Even these days, a campaign with plenty of cash behind it will infiltrate the consciousness of America. So it is with the campaign featuring “Flo,” The Progressive Insurance girl, played by actress Stephanie Courtney.
I see these ads all the time. (And you can see all of them here.)
I’m just curious what our readers think of this campaign. Like it? Hate it? Don’t care? It ain’t going away, that’s for sure.
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DB-
Even by your reticence, you’re being kind…
She is the female version of the “Do You Hear Me Now?” guy. Worse. If any of your readers -and I mean any- find her to be at all appealing I will be stunned.
@Steffan
I’m not being kind. It’s Danny G.’s post and I don’t edit him unless I have to ;-d
As for my opinion of the work, I would never recommend that a client set out to annoy people. However, when up against The Martin Agency and their slough of Geico cavemen, British-sounding lizards and other quirky spokesicons, I would suggest that a client do whatever it takes to get peoples’ attention. Flo has our attention. But will we buy insurance from her?
Martin are also the evil minds behind Free Credit Report.
I’ve been a Progressive customer for several years now, because they’ve always done well by me and give me discounts when i demand it ;).
I also keep Progressive because Mr. Lewis (big guy behind Progressive) is a George Soros-style politically progressive multibillionare and i’d rather my paltry premiums go to his company than the typical right wing robber barons.
@ Steffan–
It was me, not David, that posted this.
Maybe you can enlighten us. I know you probably didn’t bump uglies with Tony the Tiger in your time at Leo Burnett, but you did work in the house that famous spokespeople and “critters” built. So what exactly did they think was the lasting appeal of a spokesperson (or critter) like this woman?
As for me, I’ve seen way worse campaigns than this. Not saying it’s great, not saying it’s horrible. But some people, clearly, like this campaign. Otherwise, it’d be long gone. And hey, we’ve got 5 comments on this so far, when no one responded to my NYC ad agency post from yesterday. So it hits somewhat of a nerve.
I am absolutely totally in love with the Progressive girl. I find her totally hot. Pretty sure I’m not alone:
http://www.austin360.com/tv/content/tv/stories/2008/10/1020progressive.html
Aww, I love her. I think she’s a hoot, not to mention cute as a button. And this from someone who usually doesn’t care for characters/critters.
They are effective, though, and yes, once they invade our brains, they do sell product. LB proved time after time how powerful those associations can be. Tony the Tiger, Mr. Whipple, Toucan Sam, the chihuahua, the gecko, those wretched cavemen, the Roaming Gnome, the doughboy. You don’t even have to think to name the brand with which they’re all associated. And when you’re sitting in front of the computer, trying to come up with insurers from whom you should request a quote, I’ll bet you recall Flo, the gecko, and Dennis Haysbert, the State Farm guy with the incredibly reassuring voice before the others. It’s not a question of, “Would they buy insurance from this woman?” It’s simply about brand recall.
O…M…G…
Some folks are not only not annoyed by this chick but are actually “crushing” on her?!
Regardless of that strange fetish, I will not back down. The Progressive Girl is a pox on adland!
Danny-
While it’s true that certain annoying characters have ingrained themselves in pop culture (Madge, Mr. Whipple), I still find them a torture. I think we “love to hate” these types, which, I suppose, is a partial victory.
PS: Who doesn’t like Tony the Tiger? He’s Greattttt!
I can’t STAND her character and these ads – what a BIMBO! You say funny?! WHERE is there any comedy or humor?! DITZ is NOT funny. It is VERY passe humor and sorry, I just cannot stand watching or listening to this woman…. I actually have to shut the TV off or leave the room as my stomach starts to turn.
