Progressive Unveils New Ads.

Progressive Corp., the fourth-largest auto writer, has rolled out its largest advertising campaign in terms of media spending.

Although the company would not release the advertising budget amount, Progressive's president and chief executive officer, Glenn Renwick, announced in the spring that the company planned to increase its advertising spending in 10 markets this year. Progressive spent about $70 million on advertising in 2000.

Progressive's "High Expectations" campaign consists of four different commercials slated to appear on national cable networks such as MTV, VH1, TNT, Lifetime and USA Network, as well as in 105 local markets nationwide. The new campaign is turning to humor and using the customer's perspective, said Laura Sheridan, Progressive's creative director. The new commercials showcase features of the Progressive brand--offering comparative insurance rates, immediate response vehicles, and the company's Web site. In the commercial, "The Date," a woman is comparing four men as prospective dates to find the perfect match. It highlights Progressive's comparison-rating service.

The new campaign also is debuting the new 1-800-PROGRESSIVE phone number that replaces 1-800-AUTO PRO. During marketing research, Progressive discovered that consumers believed the company's phone number was 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, said Sheridan. Since Progressive didn't own the number, the insurer secured the number from its owner. Progressive will also be rolling out radio spots based on the new campaign in the near future.

State Farm, the No. 1 auto writer based on 2000 direct premiums, spent $26 million on national network advertising during the first nine months of 2000, according to Competitive Media Reporting and Publishers Information Bureau. Allstate, the No. 2 auto writer, spent $31 million on national network advertising during the first nine months of last year.