Allstate vs. Progressive Insurance

For this week’s conceptual brand thinking blog post, I will be looking into ad campaigns by two insurance companies, Allstate and Progressive. I found it quite interesting and very clever to stumble upon both these ads and seeing them as one of the most recent ones. Both recently broadcasted new campaigns perfect for the timing of the state of the world.

ALL STATE - Cop Show

The most recent commercial by Allstate is called Cop Show which aired on April 24 of 2020. This in house production consists of a 30 second video with Dennis Haysbert as he plays a role in a different film. The scene in this film includes them investigating a car accident scene of a failed getawat driver. His lawn enforcement partner breaks character after Haysbert continues his lines stating that the driver has been “paying for this for a long time”. His partner then talks about Allstate and their Accident Forgiveness meaning that rates will not increase just because of an accident despite it being your own fault. Tina Fey who plays the directors then cuts the scene with his partner defending himself for making a mistake which was due to the presence of Haysbert. It goes to show that Haysbert is “regularly reminded of his connection to the Allstate brand" – even while filming other work.”

OBJECTIVE: To promote their Allstate Forgiveness and ensure people that they are in good hands. To show that Allstate is there to help them and relive their problems as opposed to add to it in difficult situations.

INSIGHT: Allstate cares about their clients.

PROMISE: To help their clients with their problems as opposed to adding more burdens. They promise to help.

TONE: Comedic, lighthearted to feel welcoming

 

WHAT I LIKED / DISLIKED

WHAT I LIKED:

  • I really liked how this was a lighthearted video as opposed to something super dramatic like how some insurance companies have it. I’ve seen ones before that included actual videos of car crashes happening in slow motion or some type of other accident occur but I liked how Allstate added this twist to make it comedic and less serious.

  • I like how simple the video was as well as their clever use of characters.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:

  • I did not like how it kind of lacked a bit of information. I guess that one must know more about the company and insurance to understand what he meant by Accident Forgiveness since I was a bit lost after he stated that and that could get other viewers to get lost and less interested.

PROGRESSIVE - Dr. Rick, Pillows

This Progressive ad was also very recent and aired April 13, 2020 created by agency Arnold. This commercial is another one that taps into the relatable change that occurs to first time home owners. Basically this commercial and many of their others they’ve made in the past 4 years talks about how nothing ages you like home ownership possibly due to finances, responsibility of cleaning maintaining as well as all the possible things that could break in your home as soon as you move in. This video specifically focuses on parents and how we become more like them and thus Dr. Rick goal is to make sure you do not turn into them after owning a home. Progressive’s CMO described their strategy for commercials to mirror that of an ongoing TV show which is why they have so many funny commercials of Dr. Rick.

 

OBJECTIVE: To show us that they can’t protect us from becoming our parents but can protect our homes and autos if we bundle with them.

INSIGHT: They will protect not just our house but our home

PROMISE: To keep their clients safe despite inevitable events such as an aging house.

TONE: Comedic, light hearted

 

WHAT I LIKED / DISLIKED

WHAT I LIKED:

  • I liked how the video was very engaging and very relatable to millennials who are just about to start buying homes and start families and will eventually turn into their parents despite not wanting to.

  • I loved the last line that they can’t protect us from becoming our parents but they can protect our homes and autos. It shows that those two inevitable things, one of them they can change for the better.

  • I like how this video is a continuation of their other videos and that it is TV show like, it follows their campaign that no other brand would be able to do.

WHAT I DISLIKED:

  • I thought that they could have added more funnier scenes that people’s parents do to allow many others to relate to.

 

OVERALL

I really liked both campaigns but I definitely resonated with the Progressive one more just because I’ve been with my parents more recently due to the whole quarantine and pandemic situation. During this time, I noticed some characteristics from my parents that I would and would not be ok with to have when I am their age. I loved how relatable the video was and thinking about it, when you do buy your first home everything they said does make sense and is true, so their target audience and their objective was executed perfectly in this video.

Nicole Castro