About this episode

This episode explores the origins and myths surrounding the phrase 'hump day' and its cultural significance.

Every Wednesday, GEICO's camel asks what day it is. The original ad that made that question famous racked up more than 16 million views on YouTube and then disappeared, with no explanation ever given. This episode debunks the corporate mythology built up around hump day, including a water-cooler legend at DuPont that's been misdated for years, and traces the phrase back through a 1959 dictionary citation to a 2011 psychology study showing motivation doesn't actually peak in the middle of the week the way the phrase assumes. **Show notes on Patreon** 📱 Follow along on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LiesWeBought/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lieswebought/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lieswebought LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lieswebought Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lieswebought/

People in this episode

Host: Emily Rask

Topics covered

• advertising
• corporate mythology
• motivation
• psychology
• cultural phenomena

Keywords

• GEICO
• hump day
• advertising history
• corporate legends
• motivation studies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: GEICO, DuPont

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