Progressive’s Dr. Rick Is Back to Help Young Homeowners Navigate Silence

Progressive launches its latest spot featuring Parenta-Life Coach Dr. Rick.

In a new spot created by AOR Arnold, Dr. Rick continues his journey to help young people through their ‘Parentamorphosis’ affliction, aka turning into their parents after they’ve bought their first home.

As the pioneer of un-becoming your parents, Dr. Rick is the saviour first-time homeowners have been waiting for, this time helping them navigate a painfully relatable truth in 'Pump Talk': If you’re finding ways to fill silences with awkward conversations, chances are you’re turning into your parents.

In the :30 spot, we find a young homeowner at a gas station who feels the need to strike up awkward small talk with a fellow customer filling his tank. Dr. Rick cringes as he watches the man share random facts with the stranger – such as the gas station bathroom code and tips for squeegee-ing the windshield – to fill the void of silence.

The humorous spot ends with the voiceover: “Progressive can’t protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us.”

“Eh? Senior citizens famously have no filter. The parent behaviour we’re highlighting in this latest spot is almost like the precursor to that – those early signs that you’re eventually going to have absolutely no control over how you interact with other humans. As always, I think the team executed the idea with the perfect balance of smart writing and subtle performance,” said Sean McBride, chief creative officer at Arnold Worldwide.

The commercial begins airing nationally on broadcast TV on 3/24. The highly lauded Dr. Rick campaign has previously addressed topics related to weather, hosting, and most recently neighbourhood busybodies, and “dad-vice.”