Liberty Mutual ad review: no safe harbor from bad humor

1. As much as I despise Limu and Doug, what about “wet teddy bears?”

   1. Don’t you worry, Sheryl. Uncle Cranky’s got you covered.

      Read my review of Liberty Mutual’s “wet teddy bears” commercial here.

   2. Another ridiculous ad from Liberty. I suggest everyone stops doing business with those idiots.

2. This web site is right up my alley. I think TV ads are to our times what TB was to the 19th century. Mad Men was the greatest dramedy, bar none, ever on television. I wrote a book that devotes several dozen pages to how TV ads not only dumb us down, but destroy narrative content of whatever it touches. (Who cares about sitccoms, but I’m talking about every movie not on TCM or the subscription channels.) But I am here to listen, not talk. Very grateful that someone hates this drivel as much as me – if that is indeed possible. I can’t wait to read the comments above, as I’ll wager many of them are from disgruntled current or ex- Madison Ave. types.

3. Liberty mutual commercials make me hate the comp

   1. Welcome to the party, David! They don’t give me the warm and fuzzies, either.

4. As a former Mad Woman who spent days evaluating creative & marketing approaches to develop commercials, the current commercials are testimonies to the dumbing of America. A one-liner and an attempt at a joke (bad) is all they have. The problem is some “creatives” have followed Mutual’s one-liner with their own. Allstate’s “You can get 20% discount now,” repeated & repeated. And what is it with the car accident in the desert commercial, within a commercial. Even Geico have given up their gecko. Who cares about Progressive’s personalities.

   1. Norma, I agree with you 100%. So many advertising “creatives” today have no clue. Selling? What’s that? I get to write a funny ad my friends and family will see on TV! YOLO!!

      And it’s all just a game of Follow the Leader. Geckos beget emus beget bears that don’t shit in the woods. It’s all so tiresome.

      Clearly, today’s young creatives have never read Bob Garfield’s book, “And Now a Few Words From Me.” In it, Bob observes that too often, advertisers mistake awareness of their work for affection.

      In one of my favorite passages, he says:

      “… Attention and awareness are secondary benefits; they should never be the goal. As the drunken buffoon who puts the lampshade on his head knows only too well, attention doesn’t in and of itself win friends. There is no point in getting everybody’s attention if you have nothing to offer once you have it. What people do then is just nervously edge away.”

      I bet you’re glad to be out of the business. Too bad you can’t escape the ads!

      Thank you for writing – and for sharing your thoughts as a former creative.

   2. Liberty Mutual ads were horrible enough without adding that two-bit liberty liberty liberty LIB ER TY “musical” shit. We have their auto insurance & it’s beyond horrible. This only made worse with their ALL their exceedingly stupid hourly ads. And if all the others weren’t bad enough the one with the woman lowered from the ceiling by her crotch isn’t bad enough, the idiocy proceeds with a another woman diving thru her living room window, a kid who slides across god knows what destroying everthing in this path & the wheelchair grandma that crashes thru a wall. The premise of the ad is so bizarre it’s unbelievable. Like we’re all paying into insurance that covers incidents like this???? And we think the QaNONSENSE iidiots area beyond the pale????

      1. You make a lot of great points, Dumped — but why’d you have to go and funk it up with the political junk?

         By the way, if Q turns out to be right, you know I’m going to remind you of this post. 😛

         For anyone else who’s curious, here is an interesting introduction to what he’s talking about.

         https://unshackledminds.com/the-fall-of-the-cabal/

         1. Excellent! I have a couple of friends who mouth their politics in the company of strangers, similar to that QAnon reference; it’s not only annoying, it serves to threaten current friendships. I am thoroughly onboard with your plan (to point out the tendency to reduce disagreement to political schisms).

            1. Thanks. It may be true that “everything is political,” but there’s a big difference between relevant discussion and spewing a bunch of vitriol out of left field.

               Appreciate the comment!

5. If I were being beaten to death by a barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat in the middle of a Turkish prison yard in the hot sun and the warden came out and said “I cannot only make this stop, but I will free you from these walls if you accept this complementary liberty mutual insurance policy”, I would beg for death.

   All of the insurance commercials are low-brow stupid and annoying, but this is a different kind of animal. That jingle is some sort of weaponized psychological warfare experiment meant to damage the psyche permanently.

   I don’t hit the mute button but instead change the channel in hopes that the ratings monitors will somehow pick up on how these hideous commercials are impacting viewership.