Also, as I am an insurance agent in 45 US States, take my strong advice: Don’t believe the BS Progressive is throwing you…. do your OWN shopping around. Progressive offers great rates in many places and for different driving records, they do not offer great rates for everybody(just like EVERY carrier). They are especially decent if you have incidents on your record however they may or may not be the best rate you can get. And don’t believe any agent who tells you they shopped every carrier and got you the best rate out there. They lie because there is not one broker that has been licensed to carry every insurance company. SHOP AROUND! A little known company in California and in Oregon offers THE lowest rates that I have found. They have an A+ rating with the appropriate agencies which is a lot more than many of them. The company is Wawanesa, http://www.wawanesa.com/
I am with them. I have been in an accident, they came out to my home to see the car the very next day! It was the other party’s fault, they had a check cut for me one day after the adjuster came out. EXCEPTIONAL. For the heck of it though, I decided to get quotes with other agencies. AARP Hartford – what a joke! I think it was close to 4 times as much. Mercury, which is known to be one of THE lowest rates in the LA area and So Cal was DOUBLE. They quoted me a price for 6 months and I laughed, told the agent I was paying LESS than that for a one year policy with Wawanesa. Forget about AAA and 21st Century – in most places. There are a few scattered spots where they might be good but with ANY carrier, things change all the time. Wawanesa does not spend money on advertising, it is all word of mouth as this is one way to keep rates down…. PLUS to save their customers from obnoxious FLO-Like Ditzes…. for those of you who like her, good for you. Different strokes for different Flo-kes. Have a nice night and happy driving. Egads… she just came on again in the other room…. I have to vomit….
Hate her. Can’t they move. Not only are they annoying ads, but they are no where near original any more. Someday hopefully, they will put the cavemen and Flo back intheir cave for eternity.
And no, I would never buy from a company who believes cavemen and fake people are the best way to represent their company in ads.
I love the Flo commercials for Progressive, she’s got personality plus!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this gal, if they all had such a good sense of humor we would all be better off. It seems funny to me that all women hate her, makes me love her more. Keep up the good work Steph, call me.xoxoxo
I am sure she is a nice person in “real life,” but if anyone remembers the first one she was in, she was not “Flo” and was not as wacky as she is now. She threw in a bunch of lame extras and middle america eats it up. She is annoying as hell. Also, Progressive sucks.
I think FLO is the greatest girl to represent Progressive. She has made a name for herself in the commercial that i seem never to get tired of. Go FLO!
Worst ads on tv. Thank God for the remote!
I don’t have a problem with Flo the character, just the continual bombardment of every TV station in the country, 24/7! Enough is enough! These ads are as bad as the Geico cavemen! Please give us all a break and come up with a new ad campaign, or at least only run Flo 300 times a day instead of non-stop!
Its getting as anoying as the geico cavemen were.
Time to change this stupid progrssive theme!
I JUST CHANGED INSURANCE COMPANIES AND THE 1ST ONE I THOUGHT OF WAS PROGRESSIVE DUE TO ITS CONSTANT BARRAGE OF ADS ON TV. I THOUGHT ABOUT THE TWIT CALLED FLO AND DECIDED THE AD AGENCY DOESN’T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF ADVERTISING. YOU DONT WANT TO TURN OFF BUT TO TURN ON.
she’s just as annoying as those freakin’ cavemen and that lizard have become. time for a change. she looks like she’s made of plastic, brain included
she is the most annoying woman on tv…if i were at a party and she was there i would be long gone…how would any man find her sexy is beyond me..the minute she opens her goofy mouth it would be all over….time for a change PLEEEEEEEZE!!!
Stephanie is terrific, she is perfect to represent your company. The more I see her the more I love her.What ever you do keep her she is the best…
I think Flo is perfect . She is ‘Silly serious ‘and the people that dont get it are usualy people without humor,they just dont understand things out of the box.Im a Elvis impersonator and the same people think that i think im Elvis as Sean Connery realy thinks hes James Bond.These people that dont get Flo.are the same and live in a very closeted world.
Thanks /JB
I have a sense of humor. I imagine her in strange sexual scenarios, but the bottom line is the sarcastic seriousness joke has run it’s course.
Now if only we could do something about the gecko, the caveman, and that guy who founded Taxmasters, and those computer animated Pop Tarts kids choking down their most important sugary meal of the day.
