Progressive’s summer of Dr. Rick goes well beyond TV ads

Progressive Insurance has done comedic, character-driven advertising for years, with longtime spokeswoman Flo becoming a bona fide icon. But for young homeowners turning into their parents, another Progressive character—Dr. Rick—is the preferred spokesman du jour. Played by actor Bill Glass, the character first appeared in a 90-second ad in 2017 from agency Arnold Worldwide, where he led a group therapy session for young people who were suddenly talking like their fathers after buying their homes. “Progressive can’t save you from becoming your parents,” said the wry voiceover at the end, “but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto.” Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here The character has been a mainstay in Progressive advertising ever since. And with Arnold’s help, the company is ramping up its Dr. Rick activities this summer with a number of firsts for the character and brand. Chief among these was a four-minute sponsored segment on “Good Morning America” on July 1, in which Dr. Rick chatted with ABC meteorologist Ginger Zee about how to avoid social miscues at Fourth of July gatherings. In the largely scripted segment, with some ad-libbing, Glass advised viewers not to talk about traffic or the weather with their guests—and said grill aprons featuring silly puns are also a no-no. Such behavior is “a cry for help” from people suffering “parentamorphosis,” he added. Remi Kent, chief marketing officer at Progressive, said the company tries to use the character to reach consumers through different touchpoints and was thrilled with how the segment turned out. Progressive’s characters are often played by improv actors, “which gives us the opportunity to not always have them be so scripted and stoic, but to respond in real time,” she said. “It continues to humanize the character to have him more in people’s real lives, talking about real topics.” Obsessing about the weather—a classic Dr. Rick red flag if ever there was one—is also the subject of a new TV spot that debuts today. “Weather. Oh boy,” is all an exhausted-looking Glass needs to say at the outset. “Weather” follows another spot, “Hosting,” that rolled out on July 1 and focused on some of the same clichés about summer gatherings that were discussed during that day’s “GMA” segment. Dr. Rick is also prominently featured in Progressive’s first airport-specific campaign, also launching today. Executions will include a vending machine at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York filled with free copies of Dr. Rick’s 119-page book, “Dr. Rick Will See You Now,” which was released in November 2021. Other airport ads will appear in cities including Atlanta, Miami and Los Angeles. Once again, Kent said, the OOH work will give Dr. Rick more of a real-world dimension—airports being a hotbed of parentamorphosis, after all. “This is new for us, putting him where travelers are, where they’re actually observing lots of parental behaviors in real life,” she said. Finally, Progressive is crafting a social campaign where influencers will create content in which they find themselves acting unusually parent-like. “Creators are kind of the lifeblood of bringing new insights to bear, and they make it feel not commercial but very real,” said Kent. Read more: Creator and influencer trends to know about ‘It’s funny because it’s true’ The Dr. Rick campaign has been steadily growing in popularity not just among consumers but in the industry as well. “Dr. Rick Will See You Now,” the mock self-help book, won a Silver Lion in the Industry Craft category at Cannes in 2022, and the audiobook version scored a Gold Lion in Audio & Radio the following year. Last month, the TV campaign won its first Lion, a bronze in Film for a trio of spots: “Social Listening,” “Fast Casual” and “Letting Go.” The two new spots released this month followed another pair that rolled out back in January—one of which co-starred LL Cool J and was in heavy TV rotation throughout the winter and spring. “Dr. Rick really resonates with a lot of people. And it’s really the insight of ‘It’s funny because it’s true,’” said Kent. “We all ultimately become our parents, but there are ways to avoid it—that’s just a heartwarming insight and people get a laugh out of it.” She added: “Usually when you need insurance it’s because something negative has happened. Counterbalancing that with humor, I think, is really wise. ... Expanding [Dr. Rick] makes a lot of sense for us. He brings us front and center for people in terms of, ‘When I think about insurance, let me think about Progressive first.’” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

Progressive’s summer of Dr. Rick goes well beyond TV ads

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