   Out of curiosity, I recently called liberty mutual and spoke to one of their customer service representatives and asked them if they ever got any complaints on this abomination campaign, the customer service rep said “every day”.

   I was just looking at some comments on LM’s YouTube channel, and they were all glowing. I thought to myself that these are either paid bots, extreme morons, or heavily censored.

   Either way, thank you for allowing a platform to vent about this most evil attack on humanity. Thank you for the ability to learn that I am not alone in these feelings and that there just may be a small spark of hope.

   1. Great post, Michael! I love your idea of changing the channel in hopes that the ratings people might see a correlation between these ads and customer disengagement. And I also appreciate your anecdote about calling a Liberty Mutual CSR to ask about consumer complaints.

      Sad to hear that while the complaints are many, the company keeps running the ads.

      But, maybe there’s good news. I checked Liberty Mutual’s Q2 2020 financial performance and it appears the company lost $320 million. Blamed on COVID, of course. Meanwhile, Allstate reported a net income of $1.2 billion for the same period. I didn’t dig deep into the numbers, but I couldn’t help but wonder if consumers aren’t making them pay for subjecting us to all of their stupid ads.

      Thanks for posting, Michael. Don’t be a stranger!

      1. EVERYONE out there is rooting for the bankruptcy and ultimate demise of liberty mutual for the same reason. LM’s ads are so bad, so utterly painful, so mind numbing horrific, so obnoxious, so damn STUPID and they are pounding us all with those pathetic ads constantly, we all want them to go out of business to stop the ads.

         Their ads are so bad, instead of people rushing out to buy their insurance, people are switching to other companies to put LM out of business to stop the ads. Pathetic!

         1. Once upon a time, Michael, your assessment of Liberty Mutual’s ads may have been considered hyperbole. But not anymore. The latest ads are a whole new level of galactically stupid.

   2. LIMU emu………….

      and Doug

6. Either Doug is going to swallow that tooth pick or a kid emulating Doug is going to swallow a tooth pick. Liberty Mutual should know better than to demonstrate commercials using bad habits.

   1. Chewing on toothpicks, speeding recklessly down highways . . . You’re right, Daraus. What’s next? Will Doug and LiMu waterski over a shark tank? Because this dynamic duo jumped the shark a long time ago.

      Thanks for reading!

7. The Liberty Mutual ads have to be some of the most anal, obnoxious ads out there. I have to mute the TV each time one comes on or I go into a rage. Anyone who would buy insurance from a company who thinks insurance is such a big joke should have their head examined.

   1. Well the vote might be still out on the most anal. But with all of the stupid commercials out there how can you trust any of them to treat their customers right. I would never buy insurance from Liberty.

8. Can’t stand the one with the actor mispronouncing Liberty Mutual and the female director saying “Cut!” in the most annoying voice/tone imaginable. Also despise the Acapella one with the person of color improvsing and the white singers give him dirty looks. Seems racist to me.

   1. Oh, those acapella shorts. Here’s a mashup of them. Check out the YouTube comments. I agree with the person who said that every single person involved in these ads should be brought up on charges.

      
      
      

      But “racist,” Faraz? Nah.

      1. Seems racist to me. Playing off the trope that white people follow rules and POC just want to break rules.

         1. Interesting take. To me it just looked like another lame attempt to be funny by showing two singers looking surprised at the third singer’s improvisation — whether they thought it was good or bad is open to interpretation.

9. The Emu and Doug on a motorcycle commercial is the most obnoxious thing I’ve ever seen on television. And it is played over and over and over. The mute has to be near because it starts off loud and grating immediately. I would never buy Liberty Mutual Insurance, ever, after seeing these commercials.

   1. We live in a world of repetitive irritation. Call this well funded tv advertising stuff brainwashing for the stupid in a lot of cases. Anyone who follows Liberty Mutual in any way must surely be out of touch. Consider the same thing from asshole lying tv lawyers, and countless other venues that just plain aim at repetitive greed to get your money. Nothing that I have to tolerate irritates me as much as liberty liberty liberty liberty. I would take my chances and go without insurance if my only choice was LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE!

      1. WELCOME TO 2020, THE YEAR THE RACE FOR THE BOTTOM BEGAN, LIBERTY MUTUAL IS IN THE LEAD, WITH PROGRESSIVE, GEICO, AND ALLSTATE CLOSING THE GAP, THE TRUE WINNER TO THIS POINT, IS MY MUTE BUTTON

   2. I must agree with you, and then some. Liberty Mutual consistently has the most unctuous and idiotic ads on TV. And when Brad & LiMu Emu are on, my hand AUTOMATICALLY reaches for the MUTE button!
      They make me ashamed to be a LiMu customer.

