Flo progressive insurance
Insurance’s use of their spokeswoman, Flo, in commercials, they’ve been nothing short of prolific. In just the last six years the online insurance company has used Flo in their commercials 94 times. Despite an ongoing rumor that Flo from Progressive was going to be killed off or, in other words, cease to be used as the company’s spokesperson, Stephanie Courtney has continued her role as Flo.
Statements from the company have made it clear that they have no intent to remove the insurance marketing icon that rocketed them to the top of the insurance ladder. She’s a key branding element for the company, so it makes sense that Progressive wouldn’t just drop her like a hot rock. That said, the company is adjusting its strategy when it comes to how they make commercials and who they’re making their commercials for.
Progressive isn’t the only company taking a more holistic, personal approach to their marketing efforts. Both Allstate and Nationwide have launched their own soft ads that match the same model as Progressive’s The Thread campaign. One major difference lies in the fact that both Allstate and Nationwide employ celebrity voice-overs in their campaigns, while Progressive does not. In the new Progressive ad the voiceover is actually done by Sean McBride, the Senior VP and Creative Director of Arnold Worldwide the agency responsible for inventing Flo the Progressive Girl.
All Spokespersons have a finite lifetime. At some point a company will rebrand and, in the process, they often get rid of or alter their spokesperson or mascot. That said, Flo from Progressive has struck a very strong chord among a large group of consumers and she’s definitely a driving force for Progressive. It’s possible that the new ads will have a similar effect on Millennials. If it does, we can expect to see more of these types of ads in the future but Progressive’s Flo will continue on until she loses her grip on her target demographic, which doesn’t appear to be any time soon.
It should also be noted that the campaign, while not including Flo the Progressive Girl, it does reference her. Both the name of the campaign and the imagery of the ad directly tie in to the famous spokesperson. The element that ties them all together is the use of the apron, which has been a signature part of Flo’s look from the very beginning. America loves Flo, the Progressive insurance played by comedian Stephanie Courtney, and a huge portion of the company's brand equity is tied up in the Flo character. Progressive spends up to a quarter of a billion dollars a year on ads starring Flo. It all started with a series of Tumblr posts by Matt Fisher, describing how lawyer to defend the man who killed his sister in order to weasel out of paying off a death benefit.
