Who thought Sonic would be a good candidate for car insurance? Last time I checked, he never drove, and instead destroyed cars en masse in City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2.

For you nitpickers out there, you could argue that he drives in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, or could perhaps be covered insurance-wise with his hover-boarding antics from the Sonic Riders games, but that’s stretching it.

It goes without saying that this is one odd case of video game marketing, as we see two seemingly unrelated things together in an advertisement; perhaps it was someone’s dream to see Flo and Sonic together (considering Flo’s online following, I suppose that isn’t too far-fetched to imagine.

Seriously, there’s a rather large and creepy following for the Progressive spokesperson). On the bright side, at least they did everyone a solid by using the invincibility theme from Sonic the Hedgehog 3!

Also, what’s up with Sonic not talking? It’s the modern Sonic design being used here, and he most certainly isn’t mute. Oddness all around.

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Once you watch scarcely any tv by any means in the united states, that you are more than likely to discover the Progressive insurance advertisements, accompanied by “Stephanie Courtney the real life progressive insurance lass” playing the role. It actually works out from some on-line detective work, that the celebrity who plays the role of Flo designed for progressive insurance company, is some sort of actress as well as standup comic Stephanie Courtney.

Stephanie Courtney has become recognised regarding her outrageous, higher than average vigor character, and utilizing it inside her on-stage humor workouts. Progressive definitely reached a great choice right after they chose Stephanie for the part of progressive insurance girl, because, as mentioned previously, the girl’s function has received a contagious impression in the case of advertising within the enterprise.

It is actually self-explanatory to very nearly everybody who has watched any of the the Telly commercials, that progressive have deliberately chosen this bubbly, ridiculous and outbound celebrity and comic purposefully, and with the goal in mind to stir up a little bit of a fuss by the newspaper and tv.

With regard to folks’ typical reactions to Progressive Insurance Girl, many of us will definately either like her, or dislike to see her. She’s got just a bit of a bitter sweet consequence on tv watchers all around the States. Once more, this is exactly precisely what Progressive promotional industry experts wished for when they selected her, because it’s well recognised that folks will think of something or somebody that they powerfully dis-liked, as regularly as another person whom they esteemed.

Source: http://www.unitfans.com

Since that, there were waves on the net about progressive commercial that led to the more recognition on progressive insurance girl aside of the popularity of Courtney herself as an actress. Here is further discussion to know better about the Progressive advertisement.

Progressive insurance girl promotional stunt was grown to be gimmick of advertising of Progressive giant insurance. Many agree that the ploy of advertising has been well recognized because since the day it appeared many people have been talking about the progressive insurance girl character in the Progressive advertisement. Her purposely cute humor has been very entertaining for the people.

Progressive advertisement using a standup comedian and actress, Stephanie Courtney that act as the loved and hated progressive insurance girl is a good example of successful fuss in media. There is even a little research that focuses on the success of the Progressive advertisement. The high energy personality along with craziness is the main idea that is brought by Progressive Insurance to bring a breakthrough to a lot of audience.

On television the character of the girl of progressive insurance is a bittersweet. Certainly the choice to choose the actress as the girl from progressive insurance is a good one. In terms of publicity, the advertisement has made Progressive insurance more well-known, remain big and therefore ahead the competition. For TV watchers, it is likely the Progressive advertisement is part of what they see with the part of “Flow the progressive insurance girl”.

It seems that the girl of progressive insurance is chosen by Progressive Insurance Company with consideration that something that is either disliked or loved intensely will make a lot of people remember it for longer period. This shows us how marketing campaign that is set by advertising professional can give big impact in making an insurance company stays longer in the mind of the people.

In short, the role progressive insurance girl by Stephanie Courtney on the television gives an infectious effect for the insurance company’s publicity. From the television show, there are many blogs out there that are still talking either about the actress along with the career path or the Progressive Company it self.

Source: http://enviropolitico.com

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The company, a unit of Progressive Corp. of Mayfield Heights, Ohio, becomes the third California insurer–after the Automobile Club of Southern California and Mercury Insurance Co.–to agree to the rollbacks approved by California voters in a 1988 referendum. Progressive will rebate an average of $200 apiece to the 260,000 holders of policies written between November, 1988, and November, 1989. The rebate checks are to go out in August, Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi said.