      1. See, this is amazing to me. An entire industry of creative rockstar wannabes thinks they’re smarter than all the rest of us — but their work is so reviled that even existing customers are embarrassed to support the brand.

         Liberty Mutual and other advertisers, think about that for a moment.

         Thanks for reading.

10. I mute or change channels at first glimpse of ANY Liberty Mutual commercial. The character Doug drives me crazy. He is a split-toothed, 70s moustache and greasy hair character, who reminds me of a low IQ criminal re-entering the job market. I’m sure David Hoffman, the actor, is laughing all the way to the bank. But, guess what Liberty Mutual? There is no f’ing way I would EVER consider contacting your company to purchase insurance. Check out the BBB website for times Liberty Mutual Insurance Company has fallen short of their promises. Thank you for this forum to express my opinion.

    1. You’re right, Ellen. The LiMu Emu commercials started out bad but have become increasingly shrill. The most recent ads with the high-speed road chases, sirens, and shouting are a cacophony of stupid, and I’m convinced that Liberty and its agency are both well aware of it.

       I think they just don’t care so long as they’re getting our attention. Which in my book, makes them one of the worst kinds of advertisers.

       Keep that mute button handy and thanks for reading!

    2. I find the Limu Emu commercials irritating and moronic. Doug’s voice is irritating and grating. I would go out of my way not to get their insurance. Why would any insurance company worth its salt charge you for stuff you do not need. Do they seriously think they are doing you a favor for not charging you for what you don’t need. I cannot believe they actually pay to create and run these commercials.

11. Face it. Commercials for “liberty” insurance are anti-male at a minimum. Virtually every commercials depicts a shabbily dressed male and usually a sensibly dressed female. The male is depicted as totally inept, bumbling and lazy and in need of prompting to say his “lines”. Those responsible for those commercials are either female or self-loathing males (here I must state due to legal reasons, this my “opinion”.), but I suggest that it is not mine alone. Are they not aware that males purchase the majority of insurance policies?

    I also wonder if the boy in the commercials, wearing a yellow shirt (I refuse to add additional description) is not ashamed of what he is doing? Maybe he should be. Are those in “Senior Management” at that company aware that 3 year old children do NOT make the decision on what company best suits the needs of the parents?

    The majority of insurance companies that advertise on national television seem to be in a race as to who can make the most immature commercials (again, my “opinion”)

    1. The ultimate elephant in the room is what you left out. …”white” males are always depicted as bumbling morons on almost every commercial today. Doesn’t help with kids watching of every race who will assume white men are actually like this. The NAACP fought this very thing when blacks were portrayed and stereotyped in commercials. Now every commercial has blacks depicted as Superior and held in high esteem. Why not portray everyone as equal and not the same ones always the brunt of every joke. Too much political correctness today.

       1. Thank you for broaching this subject, James. Yes, white males are almost universally reduced to bumbling idiots in today’s TV advertising, and I agree that it’s unhealthy. (Just look at the “Peloton Husband” to see how willing some people are nowadays to malign white men who aren’t made to look weak or dumb.) I’d much rather that advertisers stuck to selling products than pushing social agendas, but such is the state of advertising. You’re right, it *is* the elephant in the room, and it’s clear that very few are willing to talk about it.

          I’ve been contemplating a blog post on this subject . . . Stay tuned.

12. Seems that Emus (Australian) eat lizards (Australian geckos) among other things. Go figure!

    1. Now there’s an idea for a LiMu Emu commercial! Unlike any of the emu ads so far, that would actually be funny.

13. They don’t make any sense. What the hell does an emu have to do with insurance? Limu the emu…..STFU. Exactly in the same way “geico” has used a lizard to annoy the hell out of the country because geico and gecko are similar. We get a Limu the emu and I cannot for the love of me, figure out why? They’re people somewhere in an office actually getting paid to come up with this crap. You could literally insert any animal and give it a name that rhymes and it would have just as much to do with insurance as “limu”. Not that I’ve ever previously heard a name “limu”. I’d rather die than purchase your product.

    1. I’ll tell you how this happens, Nate. A bunch of copywriters and graphic designers get together and throw a bunch of shit at a wall. Some of it sticks. The problem is, it’s still shit.

       But they sell the piece of crap to the client as this hugely innovative idea that’s just so, so funny and memorable. “Hey, everyone, look at us!” the Liberty Mutual people say. “Now we have a mascot too!”

