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Flo (Progressive Insurance)
Encyclopedia
Flo is a fictional character that appears in commercials for Progressive Insurance. The character was created by the Boston-based agency Arnold Worldwide
, specifically copywriter John Park and art director Steve Reepmeyer. She is played by actress and comedian Stephanie Courtney
, and has been cited in news articles as having a sizable fan base on social networks like Facebook.
Flo debuted in 2008 through television commercials and has since appeared in radio advertisements and web banner
s. As of November 2010, she had appeared in 53 commercials.
In 2011, Progressive introduced an Australian counterpart to Flo, named Kitty, played by an Australian actress.
and is recognizable by her extremely enthusiastic, upbeat persona, heavy makeup
, and retro hairstyle. According to Courtney, it takes one hour for Flo's hair to be prepared, and another hour for her makeup to be applied. Referring to her work in The Groundlings
, Courtney noted, "Flo could be one of my improv characters, always on and sort of cracked in a weird way." A December 15, 2008 article in Advertising Age
described Flo as "a weirdly sincere, post-modern Josephine the Plumber who just really wants to help. She has: the brand is flourishing."
referred to Flo as "the commercial break's new sweetheart," and said that Courtney was "attaining TV ad icon status". The same article also reported that she was the subject of a popular Halloween costume
. At that time, a Facebook
page called "Flo, The Progressive Girl" had garnered a little over 1 million fans. As of June 27, 2011 that figure stands at 3,026,489 fans. Multiple websites were dedicated to her, and she was popular on Twitter
and various Internet forums.
A testament to her popularity, Flo was added as a downloadable character in the video game ModNation Racers
in late 2010, complete with her own Progressive kart.
Arnold Worldwide
Arnold Worldwide is an advertising agency headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The agency has 15 offices in 12 countries, including Amsterdam, Boston, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, New York, Prague, São Paulo, Shanghai, Sydney, Toronto and Washington DC...
, specifically copywriter John Park and art director Steve Reepmeyer. She is played by actress and comedian Stephanie Courtney
Stephanie Courtney
Stephanie Courtney is an American actress and comedienne, best known for playing the advertising character Flo in television commercials for Progressive Insurance and is noted for her recurring roles on several television shows, including the voices of Renee the Receptionist and Joy Peters on the...
, and has been cited in news articles as having a sizable fan base on social networks like Facebook.
Flo debuted in 2008 through television commercials and has since appeared in radio advertisements and web banner
Web banner
A web banner or banner ad is a form of advertising on the World Wide Web delivered by an ad server. This form of online advertising entails embedding an advertisement into a web page. It is intended to attract traffic to a website by linking to the website of the advertiser...
s. As of November 2010, she had appeared in 53 commercials.
In 2011, Progressive introduced an Australian counterpart to Flo, named Kitty, played by an Australian actress.
Characterization
Flo is a cashierCashier
Cashier is an occupation focused on the handling of cash money.- Retail :In a shop, a cashier is a person who scans the goods through a machine called a cash register that the consumer wishes to purchase at the retail store. After all of the goods have been scanned, the cashier then collects...
and is recognizable by her extremely enthusiastic, upbeat persona, heavy makeup
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
, and retro hairstyle. According to Courtney, it takes one hour for Flo's hair to be prepared, and another hour for her makeup to be applied. Referring to her work in The Groundlings
The Groundlings
The Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes...
, Courtney noted, "Flo could be one of my improv characters, always on and sort of cracked in a weird way." A December 15, 2008 article in Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
described Flo as "a weirdly sincere, post-modern Josephine the Plumber who just really wants to help. She has: the brand is flourishing."
Popularity
In October 2009, the Boston HeraldBoston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
referred to Flo as "the commercial break's new sweetheart," and said that Courtney was "attaining TV ad icon status". The same article also reported that she was the subject of a popular Halloween costume
Halloween costume
Halloween costumes are costumes worn on or around Halloween, a festival which falls on October 31. The Halloween costume has a fairly short history. Wearing costumes has long been associated with other holidays around the time of Halloween, even Christmas...
. At that time, a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page called "Flo, The Progressive Girl" had garnered a little over 1 million fans. As of June 27, 2011 that figure stands at 3,026,489 fans. Multiple websites were dedicated to her, and she was popular on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and various Internet forums.
A testament to her popularity, Flo was added as a downloadable character in the video game ModNation Racers
ModNation Racers
ModNation Racers is a kart racing game developed by United Front Games for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. User generated content will be a central aspect of the game, such that it uses the same "Play, Create, Share." adage as LittleBigPlanet to convey its basis in online user-generated...
in late 2010, complete with her own Progressive kart.