I agree with JB now you can see why Kat is upset ..his company didnt think of this first!!!ha ha
Zeke
CANT STAND HER!!! Get her off the air! She got my attention all right, in a bad way!
Hate it.
Shes the worst. I mute the tv or change the channel upon sight. Shes a bit disturbing to look at too. The customer characters are just as annoying she is…and that damn repeating jingle in the background! If youve never noticed it you will now and you’ll hate it even more. Cheers!
I couldn’t care less about the commercials, but I’m oddly attracted to the cute girl in them, so I leave ’em on.
She is absolutely annoying. Shes so pale and geeky looking. Nothing about her is appealing. Geico has the right idea, stick with animals as your main spokesman, never go with average looking people. Your less likely to get mad over an animal than a less than attractive, plain looking, female or male spokesman.
It’s actually the makeup that’s makes her so unapealing. But she’s not that ugly though
Flo and her super annoying Bumpit have to go. I don’t even know what she sells.
She looks like a mouth breather.
i simply cannot stand her. [: every time i see the commercial i change the channel!! definitely doesnt make me wanna switch to progressive either.. if anything thats the last insurance i would think about having.
She is beyond obnoxious in those Progressive ads. I can’t find the mute button fast enough when it airs. I don’t know anyone who likes her or the horribly misguided campaign. It’s bad advertising. I wouldn’t even think about buying a policy from Progressive.
If it was not illegal to do so, I would gadly offer a decent sum of money for someone to torture and kill the Progressive lady. Unfortunatly, it is illegal so I can not say that I would pay someone to kill her slowly and film it for distribution on the internet. Too bad it is illegal to ask that someone slowly cook her alive in a mixture of used motor oil and mule crap. Too bad. “I have a dream!”
I am not a religous man, but I will pray for the Progressive lady. I will pray that she gets cancer and dies quickly……..and unbelievebly painfully. Where are drunk drivers when you need one?
I hate these ads. They are “anti-advertising,” creating an actual aversion to the products and company they are supposed to be promoting. I can’t change the channel quick enough when this pasty-faced, doughy, clown-woman assaults my eyes and ears. I wouldn’t accept a policy from Progressive if it was free.
I hate those stupid Progressive commercials so much, I just canceled my auto and home policies with them.
Hate ’em- The Gecko, the Caveman, The pale psychotic Progressive woman! Gee, Geico, couldn’t I save 75% if you didn’t advertise evry 15 minutes on all the networks and channels?
Suggestion : caveman steps on Gecko. Eats Gecko. Get’s hit by a car. Joe Friday character spokesman arrives on scene, begins assesment. Progressive Girl fallls on him and bothare killed instantly. Geico goes back to commercial parody era. Progressive burns store.
Or what about those ridiculous ads for Farmers’ Ins., Esurance, State Farm, and Nationwide? When I see that skinny, creepy Nationwide dude, I have the urge to reach through the screen and wring his scrawny neck. It seems that the less stupid the advertising, the better quality of product. Amica Ins. is great, I have been a long time customer of theirs and their customer service, coverage, and rates are really good. And their ads are very simple and talk about coverage instead of savings.
I detest the “Flo / Progressive ” Insurance ads .. They are so stupid, and Flo’s banter and mannerisms are ridiculous.. ie> “Go Big Money” no honey, i meant go, it’s your lunch break”
now is that suppose to be funny?? wow and the amt of times i see these ads, i just immed turn the sound off.. I just wish Flo & all those ads would just “GO AWAY”….
The poor black dude in that ad looks traumatized when that Big Money thing is dancing around him. “That will sure stick with me”, he says.
I agree, flo is soo annoying. Every time those stupid ads come on I have to turn the channel, I wish I could throw a big grapefruit right at her big clown face
The commercials annoy me like nails on a chalkboard. I can only think of horrible things when they are on. The sterile white environment, with the awful xylophone melody instantly brings the images from the movie “Soylent Green” when “Sol” goes to the facility to end his life, where everybody is bubbly and happy and mentally twisted.
