairy tale trend cycles are interesting to take note of and follow. (Has anyone done a chart? I couldn't find one.) Since superheroes, in particular, are the popular focus right now, it's really no surprise that boys tales are gaining popularity again. I wonder if Ivan will make an appearance? It would be a great time to retell some of those tales too.