Besides the rate cuts for certain kinds of coverage, Progressive also agreed to refrain from asking for any new rate hikes for 12 months.

However, the agreement allows Progressive to retain interim rate increases approved since November, 1988.

Prop. 103 promised a 20% rollback in automobile and homeowner insurance premiums, but the rebates have been slow in coming because the voter action sparked a series of legal wrangles. The state Supreme Court upheld Prop. 103 but ruled that insurance companies cannot be denied a fair rate of return.

The $51-million rollback announced Friday is 29% less than the $71.9 million that Garamendi originally ordered Progressive to pay last October. As was the case with Mercury, which agreed to a $46-million rollback May 28, the amount was reduced in discussions between the company and insurance regulators before an administrative law judge.

Mercury said its rollback would cause it to take a one-time charge against earnings of $20.3 million, or about $1 a share.

Progressive, however, said that as of the end of this year’s first quarter, it had reserved $153.3 million against potential Prop. 103 liabilities.

Known as Progressive Insurance Girl or Progressive Girl, the actress, and part time comedian Stephanie Courtney has made a lasting impression amongst television watchers all over the United States.

Interestingly, all four major auto carriers have been advertising so far during the 2010 professional football season. This includes SF (Like a Good Neighbor), Allstate, Progressive and Geico.

Allstate says your best protection is through them. SF says they know what they’re doing because they insure more people than Progressive and Geico combined. Progressive allows you to pick and choose your policy. And besides Geico’s quirky commercials, they suggest you may be able to save 15% on your auto insurance.

Who has the largest advertising budget? Is it SF, who insurers over 40 million policy owners? If so, how much do they spend on TV advertising? Is it money well spent? I’m figuring advertising on Sunday afternoon is a good bet, otherwise, you wouldn’t see much of it during pro games. Regardless, it would be interesting to see the annual advertising budget of all the main carriers.

In addition to seeing ads by SF, Progressive, Allstate and Geico, I’ve also seen an ad for Liberty Mutual and there may be others I’ve missed. I can’t remember another time in recent history that all 4 auto carriers went head to head during NFL broadcasts. It used to be beer makers or tire manufacturers would go head to head during NFL broadcasts now it’s those insurance providers trying to sell you car insurance.

Just wondering, are there other insurers available with similar rates, good customer service with excellent protection who don’t typically advertise? If so, how would you know? Is it possible for some auto insurers to grow without having a large advertising budget?

Speaking of a spokesperson, how long will Allstate stay with Dennis Haysbert? Is he becoming too stale? Is he gradually being phased out as more and more commercials highlight the Mayhem character? If Mr. Haysbert is on his way out, will he get a replacement? Speaking of a spokesperson, how long will Progressive stay with Flo (own name is Stephanie Courtney). If you look at her role from a life cycle perspective, she appears to be on her way up – a hot commodity for a while.

I find it very interesting that SF has introduced Eddie Matos during the last year to help market their products. Because of his demeanor, SF can market their product during NFL broadcasts in English and Spanish audiences. Very smooth positioning.

Some advertising critics think Geico’s commercials are the most original and wacky but that doesn’t mean I’m switching to them anytime soon…I’m interested in auto and home protection, not entertaining commercials.

Just curious about Geico, they’ve been advertising the possibility of saving 15% with car insurance. Just for grins, it would be great to know the number of folks who actually called Geico (after one of those wacky commercials) trying to save 15% on car insurance only to learn they can’t with Geico. That would be interesting. Realizing this ad has been occurring for over 10 years – it has to be millions.

Would you agree?

By Kevin Schwarm

Source: EzineArticles.com

Who is she? She is the newest Progressive Insurance performer, Stephanie Courtney. Her character is a cashier called Flo in the newest advertising campaign of Progressive Company Auto Insurance.

