"Pothole"

20 April 2026

30s

Potted history.

If/because you hate potholes, you'll love this Geico commercial directed by Andreas Nilsson. Like 'Wallet' before it, 'Pothole' is an offbeat study of consumer dread. Over drinks with friends, a couple overshares what happened after they ran over a pothole. The event was bad enough… then it became a ruddy member of the family. Salt? Meet wound.

Not only does the sentient hollow order thousands of dollars' worth of philosophy books ("It's deep"), it collects dirty water for the dog to drink and makes a mess of the couple's bed. Only... none of this happened, thanks to the advertised insurer's intervention only an hour or so after the incident. Way to avoid psychological trauma!

It's the best pothole puppet DAVID's seen in some time (OK, it's the only pothole puppet he's seen full stop), and the idea that it consumes Confucius at a rate of knots is irresistible. Jokes aside, the brand knows how much psychic and material damage potholes can cause, so the ad even looks down the barrel of the camera to make viewers feel like they could be 'next'.

USA

Insurance