Dive Brief:

• Progressive is heading to the comic book world of Metropolis this summer through a tie-up with Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ upcoming “Superman,” per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• In new ads, clips of the Man of Steel saving the city from disaster are humorously juxtaposed against the need for insurance protection. Brand mascot Flo and her team of apron-wearing insurance agents step up to safeguard people from everyday headaches, like needing to call in a tow truck after an accident.     
• The campaign promotes the insurance marketer’s new Accident Response in-app feature that detects major accidents, checks in on the user and allows them to quickly start a claim. Progressive is also running custom social content that unites its brand with the highly anticipated superhero blockbuster.  

Dive Insight:

“Superman” is expected to be one of the bigger blockbusters of the summer season, giving Progressive a cultural moment to grow brand awareness and promote its new Accident Response feature, which is woven into a movie narrative that depicts epic destruction. 

Campaign spots contrast the Man of Steel fighting threats, such as a skyscraper-sized monster, with the comparative mundanity of dealing with a car accident. Recurring mascot Flo and her team of white apron-wearing insurance agents try to claim some of the glory for themselves while awkwardly interacting with civilians in need of a hand.

One commercial, “Slo-Mo Squad,” begins in the style of movie trailer, with a voiceover narrator noting that there’s only one place to turn to for protection when faced with the unexpected before quickly clarifying that he means insurance protection. Flo and her squad then do a slow-motion walk down a city street and struggle to strike a cool pose. A second ad, “Faster than Superman,” sees the characters rush to help someone who’s been in an accident, boasting that they have a speedier response time than the red caped-sporting hero who lists “faster than a speeding bullet” among his claims to fame. The customer notes that Superman probably has his hands full saving the world. Co-branded social content similarly leans into the mascots’ dorky qualities.

Agency Arnold Worldwide is behind the tie-up that looks to build anticipation ahead of the release of “Superman” on July 11. The film, which stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult, serves as a reboot for DC Studios’ cinematic universe, which last saw Henry Cavill in the title role.

Progressive linking up with “Superman” may draw some additional interest as State Farm, a rival, runs a campaign focused on Batman (albeit not in a way tied to a specific movie). In State Farm’s creative, people expecting to be rescued by the imposing Dark Knight are instead met with Bateman, played by actor Jason Bateman, who is meant to represent the trade-down when working with subpar insurance competitors.