Yes, LeBron James dressed up as Progressive's spokeswoman Flo for Halloween, but this isn't just a quick stunt. Nope. It's part of a new digital campaign that Progressive is calling "The Switch" (hopefully it's more charming than the aggressively bad Jason Bateman-Jennifer Aniston romcom of the same name) that will include the brand's first video Instagram spot later this week.
"We've paired the King of Sports, LeBron James, with the Queen of Marketing, Flo, for a unique, digital-first execution we're calling 'The Switch,'" chief marketing officer Jeff Charney said in a statement. "In the coming months, look for more digital bread crumbs that show a different side of each of these icons. The Switch is just getting started … there's much more to come on Instagram and other channels. Stay tuned."
Hmm ... cryptic.
Social Media Profile (as of 11/5/14)
Facebook Likes: 321,844
Twitter Followers: 32,300
Instagram Followers: 5,176
The brand has been rolling out shots of LeBron and Flo on Instagram this week. The Instagram spot is expected later this week.
Recent Advertising
Progressive's ads have a particular brand of humor, and the spot above fits in nicely with that. Personally, I'm not amused by hand puppets—though it is amazing that Flo is recognizible in such a fashion—but fake infomercials? Yes, please.
Fast Facts
- The insurer was founded in 1937 by Joseph Lewis and Jack Green, who wanted to make auto insurance easy and accessible.
- Flo, the company's infamous spokeswoman played by Stephanie Courtney, was introduced in 2008. She's been in more than 75 spots and has nearly 5.5 million Facebook likes.
- The company introduced many now-standard online features for insurers like purchasing insurance online and comparing rates.
- Progressive was the first insurer to offer a "Name Your Price" option in 2009.