Who’re the very best insurance coverage mascots of all time?

A speaking lizard, a frolicking fowl, and mayhem personified – there’s no scarcity of insurance coverage mascots and characters nowadays, and the most important purpose; model recognition.

In a hyper-competitive business comparable to insurance coverage, firms use ads as a robust device to chop by way of the noise and seize shoppers’ consideration, and having the very best insurance coverage mascots makes these commercials extra relatable.

On this article, Insurance coverage Enterprise ranks essentially the most well-known and well-loved insurance coverage mascots and characters based mostly on a current survey of over a thousand American adults. We can even dig deeper by way of the numbers and discover out why these characters have achieved a lot fame. Listed here are the ten greatest insurance coverage mascots of all time ranked by recognition as chosen by the insurance coverage patrons themselves.

1. Martin the Gecko – GEICO

Consciousness ranking: 98%

Simply the checklist’s prime canine… I imply lizard, GEICO’s iconic mascot topped the rankings by way of fame and lovability, which isn’t shocking for the reason that British Cockney-accented gecko began all of it. Launched in 1999 in collaboration with promoting large The Martin Company – the place Gecko acquired his identify – the mascot has since turn into essentially the most recognizable facet of lots of the insurer’s commercials.

Martin the Gecko’s recognition stems from the truth that he’s not simply humorous and relatable, he additionally has a catchy tagline. Who hasn’t heard him remind clients that “quarter-hour might prevent 15% or extra in your automobile insurance coverage?” And I guess you didn’t know that the thought was all his. Right here’s Martin explaining the origins of this well-known slogan.

The Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary can also be identified for its fats finances for promoting. Over time, the corporate has launched lots of the greatest insurance coverage mascots and characters, together with the Caveman and Maxwell the Pig.  

2. Flo – Progressive

Consciousness ranking: 95%

Progressive’s energetic and pleasant, white-aproned salesperson Flo ranks second in recognition and fifth in likeability. Performed by actress and comic Stephanie Courtney, Flo has appeared in additional than 100 of the corporate’s commercials, which function hilarious conditions usually along with her quirky colleagues. She is equally standard in social media with an enormous Twitter following and greater than 5 million Fb likes.

Right here’s her debut business in 2008, entitled Checkout, which was additionally the beginning of Progressive’s Superstore marketing campaign. And yeah, she does say “Wow!” louder than any buyer can. 

3. The Aflac Duck – Aflac

Consciousness ranking: 92%

Is it simply me or does Aflac sound sillily much like the sound a duck makes? Apparently, it does as that is what Aflac’s insurance coverage mascot, the Aflac Duck – sure, that’s its precise identify – has been quacking these previous 20 years. Launched in 2000, the Aflac Duck has been a recognizable determine in lots of the firm’s hilarious commercials.

Voiced by the late comic Gilbert Gottfried, the Aflac Duck has made viewers snort by doing humorous actions comparable to dancing, performing magic methods, overlaying holes in a canoe, and even making an attempt completely different yoga poses, all these whereas squawking its signature, “Aflak!” The Aflac Duck is tied with Flo for fifth in favorability scores. Right here’s the advert that began all of it for our lovely fowl.

4. Jamie – Progressive

Consciousness ranking: 87%

Flo’s sidekick Jamie ranks within the higher half of our checklist, though he ranks final relating to likeability, however hey, 52% continues to be a constructive ranking, which displays the vital function the very best insurance coverage mascots play in enhancing model retention. Jamie is performed by actor Jim Cashman, and together with Flo, their commercials have helped raked in hundreds of thousands, if not billions, in income for Progressive. A real money man, certainly. Right here’s Jamie displaying why he’s a legend in his personal proper.

Liberty Mutual’s unpredictable emu named Limu and its 70s-era throwback sidekick Doug (sure, he’s the sidekick), performed by actor David Hoffman, is comparatively new within the insurance coverage promoting airwaves, debuting in 2019. However the duo nonetheless ranks within the higher half of the checklist, though favorability ranking is only a notch above Progressive’s Jamie.

Of their adverts, Doug explains to clients the advantages of the mutual insurer’s insurance policies like having “custom-made protection, so that you solely pay for what you want,” whereas the seemingly oblivious Limu Emu does, properly, very emu issues. The marketing campaign has been extremely profitable, prompting the corporate to promote emu-themed merchandise on its on-line retailer. Right here’s one of many dynamic duo’s commercials.