With all the fuss around her, let’s take a glance into who Courtney is. This recent Progressive Insurance performer was born on February 8, 1970. She has brown hair and just recently married Scott Kolanach.

The recent Progressive Insurance actress is really a stand up humorist from Stony place, New York; and a graduate from the Neighborhood Playhouse of New York City.

She jumpstarted her career as a comedian by relocating to Los Angeles and accepting gigs on the numerous Hollywood comedy houses. Our recent Progressive Insurance performer afterward switched careers to become an actress.

She is renowned for her roles on several TV Programs, which includes the voices of Renee, the Receptionist and Joy Peters on adult Swim comedy, Tom goes to the Mayor (2204-2006), Marge on the AMC drama Mad Men(2007), and as Diane on ABC comedy Cavemen(2008).

As the recent Progressive Insurance actress, Courtney is also a foremost member of the groundlings comedy troupe which is liable for kick starting the careers of Jan Hooks, Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell and other Hollywood notables.

Courtney’s CV includes “Those Courtney Girls”, Aspen Comedy Festival, and “Hooray for America”. She has worked with the casts of Saturday Night Live in the following film roles projects “Melvin goes to Dinner”, “For Your Consideration (2006), The Brother Solomon (2007), and Blades of Glory.

In 2003, she won the Cooper Wing prize at the Phoenix film Festival with the ensemble cast for the comedy Melvin Goes to Dinner.

Our new Progressive Insurance performer, Stephanie Courtney has been invited to play her stand up act at the Aspen Comedy Festival twice. She moreover performed in Aspen in “Those Courtney Girls”, a show she co-wrote with her sister, Jennifer, and in the Mr. Show Tour, “Hooray for America”.

By: umer

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In case you view barely just about any telly in any respect in the states, you will be more than likely to see the Progressive insurance cover ad, complete with “Flow the original progressive insurance lass” practicing the performance.

It actually seems that from some online detective work, that this presenter who plays the actual role of “Flo” just for progressive insurance company, is normally a substantial celebrity as well as standup comedian Stephanie Courtney.

Stephanie Courtney is regarded as well known regarding her gaga, elevated vigor nature, and ultizing it through her on-stage comedy workouts. Progressive without doubt made a good solution whenever they chose Stephanie to play the part of progressive insurance girl, mainly because, as expressed previously, the girl’s character has enjoyed an infectious mark in the case of publicity for the enterprise.

It is actually self evident to almost any one who’s witnessed any of the the particular TV commercials, that progressive have deliberately picked up this bubbly, wild and outbound presenter and standup comedian purposefully, and with the concept as their intended purpose to stir up a prodigious amount of a publicity in the newspaper and TV.

In the case of peoples’ reactions to Progressive Insurance Girl, most of the people will, no doubt either love her, or hate to see her. She has had somewhat of a bitter sweet impact on television watchers all over the US.

For a second time, this really is what Progressive marketing industry experts imagined after they decided upon her, because it really is recognized that men and women will remember some thing or someone which they greatly disliked, just as much as an individual with who they esteemed.

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That’s because Courtney makes her innumerable appearances in the persona of Flo, the crazily congenial, unbelievably upbeat commercial icon for Progressive Auto Insurance.

Flo’s look was sculpted for her debut TV spot in 2007. “It all comes from the talents of the hair and makeup ladies,” Courtney says. “That first day my hair kept getting bigger and bigger. Suddenly I had bangs and heavy eye makeup. [The producers] said: ‘Keep going. Keep going.’ They wanted a retro look to go with the ’60s Polynesian-bungalow-cocktail-hour music.” After the mondo makeover, she still has to ladle on the attitude.

“I just channel the friendliest person I could imagine,” says Courtney, who comes to the gig from an improv comedy background. “It’s sort of like my mom to the 10th power. She’s one of these ladies who is a perennial optimist.”

“I love Flo. Flo makes me happy,” says Bob Garfield, the ad critic at Advertising Age. “She is some weird postmodern Josephine the Plumber. She really cares about Progressive Insurance, and she really cares about me. And that comes from the most cynical ad watcher on God’s green Earth.” Flo had better be appealing — her commercials are on in such heavy rotation. In fact, Flo and a certain lizard are pretty much propping up broadcasting.

