Marketing Ad

 I chose this particular article ed-helms-shares-his-musical-talents-for-progressive-insurances-drivers-ed-series because after searching for many topics this ad popped up while I was taking a break. I really liked this ad because it brings a new energy and wave into insurance. Which in most recent years car insurance companies have tried to stray away from the seriousness and honestly very unexciting topic of insurance and trying to actually have fun with it. They really went crazy with their ad campaign, having not just one genre of music but hitting three types.

The first takeaway I got from the article were these are intended for Gen Z, Progressive wanted a witty and fun way to get their message to hit. In all three ads it has the protagonist being sung the importance of car insurance in different situations. The second takeaway I got is Gen Z is a very hard audience to target, so by having a lighthearted and witty ad helps them capture our attention. The final takeaway I got from the article is insurance is a very hard thing to advertise. In all three ads the characters question or negate the actual importance of having insurance, then before they're let go Ed Helms pops up out of nowhere to give them a fun and catchy lecture of insurance.

Progressive is really trying to stress the importance of having insurance while also being witty and fun, this keeps you engaged longer than a regular monotone insurance ad. They're using a celebrity to not only tell you about insurance but has them singing to you in an over-the-top and fun way. By having a fun and witty way to sell you their insurance this gives Progressive a competitive advantage over other insurances like Allstate and Statefarm because they both lack that wow factor in their ad campaigns. Progressive seems to always be evolving in a way to reach more and more potential costumers by coming up with witty and fun ads, which the other insurance agencies have been lacking. 

The marketing relevance of these new ads is interesting, because they're relatively saying the same thing about insurance but finding new ways to get their message across. They found out that a lot of Gen Zs watched the office, so they used this opportunity to team up with Ed Helms to help Progressive reach Gen Z in a very creative way. So by having that familiarity it already captures the attention of those who watch the Office. The challenge that Progressive is trying to overcome is how to advertise a topic that in reality is a very boring subject. So having a familiar celebrity doing outrageous and fun songs makes it easy to draw in. The competition is lacking that creative wow factor in their ads, which makes them forgettable. 

Using a celebrity isn't a new approach but having them do actual songs is a very refreshing and captivating take on insurance ads. The article states that Progressive used a celebrity that Gen Z was already familiar with and had him do a witty and new take on insurance. I can't personally remember a car insurance ad with a celebrity singing clever lines with over the top backgrounds until now. I'm apart of Gen Z and I can say that this ad did hit their buyer persona because after all it was intended for my preferences, its memorable. So when I think of insurance I remember the ad they become my first choice to research. The marketing approach I say was pretty successful in reaching those who like The Office or are super familiar with the show, but the only thing I would've changed out of the ads would have been the lyrics. Having catchy lyrics can help get that song or jingle stuck in a persons head until they pass it on to the next person. 

If I was the brand manager I would start to shift my focus on the up and coming age group because a lot of the older people who have insurance are less likely to switch it after having it for so long. So by getting the newer crowd it ensures that we're getting the younger and harder group to recruit. Having that connection early can help to get lifetime members. 

I learned that there's a lot more that goes into advertising for Gen Z than I thought. It actually takes a lot to have a successful and lasting ad. Whether it's a celebrity or adding humor into your ads its changed a lot from even the past decade. I also learned that a lot of companies are worrying less about what they're saying but how they're going to get your attention.