How Progressive Used Intelligent Advertising...
If you’ve watched even five minutes of TV lately, you’ve probably seen the commercials featuring “Flo the Progressive Girl,” the insurance company’s perky spokesperson.
While the ads might have some diving for the remote, we like that Flo is a throwback to the days of friendly commercial mascots like the Maytag repairman. (Her retro-geek chic style brings back fond memories of Burger King’s “Herb the Nerd.”)
We spoke to actress Stephanie Courtney about how she came to portray Flo, her own new-found fame, and which bespectacled spokesperson she finds “crushable.”
A regular on the Los Angeles improv scene where she’s a member of the Groundlings theater, Stephanie appeared on the first season of “Mad Men,” (“I’m sort of living in the ’50s and ’60s a little bit,” the actress says) and starred in the hilarious Bob Odenkirk–directed film “Melvin Goes to Dinner.”
She also turned up on the short-lived Geico “Cavemen” sitcom (but we won’t hold that against her).
Stephanie tells us that Flo was created to be a sort of “friendly waitress” face for the Progressive brand. Her background in improv comedy helped her nail the perky, friendly vibe the company was looking for. As for the look, the ad agency wanted a “retro-futuristic ‘Jetsons’ sort of thing” that helped Stephanie perfect the character. “Once you’re in that makeup and outfit, you’re sort of there,” she says.
While Flo has quite the online fanbase, Stephanie enjoys her anonymity. The actress says she only gets recognized “maybe once a month or so,” adding that it’s “always when I’m in no makeup, hair in a ponytail, chasing after my nephew. That’s when someone will be like ‘Aren’t you …’”
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.