Progressive is garbage insurance. I have had them, Geico, AIG. It’s like the Wal-mart of insurance companies. Cut rate and low quality.
On a personal note I was in an accident with progressive insurance. The car that caused the accident by illegally turning left in front of my car had progressive insurance. When my car hit them it sent them spinning into a 3rd car that also had progressive insurance. What a coincidence! The person in the 3rd car “claimed” to have severe injuries. To cover thier costs progressive assed me “partially responsable” so they could tap my policy benefits to cover thier costs. I wasn’t claiming to be injured so it was a property damage case, because I only lost $6000 from the value of my car vs. thier payment to me. My lawyer couldn’t get anywhere without escalating this to a court case but for the mere 6K didn’t want to. This is how insurance works. Spread the risk around a pool of individuals.
Cut rate insrance companies really streamline the process when you have a claim. Progressive’s “claim center” will fix your car and gurantee the repairs for as long as you own the car. BEWARE!!!! If it is a lease car, when you turn the car in, the dealer may find non-OEM parts and assess a bill for the difference because the repairer used cheaper, aftermarket parts. This can happen if you trade the car in also.
All in all, these commercials aren’t creative. They insult my intelligence. They try to present common knowledge as some amazing concept they invented. The woman “Flo” is made up to literally look like a clown. Progressive is very expensive insurance compared to a company like Amica (car), and Dairyland (cycle) whom I use. All those advertising dollars have to come from somewhere, because the revenues are not going into a quality product!
so lame and annoying i always switch when it comes to this commercial n the girl
Everyone in my house(7 of us) thinks she is so annoying but I guess that’s the point to remember Progressive Insurance. You can’t forget Progressive because you can’t forget Flo.
Hate it….what happened to advertising?…..Casting?…..yech….awful time wasting drek
I cannot stand Flo!!!! She is VERY annoying, and she looks like the Joker from the Batman films. I would commit suicide if she were my wife.
Hate her!!!
These commercials could not be more annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love it and I even rewind to watch it multiple times and laugh and laugh with amusement.
Scary to look at, like waking up to see a scarecrow looking over you. When she says, “Go Big Money” it sounds like she is speaking in a faux Black dialect, because the couple with her in that commercial are Black.
Can’t stand her…get that dumb bimbo off my TV screen!
Typical Michael WEiley ad……boring, dry…..left field……..get a new marketing company.
She is prehaps the most annoying character ever, including anyone on Spongebob ugghh *le sigh*
I don’t even know what the commercials are about since I hit the mute button as soon as they appear. What’s with that bizarre 1950’s makeup and hairdo anyhow? They should be Recessive, not Progressive Ins. Co.
She has the most terrifying eyes and acts like an idiot. I use my mute button every time and wouldn’t buy that insurance if it was the most inexpensive in town.
I wouldn’t buy a policy from Progressive for anything because of the Flo commercials. She repulses me.
The fact that an insurance ad has everyone chiming in–on a very emotional level–I find amusing. Progressive keeps going back to the well, so to speak, so it must be working.
BTW. Fun-fact: Stephanie Courtney (aka Flo) was a minor character on MadMen; she played a switchboard operator for S+C on the shows inaugural run.
If ‘working’ to you means that it’s making everyone hate Progressive and pledge never to be their customer, then, sure, it’s working.
Many in advertising say that it does not matter whether we love or hate a commercial, only that we remember the name of the product. Probably true…but I personally feel there is a risk of developing such antagonism towards a commercial or character that people will remember the name SO THAT THEY WILL REMEMBER NOT TO BUY IT. Flo and Progressive may have reached that tipping point!
shes the greatest–her self confidence and bubbly personality means sexuality. a female that is happy sexually appears that way in person.. if she was miserable in bed she would not and could not fake–coming across like she does
Absolutly hate it. I will never buy progressive because of the torture you put me through with you damn commercials.
Wost marketing campaign ever. I absolutely can’t stand this annoying, unfunny bitch. It sucks that I have to see her on my television eighty times a day.
she is fucking obnoxious and im sick of these damn commercials. i would never get progressive insurance based on how much they annoy me by making these dumb waste of film pieces of shit.
