Progressive’s spokesman Jamie (actor Jim Cashman) is back on the small screen in a new commercial, promoting the company’s Snapshot app, which helps safe drivers get discounts based on their driving habits.
Dubbed “School of Hard Lefts,” the 30-second spot features Jamie as a student in the back of a drivers ed class, informing his mates that what the teacher doesn’t tell them is that Progressive’s Snapshot rewards safe drivers with discounts on car insurance. “Maybe he didn’t know,” he says before standing up and saying, in a theatrical manner, that he’s done with that class. When the teacher points out that he’s not even enrolled in that class, he admits he was supposed to be in ceramics.
The Snapshot app is available to Progressive customers in select states who were offered and enrolled in the mobile version of Snapshot (not the plug-in device) when they purchased their policy. The app allows customers to use their smartphone to collect driving-related data, such as vehicle speed and time information, hard braking and mileage, and receive personalized tips on how to improve. Progressive uses the collected driving data to calculate a driver score based on which drivers can save money.
In states where Snapshot mobile is offered, new Progressive customers are eligible for a first-term participation discount, after which they will receive a personalized rate, meaning a discount or surcharge applied to their insurance premium based on their driving habits, at the next renewal of their policy. “For eligible customers who enroll, most will save money at renewal based on their good driving,” the company states, informing that, in some states, aggressive driving will generate a surcharge at renewal.
Only users of iPhones and Android smartphones are eligible for Snapshot mobile.
