Can a Caveman do it?

As I came to school on Wednesday, I noticed print ads all over the campus ground. From what I saw they were ads for GEICO'S campain, "So easy a caveman could do it." On first impression I was not sure whether this was an attempt at advertising to college students gone bad, but as I grabbed a copy of The Spartan Daily on the way to class, I realized that it was actually an advertisement that was incorporated in the newspaper.

When I got to my seat before class started I pulled out the print ad and took a good look at it. What I found was that not only was this an advertisement, it was an advertisement geared toward gaining a new audience, not maintaining one. On the back of the ad I found a new pitch "Actually, a caveman can do lots of things. For example, this easy peasy little puzzle." Below this statement you see a picture of a Sudoku puzzle, which is the latest and greatest in the puzzle crazed world.


Sudoku is a game that has "blown up" in recent times. It has been stereotyped as an "Asian" game, but I have seen many different people playing it. It is a game of numbers and logic, in which the ultimate goal is to have 1 through 9 in each row, column, and 3x3 box. It is a challenging game and almost always come in different difficulty levels.

As I was saying, on the back of this print ad for Geico there was a sudoku puzzle. This interested me because although many of these ads ended up scattered on the grounds of the campus, I knew, many people, like myself, who wouldn't normally take a second glance at this advertisement, would most certainly take the time to do the puzzle. I am not a big fan of inserts or leaflets in magazines or newspapers, but when these advertisements allow me to entertain myself, if only for a few moments, is worth my time.

From my own experience, I have determined that the goal of this print ad was to reach college students that do not normally look twice at these types of ads. Although many papers were on the ground, if two or three were kept and the puzzles were done, then the ad was successful. I say this because I kept it, it is in my backpack as I write this. I am waiting for the perfect time to amuse myself with a puzzle that is so "easy peasy" even a caveman could do it.