New Progressive CMO on marketing to Gen Z and spending during a downturn

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend! When Remi Kent joined Progressive Insurance as chief marketing officer late last year, the economy was on solid footing, consumer prices were reasonable and gasoline did not cost more than $3.50 a gallon in most parts of the country. Now, the world looks quite different. The Russia-Ukraine war has entered its fifth month, gas prices are reaching record highs and we are officially in a bear market economy. Kent is tasked with maintaining Progressive’s brand relevance in the highly competitive insurance industry. “We want to make sure that our brand purpose is clearly defined and that we stand out from competitors,” she said on the latest episode of the Marketer’s Brief podcast. “We want to make sure we pull it through our marketing efforts—this is going to really help with the seemingly commoditization of our industry.” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Kent said that she is focusing on making emotional connections with consumers. Progressive recently rolled out campaigns featuring celebrities Ed Helms and Jon Hamm. “Ed Helms helped deliver on our commitment to making insurance a little more accessible,” she said. Ad spending Amid the downturn, Progressive has changed its spending. The company cut ad spending by 1.7% in 2021; the cuts continued in the first quarter of 2022 when spending dropped by 8%, according to Ad Age’s Datacenter. Kent declined to comment on specifics regarding Progressive’s media strategy but noted that the company is taking a fresh look at its mix. “We want to make sure that we use all the data and analytics available to us to really focus on what’s driving results and what’s driving brand relevancy,” she said. On the podcast, Kent, who joined Progressive from 3M, also talks about targeting younger Gen Z customers. In addition, she discusses the long-running partnership between Progressive’s in-house agency Ninety6 and creative agency Arnold. “Our marketing is really effective but I see this opportunity to resonate with a growing and diverse set of consumers—Gen Z, African American, Hispanic, Asian—there are all deep insights to be mined and really brought forward in the work that we do,” she said. “I want to build the marketing organization of the future.” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

New Progressive CMO on marketing to Gen Z and spending during a downturn

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