For some time now, American television has been airing a series of commercials for the insurance company Progressive. Let me clarify right away: I haven’t been paid to promote them—and as you’ll see, I certainly have no intention of singing their praises.
The gimmick of this series is that customers buy insurance in a store as if it were a tangible object. Insurance is sold in boxes. In various spots, a customer gets three extra boxes thrown in for free (as “additional services”), or a man places boxes for motorcycle, boat, and other “toy” insurance onto the checkout counter in front of his bewildered wife, all paid for with the money he saved by switching to Progressive.
These commercials are, naturally, bursting with “clarity, grace, and depth.” In one, for example, a woman chats with a salesclerk, mentioning that she hasn’t looked at the market in a while and is worried she’s overpaying. The clerk conspiratorially beckons her closer and, as if sharing a top-secret tip, says she’ll compare the customer’s rate against other leading companies. Figures from the competitors flash on the screen, and—surprise!—Progressive’s is the lowest. The woman exclaims, “Oh, look at that difference! That’s a pair of shoes!” To which the clerk chimes in, pointing to her name tag: “Or a cool name tag like this.”
The most astonishing thing about this campaign is how perfectly cast the lead actress is. Given how polished the production is, I suspect it’s intentional: the ads seem designed for the idiots that the creators clearly believe the average consumer to be. But even if we assume the latest marketing research shows that most insurance buyers are mentally stunted, how do we explain the rather elegant (at least in comparison) commercials for Allstate? Those, at the very least, are tolerable to watch.
In my view, Progressive’s advertising is deeply depressing. No doubt, the “progressive” ad execs achieved their goal: you find yourself watching every spot intently. I suppose the reason is some mysterious, subconscious attraction to anything hideous, unpleasant, or eerie… The sterile white walls of the “insurance store,” the grating voice and vacant expression of the “salesclerk,” the faceless boxes of “insurance,” the drab customers…
I watch these clips like a bad soap opera—perhaps, in some sense, to remind myself of “how it shouldn’t be done.”
P.S. I was surprised that I couldn’t find screenshots of these ads online. I really wanted to show off the salesclerk—the little man-eater. I had to take a photo of the TV screen myself. I only managed to get one shot, but I think it’s quite a good one. Here, the clerk is saying “Surprise!” Pretty charming, don’t you think?