Well, I can actually tolerate the gecko because he’s cute in a weird sort of way, but Flo is not only ugly and goofy looking with that red lipstick and those bug eyes, but she’s just plain sickening. The Progressive commercials are so overdone that I wouldn’t even consider buying their insurance. I’m sick of my tv screen being saturated constantly with her stupid face and those incredibly idiotic commercials. Enough is enough. Say NO to FLO.
I HATE these commercials!! Flo is beyond annoying! I mute the TV everytime it’s on! FLO, GO AWAY!
I find the “Flo” commercials annoying and unpleasant, and the Flo character likewise. I hit the “mute” button as soon as one comes on. …BUT, here’s the thing – before this ad campaign I had never even heard of Progressive Insurance. So make of that what you will.
I saw a statistic that said that 52% of the people polled said the “flo” commercials annoyed them. It is perhaps the only commercial that, when on, I will change the channel because it’s on. She truly annoys me!
I hate Flo!!!! those commercials make me want to yank my hair out!!!!!
These commercials are so over played that as soon as I hear that obnoxious voice I change the station IMMEDIATELY! It is now a game to see how quickly I can switch. I would never spend money with a company that has made fingernails on a blackboard a more appealing sound than their commercial.
She’s more annoying than fingernails on a chalkboard~I cancelled my Progressive auto insurance 2 years back because of her…I can’t stand her!!!
HA, if I had read the comments before I posted, I would’ve been a tad more original, as “annoying” and the chalkboard analogy are overwhelmingly popular with ppl describing the feelings she evokes~she is nauseating, gotta go!
Wow, you people are harsh. Yes, she is pale, but I don’t find her annoying or worthy of such hate.
Thank God for the mute button! Drop her off in the middle of Siberia this January. It would make a great new year for us all!
The 2014 Progressive kazoo commercial is the most annoying and truly does create an aversion to the product. I stopped listening to CNN on the internet specifically because of this commercial. I’m sure they don’t care. She’s just doing her job but this gig is shedding negative light on her as an actress. Whoever was the brains behind this campaign might want to moonwalk right out the door the way potential business is. Don’t hate the player (Flo) hate the game (campaign).
Get rid of Flo, these commercials suck. They don’t make any sense.
The only way ill ever buy progressive insurance is if they do a live ad where Flo gets tortured and ass raped by the Aryan brotherhood.
I can’t stand the dam progressive commercials. Flo is a joke and not a very funny one. There commercials are horrible, who is writing this garbage. My two year old could write a better commercial. They are not even focused on selling insurance anymore. For example the one commercial where her and her “family” are all sitting around the table talking about how much they don’t like her. Wtf is that about, I will say this her “family” isn’t the only one who can’t stand her and her horrible intolerable voice and hair. Can we please change the commercial to anything else.
HOW PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE BETRAYED MY DAD!!!
My dad, Mike Tomars, was employed by Progressive Insurance for 16
years.To say that he was “employed” by them doesn’t accurately describe
his time with the company. He never missed a day of work since 1996. He
regularly received “exceeds expectations” on his performance
evaluations, which again doesn’t do justice to the time and energy he
put into that company. Employees like my dad are the reason Progressive
Insurance is so successful. As a child, and even well into adulthood,
I witnessed his unrelenting work ethic and selfless dedication to a
company that allowed him to raise me as a single father and put food on
the table and shelter over my head. My dad wasn’t simply employed by
Progressive, he gave 16 years of his life to that company.
In January 2010, my dad was in a terrible car accident while on the
job, driving a Progressive owned vehicle. In the accident, he sustained
a very serious brain injury which left him permanently disabled and no
longer able to work. The at fault driver’s insurance company paid their
policy limits to my dad without making any excuses, just like an
insurance company is supposed to do. That’s what they’re meant for,
right? That’s the whole point of having insurance. Providing coverage
is what insurance companies get paid to do. A huge chunk of that money
went to pay back workers compensation for my dad’s hospital bills, brain
therapy bills etc…, and to his attorney.“ From the time of the accident until August 2012 Progressive
stood by my dad, perhaps their most loyal and hard working employee.
