Remember When: Geico Customers Had a Ratt Problem

Featuring famous musicians in advertising spots is nothing new, but the 21st century has seen a steady rise in hard rock and heavy metal musicians hawking everything from fast food to finance software. Insurance company Geico has used plenty of well-known names over the years—including Little Richard, Charlie Daniels, Salt-N-Pepa, Europe, and Idina Menzel—so it came as no big surprise that in April 2020 they enlisted glam metal band Ratt for an insurance bundle promo spot.

A Musical Infestation

In the clip, a fortysomething couple talks about their wonderful new home and its various accoutrements. But there’s one catch: They have a Ratt problem. And we’re not talking about the little furry rodents, but the actual Sunset Strip band who were among the top hard rock acts of the 1980s. They’re constantly playing their signature tune “Round and Round”—in the basement, kitchen, and bathroom. The best part is they’re paying no attention to the home’s owners, just as rats would likely do when they’ve invaded a home (except to escape being caught, but these guys are way bigger).

The couple featured in the spot is likely barely old enough to remember when vocalist Stephen Pearcy and the band were scoring well on sales and radio charts with songs like the aforementioned single, “Lay It Down,” and “Way Cool Jr.” But the joke still works because all Gen Xers know who they are, and likely many millennials found out about them through parents and older siblings. Not to mention some older folks who may have had an inkling, especially considering the clip reportedly racked up 8 million views in its first month.

“There’s a really cool grandma that lives next door to us and she goes for walks,” Pearcy told Variety when the spot came out. “One day, I’m out there with a hat on and swim trunks—just beachwear, right?—and she goes, ‘Are you in a commercial?’ I said, ‘How would you know that?’ She goes, ‘Well, you have a lot of energy.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Alright, that’s what a national commercial means.’”

What Comes Around Goes Around, I’ll Tell You Why

The Geico spot played on the same scenario that existed in the “Round and Round” video that quickly turned the band into MTV stars back in 1984. In the original video, a dinner party that included legendary comedian Milton Berle (playing both a husband and wife) were irritated by the music they heard upstairs, while the semi-goth hostess was pleased. (She also had the butler serve live rats.) At one point, guitarist Warren DeMartini jumped through the floor and landed on the dinner table, spilling plaster everywhere while unleashing a dramatic guitar solo. So to find Ratt playing in the basement of the Geico house is the inversion of that, but it’s a similar gag. (Although, other than Pearcy and bassist Juan Croucier, no other original band members are in the commercial. It’s also a live take, not the original recording.)

Since the clip was shown in the spring of 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic lockdowns, the group couldn’t capitalize on the resurgence of interest because they could not tour again for another year. Nevertheless, the clip still turned out to be a win for the band. It was viewed millions of times online, and starting at the beginning of May 2020, the song stayed on Billboard’s Rock Digital Songs Chart for six weeks and peaked at No. 17. Not bad for a 36 year-old song.

“It’s ironic because in 1984, it was the Year of the Rat in the Chinese calendar, and it’s the year of the rat in 2020,” Pearcy told Variety. “What goes around comes around? No pun intended.”

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Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images