Every year during March Madness, a particular commercial seemingly finds its way into the hearts and minds of viewers — and not always in a good way. Following the 2024 tournament, where a certain advertisement starring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren proved particularly irksome, fans have turned their attention to a familiar foe: GEICO’s ‘little piggy’ commercial.
Within the first day of the 2025 tournament, many viewers had already taken to social media to express their frustration with the nostalgic ad.
The Infamous GEICO Commercial
For those unfamiliar, the 30-second spot begins with the question, “Could switching to Geico really save you 15 percent or more on car insurance?” The ad then poses a follow-up question, inspired by the nursery rhyme: “Did the little piggie cry ‘wee, wee, wee’ all the way home?”
The pig then appears, head out of the car window holding a pinwheel, and shouts “WEE!” as he is driven home.
A Blast from the Past
The GEICO pig commercial first debuted in 2010. It is part of the insurance company’s Rhetorical Questions campaign, employing common phrases, idioms, and, in this case, a well-known nursery rhyme.
While the advertisement is memorable, the exact frequency of its airings between its debut and its 2025 resurgence remains unclear.
Meet Maxwell
The pig in the GEICO commercial is named Maxwell. The anthropomorphic pig has also starred in subsequent commercials, further solidifying his place within the insurance company’s advertising campaigns. Maxwell has been portrayed in various styles throughout his commercial appearances.
A Chorus of Complaints
March Madness viewers were quick to share their opinions on the commercial.
One top-rated YouTube comment on a video of the commercial reads, “This should go down in infamy as one of the greatest commercials of all time.” As the viewers’ responses to the commercial show, the ‘infamy’ part of that comment is more appropriate.
Here’s what some fans had to say:
“The Geico pig commercial is already driving me insane and it’s only day one of the tourney” – Alyssa Lang
“I despise whoever at geico decided to bring back the pig commercial” – dylan
“I say ‘I cannot believe we are doing this again’ a lot these days, and seeing the return of the Geico pig commercial has been a true example of that” – willwc
Behind the Voice
The pig in the GEICO commercial is voiced by Jonathan Maxwell, a voice actor known primarily for his work in GEICO’s ad campaigns. This may have inspired the pig’s name.