       All involved clap themselves on the back and congratulate each other as the media buyer spends millions of dollars to carpet-bomb the living shit out of an unsuspecting populace, and the rest is history.

       Until someone with sense realizes that the campaign sucks, half of everyone hates it, and any benefit to sales is the result of the media buy rather than the ads themselves. Then the ads get pulled, the agency gets fired, and the client puts out an RFP to find a new shop.

       Circle of life, my friend. We’re all just along for the ride.

       1. IMAGINE HOW MANY CLAIMS COULD BE PAID, RATHER THAN BUYING TRASH TV TIME…………………….

          1. Do the math they are spending around $3 for every known American citizen, incredible !

             1. How did you arrive at that number, may I ask? Have you seen Liberty’s TV ad budget for this year?

    2. but now they have the bad actor Doug chasing down a couple of women on the highway screaming to “take his hand” – “I can save you” while traveling at speed. So dangerous – I have a friend that was hit in the parking lot at her job, $2000 in damage and the VW dealership said that Liberty Mutual would only pay for Junkyard parts – News Flash – invest in customer service instead of junk yard parts to help your clients. Can’t afford new parts, insurance is mandatory to license a car in almost every state, so… win customers with value stories instead of stupid commercials that cost millions of dollars to run each week. Thank god for Hulu!

       1. Hi, Aaron. Thanks for bringing up that new ad with Doug and LiMu Emu speeding down the highway after another car. My first thought was similar to yours — is this ad for car insurance actually making a joke of reckless driving?

          The mind reels.

          This campaign continues to be one of the worst I have ever seen.

          Thanks for writing!

          1. Dislike all of their commercials

          2. They don’t check the legality of their commercials, either. Racing down the road yelling at a passenger they’re too close to .. if seen by a police officer .. Doug would immediately be cited for reckless driving. And, LibMu doesn’t even know that running a flashing blue light on the top of the car is a Vehicle Code violation in every state in the US. Flashing blue lights are restricted to emergency vehicles ONLY. Oh. And don’t forget Doug is chewing on his toothpick.

             The ad in the gym on the treadmill .. street shoes aren’t allowed .. nor are big birds! Can you imagine getting to the treadmill only to find the emu cra**ed all over it?

             Then .. the kids jumping rope .. the calendar moves ahead and you’re looking at three people all wearing white who appear to be around 125 years old. Poor quality wig on the old guy on the left .. it’s like one a child would wear on Halloween and it shows. But .. it’s *completely* offensive to older people. It’s demeaning and disrespectful. I’m 79, still work full-time and am totally insulted. LibMu has no respect for any demographic .. they insult and demean them all at will.

             Another new one … the long-haired blond guy who needs to wash his hair .. and his long-haired blond dog. Ever notice how when the dog puts his paw up .. it’s fake? Fur on a stick .. it’s not anywhere near looking right .. very poor production. The part that’s almost funny is when the long, dirty-haired guy is scratching the fleas in his hair along with the dog with the fake leg scratching his.

             I think the ad agency is the kindergarten class from the local school. Everything about them is poor … concept, all levels of production .. and those they sell that garbage to apparently don’t know people are changing channels or muting it. I’ve all but stopped watching anything on NBC. They endlessly run LibMu ads .. at least every 10-15 minutes .. sometimes more.

             So consider, everybody, if one station is running WAY TOO MANY of those ads, call the station, too!! Let them know they’ve overdone it and are not watching them anymore. That’s a financial loss .. might cause them to think a bit.

       2. This is the only Liberty ad that makes me cringe. Yelling, “give me your hand, I can save you…” then, “…money on your insurance”. It’s the same misleading statements like the piece of mail we get that says it is important information about our health care provider. Then open it, to find it’s an ad for health insurance, with an application to purchase insurance. Misleading, borderline dishonest.

          1. I actually think that line is clever, but it’s the only thing clever about that ad. The entire premise with the high-speed chase is just mind boggling coming from a car insurance provider.

             As for the direct mail you mentioned — yup, shady. That’s the kind of stuff that gives marketing a bad name.

             I once sat through a meeting in which a fellow copywriter pitched idea after idea like that. “We’ll make it look like an invoice.” “We’ll make it look like an official government document.” He did so without shame.

             I gagged. The client ate it up.

             People really can be shit sometimes.