“If Progressive and Geico ended, we would have no television,” Garfield jokes. Another reason you see so much of this effervescent lady: It turns out she’s a pretty effective sales tool.

“It’s a very clever campaign,” says Bill Cowen, professor and director of the PR program at Villanova University. “They’ve taken a concept like insurance, which is pretty much an intangible, and made it tangible. Flo is the shopkeeper helping you take the product off the shelf. Of course, you don’t buy insurance in a box.” Chris Owens, the marketing business leader at Progressive who designed the campaign, says, “We wanted to show how easy it was to buy insurance and how Progressive was a great value. We decided to put a fun and energetic face on it, someone who had a great personality and was friendly with customers.

“Stephanie came to the audition and gave such an amazing performance, everyone looked at each other and said, ‘She’s our girl.’ ”

Courtney has taken a rather circuitous route to Madison Avenue’s Hall of Fame. Move over, Mr. Whipple.

Growing up the youngest of three in Stony Point, N.Y., about 30 miles north of Manhattan, she was drawn to the stage.

“People say, ‘What are your hobbies?’ I say, ‘I’ve been doing shows ever since I was a kid.’ When I left college, all I wanted to be was a musical theater chick. I auditioned tons. It just didn’t pan out.” After a friend dared her to get up at a comedy club’s open-mike night, Courtney had a new obsession. She moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in the training program for the Groundlings comedy troupe, working her way up to the 30-person main company in 2004.

Lots of laughs. No money. So she held down a variety of jobs, her fallback being catering. “Have tux, will serve crab cakes,” she quips.

She landed sporadic acting jobs during this period.

“I was a switchboard operator on the first season of ‘Mad Men,’ ” she says. “I was the oldest and bitterest. The cat glasses and the cigarettes. That was so fun.” She also had a recurring role on a short-lived ABC sitcom that was, mirabile scriptu, based on an insurance ad campaign.

“I was a boss on ‘Cavemen,’ ” she says. “That was portentous.” Courtney also tried out for commercials but was about to abandon those efforts in 2007.

“I landed about one a year,” she says. “Just enough to make me question the gas money and all the driving in rush hour. When you audition for commercials, it’s a lot of driving. What I netted wasn’t exactly matching the hours I was putting in. I figured I’m not a face that makes people want to buy Lysol. Then I auditioned for Progressive.”

She has now shot more than 30 TV spots as Flo. “Usually when they’ve covered everything in the script and there’s still a little time left at the end,” she says, “they’ll say, ‘Let’s throw out some fun stuff.’ ” That’s when Courtney’s musical theater training kicks in and she’ll have Flo belt out a few lines.

“They all look at each other and say: ‘Great. Let’s try something else.’ ”

Source: washingtonpost.com

Crushin’ on Flo? You’re not alone.

Hundreds have professed their love for Flo, safe behind the anonymity of the Internet. “I don’t know what it is about her,” one person wrote. “Maybe it’s the quirky fun-loving attitude she seems to exume. Maybe its her big blue eyes or her smile or her hair or the way she talks. I don’t know, but the fact is, I think she is extremely hot.”

Another created a myspace page, detailing how far he’d be willing to go for Flo’s affection. And what does Flo think of all this? Or rather, Stephanie Courtney, the 41-year-old actress who — after two hours of hair and makeup work — is transformed into the bubbly, bursting, wise-cracking insurance pitch woman.

“No one is more surprised than me. I mean, holy cow,” she said. “I don’t think Flo puts out any sort of vibes at all, but God bless America if they think she’s cute.”

So who is Courtney, and is she anything like the character who so many are swooning over? Not really, Courtney says. She said the character is a highly exaggerated version of herself, with a little bit of her mom thrown in.

And, while Flo appears single, Courtney was married last year to the lighting director for the live improv troupe the Groundlings, which she performs with in Los Angles five nights a week.

