Uploaded January 2011 | Updated September 2026, 12 hours ago
A 60 second spot from 1997 advertises that if you call Progressive auto insurance, they'll give you a free quote! Of course, everyone does this, but Progressive also gives you quotes from other companies. This was novel at the time (even if not unheard of), but it was good advertising and when Progressive connects you with insurance from another company, they get a finder's fee (this is the financial basis for independent insurance agencies).
Progressive still runs ads featuring this "get a quote" system over a decade later. These ads also feature their SUVs at the end, at the time they advertised how their SUVs were mobile adjustment offices. Nowadays, driving around SUVs isn't really something that companies brag about.
This spot aired on KRON during Hard Copy after the 5th game of the Baseball World Series on NBC on October 23rd, 1997.
A 60 second spot from 1997 advertises that if you call Progressive auto insurance, they'll give you a free quote! Of course, everyone does this, but Progressive also gives you quotes from other companies. This was novel at the time (even if not unheard of), but it was good advertising and when Progressive connects you with insurance from another company, they get a finder's fee (this is the financial basis for independent insurance agencies).
Progressive still runs ads featuring this "get a quote" system over a decade later. These ads also feature their SUVs at the end, at the time they advertised how their SUVs were mobile adjustment offices. Nowadays, driving around SUVs isn't really something that companies brag about.
This spot aired on KRON during Hard Copy after the 5th game of the Baseball World Series on NBC on October 23rd, 1997.
