How long has Flo and the “compare your rate tool” been the cornerstone of Progressive Insurance? 5 years? 10 years? 2020 will be 12 years! Over that time Flo has always been the focal point of the campaign. Each year doing something new, something with a bit of humor, something memorable. But after that many years, it’s hard to keep the character (and the actress, Stephanie Courtney) fresh.
So, more recently new characters have been introduced. Expanding the Progressive world to a team of representatives. For several years Jamie (Jim Cashman) has played Flo’s quirky sidekick and evidently he scores high with consumers because now the focus seems to have moved from Flo to Jamie in the more recent commercials.
This is probably a good move for Progressive. Shifting to a new character opens the door for a whole new world of possibilities. It allows Jamie to move outside the traditional Progressive environment and out into the world. Jamie talking with a mom to her video game playing kids. Jamie talking to neighbors on the front lawn of their home. Jamie in the classroom. Jamie here, Jamie there. The great thing about many of these scenarios is that the spots begins in a way that leaves you waiting for a reveal – who or what is this about? Then the Jamie reveal makes an unexpected impact and makes you want to finish the spot just to see what Jamie has to say – which is usually pretty clever. There is still a splash of Flo from time to time just to keep the connection to that iconic figure but the variety of environments and scenarios that have been developed for Jamie is a really good way to keep viewers connected to the Progressive message.
I’m not sure how long Jamie will carry the Progressive apron, but for now he at least is what I call the next iteration of Flo. Let’s see if they try to keep him around for another 10 years.