14. I am so annoyed by these commercials I wouldn’t take their insurance if it was free. Thank God for the mute button.

    1. I agree I hate them and the newest one with the thespian lady drawing a caricature of the dufus camera guy eating a long sandwich is one of the stupidest commercials I’ve ever seen! I don’t get it

15. The newest ad with “Doug” speaking into several microphones is awful. And the pandering to Spanish speakers, yuck.

    1. Absolutely! And the “we have to get back to our important work…”, like they’re a community non-profit or something.
       Gimme a break!
       That said, I do think their “struggling actor” ad was well-written. But it’s the only one, and their jingle drives me nuts every time I hear it.

    2. Awful, yes. At least Liberty is consistent, eh?

16. There is a reserved circle in hell for the people who greenlit these ads.

    1. Yes, Leonardo. It’s probably called Cannes South, and hot though it may be, everyone there still only cares about winning awards and the admiration of their peers.

    2. Most of Geico and Progressive’s Flo Commercials are clever and funny. Liberty Mutual commercials are simply lame.

       1. I also hate the esurance commercials with Dennis Quaid. Is he hurting for jobs?

          1. Oh, Rae! I liked that campaign, rating it four highly likable spokespeople out of five.

    3. Liberty mutual is off the board next time I need insurance. Stupid pandering to dumb down the customers.

       1. You’re not alone, Joe. Unfortunately, too many advertisers still don’t understand that just as good advertising can increase sales, bad advertising can turn people away.

    4. those commercials are worse than robo calls, every chanel and never ending. I can at least block the robo calls

17. I would never get Liberty Mutual, Most because the ads suck so much and they turn me off

    1. We’re alike, Dan. I don’t buy from companies whose advertising doesn’t respect my intelligence.

18. All that money spent on advertising a commodity product. What a waste.

    1. I watch a lot of the Turner Classic Movie channel, since they have no commercials. Then I tape everything else that I want to watch so when I watch the other programs I can simply fast forward through all of the commercials and I avoid them, life without commercials is the best thing ever! I got sick and tired of having to watch their commercials.

       Personally I think since we have to pay out so much money for cable TV etc, we shouldn’t even have to even see any commercials at all.

    2. Yes, Gary. All that money spent simply to keep the company name in the minds of prospective buyers.

       It would be nice if Liberty’s ads did a little more — such as try to educate people about insurance and create more informed consumers.

       But nah, I’m sure it’s more fun to conjure madcap capers for a giant flightless bird.

19. LibMut saturation tv ads are like carpet bombing. Does not the company evaluate the effect of their advertising? I hate them. And apparently I am not alone. Grrrrrrrr!

    1. Hi, Susan. Yes, Liberty Mutual does measure the effects of its advertising. But to date, so far as I am aware, the company has avoided making public any sales attribution numbers, preferring instead to tout soft and mostly useless metrics such as brand recall (the number of people who associate the ads with Liberty Mutual).

       I’m not sure how they can credit the emu for this when every ad ends with that idiot jingle which literally just sings the company name four times.

       Thanks for stopping by.

20. For the people who say, “Yeah, but you know our name now”, we may know the name but that only reminds us to stay away because your commercials insult our intelligence therefore why would we go with a company who thinks we’re stupid?
    I kind of wish I didn’t read your blog on this because now in addition to cringing every time I see the Liberty commercials, I get angry when I hear them insinuate that they’re the only ones who customize their insurance (pay for what you need).
    Unless your blog happens to get in the hands of someone who can actually do something about these ridiculous ads then I’m not sorry.
    Great. Now I want a Reese’s Cup.

    1. Great point, Nancy. Brands don’t benefit much from people knowing them if they are connected to commercials we hate.

       And I’m sorry to give you one more reason to dislike the Liberty Mutual ads. The more you know, right?

       Enjoy your Reese’s cup! I love those, too. (Their ads, not so much. Sorry. Not sorry!) 😛

21. I knew other people had to feel the same way, which is why I did the internet search and found your article. I get the sense these commercials were created by kids that were kicked out of their parents basement and found their first job with this advertising agency. Also, I take offense to Liberty Mutual using the Statue of Liberty as one of their props. Yes, I am one of those people who will never consider this insurance company solely because of their commercials. There I said it! Now I feel better.

    1. I agree, Anthony. I really dislike Liberty Mutual’s use of the Statue of Liberty as a cheap prop in the backgrounds of its TV commercials. I might not mind it as much if the company stood for something — anything — resembling basic human values. But given the direction of the company’s advertising, the use of the Statue of Liberty seems disrespectful and wrong.

       Thanks for your comment.

22. Whew! I thought it was just me who hated those commercials. But maybe they listened to you cuz their latest commercial with the young guy standing by the water, going through so many takes for the ad is right up my alley. Very funny and subtle.
    “ What if I come out of the water?”