When she’s not doing that, or filming her latest Progressive spot, Courtney is auditioning for parts on TV and in movies. That’s resulted in a reoccurring part on the hit show “Mad Men” and smaller roles in Hollywood movies like “The Heartbreak Kid” and “Blades of Glory.”

She even came face to face with Geico’s caveman character in two episodes of the short-lived sitcom that stemmed from their advertisements. A total coincidence, Courtney said, since she got the Progressive part well after the “Cavemen” episodes were filmed.

Courtney talked about Flo during a phone interview from her home in Los Angeles.
What do you think of your new-found fame?

There are parts of it that tickle me a lot more than others. The Halloween costume, the fact that people dress up as Flo, that makes me so happy. That’s one of the highest compliments. I love that so much. You’re not expected to love commercials, but the fact that people enjoy them makes me extremely happy because I know that some people don’t get a choice what commercials they have to watch during a show. It makes me relieved and happy and thinking that we’re sort of the right track.
And the Internet crushes?

Before any of this, I was just a character actor. I played the wacky neighbor, the difficult coworker and all sort of colors in between there. It’s hilarious to me.
Do you read the things people write about you online?

Oh my God, I stay off the boards. Man oh man, I’m sort of a technophobe anyway. I only remember anything bad. I don’t remember any of the good stuff. So I’m just sort of like maybe if I don’t see any of it, I’ll be fine.
Do people ever recognize you on the street?

Sometimes if I’m all gussied up for an audition, then I’ve got makeup on and my hair is done a little more, then they can find the clues that solve the mystery. But one time I had no makeup on at all and there was this guy in a restaurant I was in. I was talking to my nephew and he was like “Oh, I recognize that voice!” So that was kind of cool.
How did the Flo character develop?

Progressive definitely wanted her to be a character. And I just sort of figured I’d go in a very positive way. She just loves everything. And I think that’s also what they wanted, too. I just eventually morphed into a very, very positive version of my mom. But, of course, amped up to 1,000. For me it was about how can I complement every molecule of this person.
Did you tell your mom she was the basis for the character?

Uh oh, she’ll probably be finding that out.
Do you think your improv experience helped with Flo?

It helped me relax in the room and be flexible. It puts you in a very ready place to play and be open to suggestions and not be afraid of changing up what your original idea was.
Do you have any crossover fans who like you as Flo and come see your improv shows?

More these days. I’m so used to people not really knowing, because me out of that makeup and out of that hair and everything is a whole different story. I think more people are putting it together. I did an improv show in Louisville and some guys had driven from Tennessee or something like that. So that was cool. In Los Angeles, I don’t see that so much.
Have you been in any other commercials?

Long ago, the first commercial I booked was a Bud Light commercial where two guys are buying beer and they only have enough money for either beer or toilet paper. I was in the background. That was my first audition, and it was just like this crazy Superbowl commercial. And I was like, I’ll quit all my day jobs! And then that dried up, and then I had to call back to all my day jobs. I’ve been in a few. I’ve never been one to book a ton of commercials. I was in a Skittles one that was fun. A guy with his magical powers where everything he touched turned into Skittles. It’s really cute, it’s online. But nothing like Progressive, I’ll tell you that.
What is Flo like when she leaves the Progressive superstore?

When I picture Flo in life she drives her little Mini Cooper around town and it’s basically like when Bob Hoskins drove into Toontown in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Basically all the buildings and the birds are singing in her mind. And little humming birds are like “Hello Flo! Bye Flo!” So I think that’s how she sees the world: just a great big Toontown. And I think she’s just so excited for any good quality she sees in a person. She’s just beyond happy for them; if it’s a cute sweater, or they picked a great insurance. She’s just beside herself. It’s made her day.
Why does Flo love insurance so much?

I think she digs the idea that everyone’s covered out there in the world. She also really digs handling those boxes. She just loves the pretty boxes with the pictures on it. As much as she loves people being safe, she loves “Here’s a box! Oh, good for you!”
So you’re saying she’s not too complex?

People want to give the commercial some sub-text, but I’m telling you with Flo it’s all text. As written. Although, I noticed she tends to really like biker guys.

By Randy Roguski, The Plain Dealer