Progressive‘s iconic “Flo” character debuted in 2008. And while the cast of characters in the company’s commercials has expanded since then to include names like Jamie and Dr. Rick, it’s exciting to see fresh, new creative that lives up to the word.
“Bundles” is a 30-second ad that opens like a commercial for Sandals, complete with a pair of happy lovers frolicking amongst palm trees, blue sky, and flower petals. The sound of steel drums reinforces the mood as the seductive female voiceover says:
“Your home . . . for adventure.
“Your home . . . for romance.
“Your home . . . for big savings.”
The couple dances with abandon in their living room and we discover that the steel-drum player is none other than Jamie in a Hawaiian shirt.
“Because when you bundle your home and auto with Progressive —”
Now the lovers are sharing strawberries in a soapy bath. Their daughter, an unsuspecting teenager, stops short at the open door. Seeing her parents, she blinks hard and breathes, “Eww.”
“— your home is a savings paradise.”
“Bundles Progressive,” purrs the narrator in a slow, husky voice. “Your home for saviiings.”
Below: “Bundles,” a 30-second lesson on creativity in advertising from Progressive Insurance.
What Progressive’s “Bundles” commercial gets right
What’s not to love? With sumptuous, sun-drenched visuals and tongue-in-cheek humor, “Bundles” eschews the clamor and commotion that plague so many of today’s insurance commercials in favor of good vibes and soothing sounds.
By disguising itself as a Sandals ad, “Bundles” catches us by surprise. And the joke pays off, capturing our attention and holding it to the end.
Extra bonus points are in order for Steel-Drum Jamie’s slow-motion belly laugh and the teenage daughter’s grossed-out reaction to her parents in the tub — as well as for the tasteful placement of Progressive’s toll-free phone number and web address in the bottom corners of the frame near the end of the commercial. I’ll never understand why more ads don’t show the company name and contact information for longer, especially ads with a 20-second setup during which it’s impossible to guess the product or service being advertised.
What Progressive’s “Bundles” commercial could do better
Honestly, I can’t think of a single thing. Everything here hits the mark, from the concept and camerawork to the voiceover and humor. Even the fonts are perfect.
This is creative as we rarely see it today — clever, restrained, and carefully crafted to convey a memorable message.
Progressive’s “Bundles” commercial: The Cranky Ad Review verdict
What more can I say? “Bundles” is a breath of fresh air, bringing a smile to my face and restoring some of my faith in advertising, much like the Allstate “Smooth” ad did last year.
As I said in my review for that commercial:
“At long last, we have a creative Big Idea that engages and entertains; that is not reliant on silly contrivances or stupid jokes; that works hard in the service of selling and communicates a compelling reason to buy.”
This is advertising to be lauded and applauded.
Compared to asinine ads with Progressive’s own Motaur, Allstate’s Mayhem, Liberty Mutual’s Emu, and the cacophonous racket of recent GEICO commercials such as “Clogging Problem,” “Bundles” feels like a much-needed — and appreciated — vacation.
Cranky Ad Review rating: Five sun-kissed stars out of five.
Thanks to my loving and always-entertaining wife, Adrianna, for suggesting I review this ad.
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Who is the daughter she looks kind of familiar?
Who is the lady in this commercial? Not the daughter….
Sorry, Alan. I’ve looked and looked, but haven’t found the actress’s name. If anyone knows who she is, please let us know!
It’s flo
What? No. Time to get an eye exam and a new pair of prescription glasses!
After constantly seeing these annoying, godawful, irritating and overplayed dumb-ass Liberty Mutual, Geico AND Progressive insurance commercials from the past that have, for the last six months, been showing up on TV every five minutes all day and night, we absolutely refuse to watch ANY new insurance TV commercials and quickly CHANGE THE CHANNEL whenever one starts showing!!! These insurance companies have “cooked their own goose” with us by continually airing their horrible ridiculously stupid and obnoxious insurance commercials over and over and over again and again… we DO NOT want to see another insurance commercial on TV ever again!!! NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!!!
Gary, do I sense that you are slightly frustrated with today’s insurance commercials? LOL
Good on you for changing the channel, hitting MUTE, or whatever you have to do. You could also reach out to these companies via their social media channels and tell them what you think. In fact, I encourage it!
Your observation on Jamie reminds me of the Flying Dutchman’s response to a kid calling SpongeBob and Patrick dorks: “Yes, but they’re my dorks.”
My initial comment didn’t really respond to the point of your first post. Yes, it was nice to see a fairly clever ad that vaguely and simply spoofed another genre; i.e., tropical travel–without the distraction of annoying sideshows like emus, Shaq, or other ubiquitous charisma-challenged athletes.
Got it! And well said.
Agreed, tho’ I’d go four stars out of five (Dr. Rick is getting my five stars lately).
I know a lot of folks find Jamie irritating, and I tend to agree. But his pointless belly laugh made me chuckle.
And at the end of the day, Jamie seems like someone I’d be okay having a beer with. Contrasting, the best Emu Doug would get from me is a knuckle sandwich. And don’t get me started on the Dodge Truck breathless-macho voiceover d-bag.
Hi, Joe. Yes, the Dr. Rick ads are good, too. Maybe I’ll give those a closer look in a future Cranky review, eh?
Agree about Jamie. He’s pretty polarizing (Hi, Cap’n Curmudgeon!), but he probably gets more laughs from me than any other brand mascot on TV. He’s a doofus, yes, but he’s my kind of doofus.
Actually, one of the reasons I like this “Bundles” ad so much is because it’s mostly character- and mascot-free. (Steel-Drum Jamie here as comedic window dressing is just a harmless bonus. :P) I enjoy seeing a commercial that focuses less on the mascot and more on making the product seem appealing.
Happy Easter!