    1. Alas, Pepper, I skewered Liberty Mutual’s latest ads too, including the one with the bad actor who can’t say his lines. But I agree with you about “What if I come out of the water?” That’s actually pretty funny.

23. Absurd is the new goal in most of these commercials, who can get more absurd. Liberty Mutual with their silly running team of a guy and an emu, Progressive with their team of white uniformed stars of absurdity, add to them GEICO getting more and more absurd, senseless, and meaningless. I know they are at this point looking for name recognition but it is also coming with quite a baggage of repulsive imagery and characters.

    1. I’m sure it’s a challenge for advertisers to keep brands top-of-mind in new and interesting ways. But I agree, too much of what we see during commercial breaks today is stupefyingly bad.

       Thanks for sharing your comment!

24. This speaks to my soul! All Liberty Mutual ads are so stupid and annoying. They are even worse now since they have transitioned from stupid actor testimonials to their dumbass comedy schtick. And that jingle makes me cringe everytime!

    1. Well then, Anonymous, you’ll be disappointed to hear that Liberty’s latest commercials combine the worst elements of both the stupid actor testimonials and the dumb-ass comedy schtick. Check ’em out: https://thecrankycreative.com/liberty-mutual-ad-review-zoltar-and-other-bad-ideas/

25. I googled liberty mutual commercials to see how many folks hate them as much as I do. I scramble for my remote every time I see one about to air. Unfortunately, I seen a new one today that is just as stupid. What put me way over the top is when they added the jingle at the end which is literally worst than fingernails on a chalkboard. I really don’t think the advertisement company cares what we think which is obvious because they get more stupid with each new one.

    1. Hi, Sharon. You are not alone, believe me. Liberty Mutual TV commercials are a special kind of irritating — and I have the search traffic to prove it. How Liberty and its ad agency think this is good work is beyond me. Especially that jingle. It’s like nails on a chalkboard, as you said. Keep that remote handy!

       1. They were once seen as reputable. Now I see them as idiotic. Who in the world is creating these abominations. Oh, no… who in the world is approving these stupid commercials. Certainly not me.

    2. The latest one has a high pitch beep every few seconds. So annoying I came here. That alone would stop me from buying anything from them whatsoever.

       1. Hi, Alan. Are you referring to the “Bad Job” ad with the struggling actor? (Video and review here: https://thecrankycreative.com/liberty-mutual-ad-review-zoltar-and-other-bad-ideas/)

          You’d better believe the concept and BEEP BEEP BEEPing are intentional. Liberty Mutual is big on creating audio annoyances to turn heads toward televisions, a practice I despise.

          Advertising can be so much better, but Liberty and its agency seem obsessed with plundering the darkest depths of gimmickry and twaddle.

26. Lol glad I’m not the only one thinking this. Its like the head of creative is that dude in class who always thought he was funny but isnt. Whoever their ad agency is, they should fire them.

    1. Liberty’s ad agency is Goodby, Silverstein and Partners. A once-great agency responsible for the legendary “Got Milk?” campaign.

       You’d never guess it, but it’s true.

       Thanks for visiting!

       1. I’d like to say

          “Goodby” to these commercials. They force me to constantly change the channel when they com on. Great work, Goodby!

          1. Ha! I like the cut of your jib, Anonymous!

27. it is hard to believe that Liberty Mutual both approved and paid for those commericials. Equally hard to believe that some agency is putting this stuff out as a product.

    I mute the sound as soon as I hear witness protection guy’s altered voice. Does anyone have any idea how to get the ear of the company?

    1. Oh, Julie, you aren’t kidding about that witness protection guy’s voice. I do the same as you — lunge for the remote as fast as I can. Like you, I can’t believe they brought that ad back. It’s the one I hear people complain about most often when the conversation turns to television commercials.

       If you want to give Liberty Mutual a piece of your mind, you can leave a comment on the company’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/libertymutual/) and/or Twitter page (https://twitter.com/LibertyMutual). Tweet them directly at @LibertyMutual and add a #LibertyMutual for good measure.

       Let us know if you get a reply!

28. Rob
    I love this blog and I like your copy ideas for Liberty Mutual. They have been running so many ads in the last couple months, there has to be a bump in their customer acquisition. Imagine if it was creative copy that inspired us instead of disgusted us. Liberty Mutual, the name has great connotations and has to have high brand awareness. What the creative Dept has come up with lately is embarrassing to say the least!