Jake from State Farm ranks second by way of likeability and why not? Everyone likes an excellent neighbor. The affable Jake is at the moment portrayed by actor Kevin Miles, though he’s not the OG. Miles changed the unique Jake in 2020 (extra on this later) and has since rubbed elbows with well-known celebrities and athletes comparable to Drake, Chris Paul, and Patrick Mahomes in his entertaining campaigns.

In his commercials, Jake usually explains the advantages of State Farm insurance policies sporting his signature purple prime and khakis and uttering the road, “like an excellent neighbor, State Farm is there.” Right here’s Jake instructing his “stand-in” Drake a factor or two about promoting State Farm insurance coverage. 

7. Mayhem – Allstate

Consciousness ranking: 79%

Actor Dean Winters is mayhem personified in Allstate’s Mayhem business sequence. Though his recognition could have been affected by his greater than one-year hiatus, Mayhem has remained well liked by insurance coverage patrons, registering among the many highest favorability scores.

Within the sequence of commercials narrated by Dennis Haysbert, Winters characterizes the various things that may go incorrect in your day by day life and tells what might occur should you don’t have protection. His comedic portrayal makes him among the best insurance coverage mascots of all time.

Right here’s considered one of his more moderen commercials referred to as Hashtag Problem, and I’ve to confess, if I noticed somebody doing these dance strikes on the road, I’d have doubtless stared as properly – even when it’s in opposition to #commonsense. 

8. The unique Jake – State Farm

Consciousness ranking: 77%

The unique Jake from State Farm was really one of many insurer’s workers, named Jake Stone. And identical to precise workers, there are occasions when you could transfer on to pursue higher alternatives. However nonetheless, the unique Jake continues to have a loyal fan base, nonetheless claiming his place among the many greatest insurance coverage mascots. Right here’s one thing to deliver a little bit of nostalgia.

9. Professor Burke – Farmers

Consciousness ranking: 76%

Farmers is understood for its humorous informative campaigns, which function a number of the wackiest and weirdest insurance coverage claims it has acquired over time and impart tips about how one can forestall them. And Professor Burke, portrayed by actor J.Okay. Simmons, is the right character for the job.

Professor Burke exudes an aura of knowledge and expertise for the Farmers model. This makes him a dependable useful resource particular person relating to the corporate’s insurance policies, in addition to for sharing completely different claims-prevention methods. Right here’s the professor explaining the perks of Farmer’s dwelling insurance coverage coverage.

10. Dr. Rick – Progressive

Consciousness ranking: 54%

Regardless of being a comparatively new character, Progressive’s Dr. Rick cracked our prime 10 checklist, due to Invoice Glass’ comical portrayal of a tough-love self-guru that helps owners – clearly millennials and Gen Xers – keep away from taking up their mother and father’ behaviors after shopping for a house. A few of the hilarious conditions featured in his adverts embody a home-owner teaching an irritated plumber fixing their pipe and one other that has positioned too many throw pillows within the sofa that there’s no more room to sit down. 

To help the marketing campaign, Progressive printed a comedic guidebook in 2021 entitled Dr. Rick Will See You Now, which was marketed to be written by the physician himself. Right here’s Dr. Rick making an attempt to construct belief with a brand new home-owner obsessive about cleansing their trashcans.

For this checklist, we acquired our numbers from a ballot performed by The Harris Ballot and Promoting Age involving a nationwide consultant a pattern of over a thousand US adults in January 2022. You possibly can view the entire survey outcomes right here.

Right here’s a abstract of our 10 greatest insurance coverage mascots rating:

New Jersey-based mutual insurer NJM Insurance coverage has constructed a popularity of offering “simply nice insurance coverage” with out the usage of mascots (they didn’t rent the narwhal) or repetitive jingles. However this doesn’t imply they don’t get submissions like these gems:

One factor you might have observed among the many characters featured in our checklist of the very best insurance coverage mascots is that whereas all of them use humor to get their message throughout, additionally they possess distinct attributes that make them stand out and stick in your head.

That is precisely why these iconic characters have been created. In a fiercely aggressive market comparable to insurance coverage, firms are allocating large budgets to give you the very best insurance coverage mascots to extend model recognition. The purpose is to get clients to consider their manufacturers before everything once they determine to get insurance coverage. And with insurance coverage being an intangible product, these mascots and characters play a vital function in making merchandise appear extra tangible.

What do you consider the very best insurance coverage mascots on the checklist? Did we miss something? Chat us up within the feedback part under.