Then without warning Progressive filed a motion with the court saying
they didn’t have any coverage for my dad’s car accident. For 2 years
they acknowledged that they had 1 million dollars in under-insured
motorist coverage, but when it came time to pay they began a sickening
series of under-handed attempts to avoid accountability.
First Progressive tried to bring the case to Ohio (where the company’s
is headquarters are located), because Ohio state law would allow them to
not provide any under-insured motorist coverage. THE ACCIDENT DIDN’T
HAPPEN IN OHIO, IT HAPPENED IN MINNESOTA! What the hell Progressive?
Why are your attorneys trying to apply Ohio state laws to an accident
that happened in Minnesota? That has to be the most shameless, sleazy,
and ridiculous way to try and slither out of honoring one of one of your
own policy’s that’s meant to cover one of your own employees who for 16
years dedicated his life to your company, and greatly contributed to
your success. It doesn’t end here, it gets better, or should I say
worse 🙁
In August of 2012 they claimed that the woman in policy services (who
works for Progressive) had sent copies of the wrong declarations page
and policy covering the vehicle my dad was driving to my dad’s attorney,
and they denied that the vehicle my dad was driving (which was owned by
Progressive, garaged and licensed in Minnesota) had any such coverage.
When the woman was asked if she was aware of this during her deposition,
she swore under oath that she prided herself in her work and that by
certifying/notarizing the declarations sheet, she was certifying that
they were indeed true and accurate copies of the policy covering the
vehicle my dad was driving, and that she was certain she hadn’t made any
mistakes. My dad’s attorney also obtained depositions from a couple of
the people in underwriting who wrote the policy covering the vehicle my
dad was driving, and under oath they did confirm they intended to have
the
cars of their fleet comply with the laws of the state of Minnesota that
they were garaged and driven in and that they intended there to be 1
million in coverage. So, that would mean they would be obligated to
provide 1 million in underinsured motorist coverage to my dad but, now
they say we didn’t mean it we don’t owe him anything……
Only Progressive’s lawyers deny that there was any coverage on the
vehicle my dad was driving, while their own employes whose job it is to
write these policies swear under oath that the vehicle has coverage, and
provide
notarized documentation as evidence. Is it not obvious (and disgusting)
what Progressive is trying to do here? But if you think they treat
their employees poorly, they treat their customers even worse. In 2010
Katie Fisher was in a car accident in Maryland where she was struck and
killed at and intersection by a car that ran a red light. The insurance
company for the at fault driver quickly paid their insurance limits to
Katie’s family. But because the
at fault driver was under-insured,
that didn’t amount to much. So it fell to Progressive to cover the
difference between the other guy’s insurance and the value of Katie’s
policy. As you might expect, Progressive searched for ways to avoid
this. Progressive sent their own lawyers to defend the driver
responsible for Katie’s death in an attempt to find Katie at fault for
the accident, so they wouldn’t have to pay her family. I’ll give you a
moment to think about that.
Here’s a quote from her brother, Matt
Fisher, who wrote this on his tumblr blog about how poorly Progressive
was treating his family:
“Carrying Progressive insurance and getting into an accident does
not entitle you to the value of your insurance policy. It just pisses
off Progressive’s lawyers. Here I address you, Prospective
Progressive Insurance Customer: someday when you have your accident, I
promise that there will be enough wiggle room for Progressive’s
bottomless stack of in-house attorneys to make a court case out of it
and to hammer at that court case until you or your surviving loved ones
run out of money.”
If your still reading this, thanks for hanging in there. I know it’s a
lot. What I would like you to do is like this post and re-blog it as
much as possible to spread awareness of Progressive’s disgusting
behavior so that they will be held accountable for their actions. And so
my dad, Mike Tomars, can get what he rightfully deserves after working
hard his entire life. Thanks!
-Anthony Tomars