• by Phil Leggiere , November 29, 2005

Advertisers like to create icons that transcend the context of a mere ad to actually thrive in people's imaginations. That much Geico has already accomplished with its "Golden Gecko," one of the best known and most enjoyed commercial characters of the past decade.

With its new Web site (http://www.goldengecko.com), Geico has decided to take -- or, more accurately, to let consumers take -- the Gecko to a new level: Hollywood super-stardom.

The site, launched in September, challenges cineastes to develop a concept and 15-second film clip for a feature film starring the Gecko. Entries are sought in five categories: drama, comedy, action film, animation, and other. All it takes budding filmmakers to enter is to go to an on-site entry page and provide a title, brief description, thumbnail image, and file of less than 5 MB.

Washington, D.C.-based CDG Interactive, whose collaboration with Geico resulted in a Webby Award-winning award for design last year, developed the design and technology for the Flash-based Web site. Visitors can browse more than 100 clips there, sampling titles like "The Incredible Gecko," "Interview With a Gecko," "Super Gecko," "Gecko Without a Trace," "Planet of the Rates," "Gecko Force One," "El Gecko Furioso," and "2005: A Gecko Odyssey."