    1. Hi, Jim. Thanks for the compliments! I agree — there’s so much potential in the Liberty Mutual name. But LM has clearly decided to pursue the “funny” route with its commercials. Time will tell how that works out for them.

       Happy Fourth!

29. Hi Rob,

    Thanks for this forum! I knew I wasn’t alone in feeling overly irritated by the LM commercials. As someone who has spent 40 years in the ad / creative agency business, it seems clear to me that Liberty is trying to work the other guys’ side of the street– and doing a really bad job of it.

    Too bad LM doesn’t have management with the knowledge and experience to realize that if they are getting an upswing in quote requests, it’s likely in spite of their creative, not because of it… Considering the saturation they appear to be buying, in my observation, they are bound to see increased inquiries. Imagine how huge their ROI would be if their ads connected with prospective customers by offering value and service, instead of annoying them!

    Mark

    1. Great post, Mark! The sheer size of Liberty’s ad spend is enough to guarantee a rise in quotes. And you’re right, that key metric, return on investment, would be in a whole different league if the company and its agency had built a campaign on real, meaningful advantages instead of the Big-Bird buffoonery they have now.

       If the goal of advertisers today is simply to “out-whacky” each other, then it’s only a matter of time before companies realize they don’t need ad agencies at all. They’re fully capable of coming up with bad ideas themselves.

       As a bonus, then they’d get to pretend they’re rock stars, too!

       Thanks for writing.

       1. Rob, good observations! It just seems like someone in LM’s management would see these ads as pathetic. Maybe they do but are not “at Liberty” to state their opposition. Like maybe the CEO thinks these ads are funnier, more cleaver than Geico or Progressive. They are not. They are just stupid. I’m not sure why they bug me so much… Could be I’m imagining they won’t meet their sales goals and will end up thinking that advertising just doesn’t work.

          I’ve never done this before, but I actually sent and email to LM expressing how annoying I think their tv spots are. I’m guessing it will fall on deaf ears– unless, others negative-message them too. These ads are so annoying and on so often, I suppose it could happen! I hope so.

          Thank you for your insights Rob.

          1. Hey! Good for you for telling Liberty what you think. Good companies value our feedback and consider it for future campaigns.

             Rest assured, Liberty is getting an earful.

30. I agree that Liberty mutual adds are bad. But the newest with Emu and Doug are the worst. These adds made me choose Allstate and I didnt even compare LM’s prices.

    1. Hi, Craig. I know people in the industry who scoff at the idea that any consumer would avoid a brand strictly on the basis of the advertising. But I think those advertisers are short-sighted. Bad ads can give a brand a bad name.

       In any case, good luck with Allstate. And stay tuned, because I have a bone to pick with that company’s “Mayhem” mascot in my very next ad review.

       Thanks for commenting!

31. I work in radio, and I can tell you Liberty’s radio ads are just as annoying as the TV campaigns. Before Limu Emu, they had some guy who would — and I’m not kidding — describe their print ads and billboards. Ugh.

    1. Hi, Don! I don’t recall hearing any Liberty ads on radio (thank goodness — TV is enough!), but those sound terrible.

       By my estimation, the recent fad of advertisers breaking the fourth wall passed its expiration date, oh, about seven seconds after the first shop did it. That so many agencies jumped on the bandwagon so quickly just goes to show how bankrupt of ideas the industry is.

       Where are the adults in the room to say, “This idea kind of stinks,” or, “This has been done before”?

       On the other hand, it’s not entirely their fault. The clients keep buying it.

       Advertising needs a renaissance!

       Thanks for writing.

    2. I’ve worked in radio too. Terrible ads torture board operators, call screeners and production personnel.

32. Love your proposed copy and ideas! Let’s just say I’m in the waning years of my creative career, and for years the humor and creative of TV commercials have yelled to me that they were created by thirty-somethings, or younger. There’s just a different sense of humor and creativity. Smart humor and creativity, the AHA moments are severely lacking. I can’t tell you how many times my 89-year-old mother has asked me, “what is that commercial about?”

    1. Hi, Beth! Yes, I feel that way too — that most of today’s ads must be driven by 30-somethings or younger. Not that there aren’t young people doing good work out there, but most of it is swill, devoid of ideas that have any power to connect with potential buyers.

       One of my former copy colleagues, commenting on the Chevy “Real People” post, shared with me an ad he does like — the “Check On the Baby” spot from AT&T. He’s right — this is the kind of work we’ve been missing, and I’d like to see more of it.

       https://www.ispot.tv/ad/I8u2/at-and-t-fiber-and-directv-check-on-the-baby#

       Thanks for reading!

    2. It actually seems like these commercials were created by 20 year olds or younger to cut cost perhaps?. Can’t possibly be created by mature adults that has been in this business for any length of time.

       1. Hi, Betty. Alas, I think you’re right. Liberty Mutual ads (and so many others) appear to be the product of younger creatives who wouldn’t know effective advertising if it hit them in the face. But, you know, the kids would rather be funny or “creative” anyway.

          Give it time. If the ads don’t perform — and so far, to my knowledge, Liberty has only revealed vague stats about “ad recall” and “awareness” — they will make a change eventually.

33. My God I’m not alone in the wilderness! Thank you thank you thank you! And the new “jingle” reminds me of the SNL skit “chopping broccoli”. “Oh my God these fools actually bought it?”

    1. Hi, Duke. Thanks for your comment. You get extra points for the “chopping broccoli” reference, which made me LOL.

       I think these ads could well be used as part of a mental competency exam. If they make you cringe your face off, you’re sane.

       Stay tuned — my next post will be a review of the “LiMu Emu” ads. *makes gagging sounds*

34. Hey Rob,
    I have a friend that works at Liberty. Since the “Brad” ads I’ve made it a point to tell him when each new commercial comes out how terrible these are even compared to the obnoxious Flo from Progressive ads.

    1. Hi, Justin. Thanks for chiding your friend about his company’s terrible ads. Liberty is definitely getting an earful, but its round-the-clock carpet bombing of TV commercials must be driving enough new quotes and customers that they just don’t care.

       And Flo. Don’t even get me started on her and that Mayhem guy.

35. I’m intrigued by how Liberty Mutual’s decision to spend $2.37 for their new grade school quality jingle (as if the CEO was personally pissed off at their former marketing agency). And who was in the focus group that inspired a new low in tv commercials. Anyone familiar with the P&C insurance market knows that any carrier who is a “mutual” company will NOT dare attempt the financial stunts that other carriers paid millions to employ “lowball, stonewall & curveball” tactics as bad faith law firms would be on a mutual insurer like dots on dice and could treble their demands in punitive damages. I find it disheartening that Liberty has followed the path of pure profits over their decades of honorable operations

    1. Hi, Doc! You ask some good questions. What the hell is going on at Liberty Mutual? Is the company’s management really not seeing the angry posts on web forums and all over their own social media pages? Maybe they don’t care so long as sales keep up. One thing I do know: This blog post is generating a surprising amount of search traffic. Which means you are not alone–the round-the-clock stream of Liberty Mutual ad idiocy coming out of televisions across America is definitely striking a nerve.

       Thanks for your comment and stay tuned–I’ve just decided I’m going to review the “LiMu Emu & Doug” ads soon!

36. And a “fitness junkie” with a flabby gut? Seriously?

    1. Haha! I know, right?

37. OMG, this article was SO GREAT! Having been in insurance for a career, I’ve always been very irritated by the Liberty Mutual ads, because I know how stupidly misleading they really are.

    1. Oh, wow, it’s great to hear from someone who’s worked in insurance and knows what they’re talking about. Liberty Mutual really is preying on ignorance without adding anything useful to the conversation. Thanks for sharing your comment!

38. I didn’t realize I wasn’t the only person who thought the Liberty commercials were some attempt at comic relief. Rob, I believe commercials such as these speak to the Ditkas of the world who don’t do a whole lot of thinking for themselves.

    1. No, Jeff, the new Liberty Mutual commercials are dreadfully unfunny. I don’t know what you mean by “Ditkas,” but I must say I’m amused by the number of people who have found this post by searching for some variation of “Liberty Mutual TV commercials are bad/awful/terrible.” As you say, it’s good to know we’re not alone.

39. I find most commercials inane. That is the primary reason I don’t watch television anymore.

    1. Ten-four, good buddy! Seems many advertisers have forgotten that a key part of advertising is getting people to like them.

       1. I hate all of their commercials but especially the emu ones with the stupid siren an the actor is just so bad! I Change the channel immediately! Try hiring an agency that uses intelligence and/or REAL humor!

          1. Oh, Kirstie, you and me both. That LiMu Emu ad with the siren is terrible, but it’s perfectly in line with the advertiser’s apparent strategy to use obnoxious noise to get people’s attention. I think the tactic is cheap, rude, and disrespectful, and it’s one of the many reasons I consider Liberty Mutual ads to (still) be the worst on TV by far.

             Thanks for reading!

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