Insurance pitchgirl a surprise TV hit

Boston Herald ^ | October 7, 2009 | Lauren Beckham Falcone

[ConservativeStatement]

She’s Madge the manicurist for the new millennium.

Stephanie Courtney, also known as “Flo,” the perky Progressive Insurance salesgirl with the red lipstick, is the commercial break’s new sweetheart.

And in an age when the DVR is said to have killed the television pitchman, Courtney is attaining TV ad icon status.

[ConservativeStatement]

Annoying ads. Very politically liberal company, too.

[camle]

“perky”? more like “Ditzy”

[gimme1ibertee]

Yeah, I ain’t much on Progressive,that’s for sure,and that girl looks just like the cartoon pitch girl on the eSurance commercials.Anyone else notice that? LOL

[Bean Counter]

Can’t stand her, her condescending tone, or the idiotic look she wears on her face.

The “Mute” button is not adequate, it’s necessary to change the channel to avoid hurling...

[twigs]

My husband turns the channel over whenever she comes on because she’s so annoying. When I told him about Progressive’s owners, he doubly didn’t want them polluting the sound in our home.

[ConservativeMan55]

Yep.

Complete with the gay couple buying insurance.

[free me]

Erin Esurance is better looking.

[paulycy]

She was amusing for 17.45 minutes. Much more than her 15 minutes of fame.

She can go away now. Really.

[LostInBayport]

Considering what “progressives” are doing to this country, the name of that company is entirely unappealing.

[Larry Lucido]

When she's not being Flo, she's not half bad.

[henkster]

The Progressive girl doesn’t do anything for me...I think she’s incredibly annoying. Thinking back to my college days, I wouldn’t hit on it and if any of my college friends had we’d have given them grief over it forever. “You don’t know how much you drank that night, do you?”

[Abathar]

Rather see her if I have to sit through a commercial than the feminine products or erection ads that seem to have taken over.

She reminds me of my old high school girlfriend, sort of a plain Jane who was a blast to be around when you went out with her.

[ari-freedom]

no she's from ghostbusters!

[Pharmboy]

Well, the company’s name is “Progressive,” so at least they are up-front about it. And she REALLY annoys me...

[Owl_Eagle]

I would DEFINITELY hit that...

Although that’s not a very high bar.

[MAexile]

OK, not guilty as long as she keeps her mouth shut.

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[50sDad]

Weeeeell...I have always had the eye for the slightly psychotic, outlandishly perky woman, and I admit, most of the women I find really attractive are the characters on TV, not the real life actresses that play them. That said, Flo is right at my top list of fictional women. (Somewhere in there is the next door neighbor girl on 2-1/2 Men, Darma, GothGirl on NCIS, and Paulina from the movie "Undercover Blues.")

And, since the Ultimate Question will probably come up naturally in this thread very soon: Maryanne AND Ginger. Both of them.

[Constitution Day]

I like her, even on the commercials. And yes, I’d hit it.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

She’s adorable

[ConservativeStatement]

The only time I have written a letter of complaint for an ad was regarding this company. A woman, sitting by her computer and viewing a webcam, spotted her S.O. and then she used a scissors on him (I’ll leave it at that so not to be offensive). I wrote the company and Fox (aired during a game as I recall) and said that was over the line among other inquiries. The ad was shown in an edited format, I sense others complained.

[50sDad]

Oh, my Gosh, how could I forget her! (And again, love the character, but wouldn’t get within 3 blocks of the actual actress.)

[Iron Munro]

My son told me about this a few weeks ago - that she is the hot new TV babe.

I told him it has to be proof of the pussyfication of America.

She looks sort of sexless - maybe neutered or bi.
And they portray her as a smug and brainy Nurse Ratched type while the men all act like they could hardly figure out which way the door opens.

[Deb]

Sandy Duncan was much cuter and more talented as the first TV pitch girl to get an actual career from her commercials.

The question is always: has she helped sales? If not, she's worthless.

[dead]

She might be the most annoying character in the history of television, excluding the MSNBC hosts.

I cannot grab the remote fast enough when she appears.

[Will88]

Very irritating. The woman is just too “there”. Her makeup exaggerates facial features that are prominent enough without the exaggeration. She’s just too “there” for me, to repeat myself.

Always ignore the commercials, or hit mute.

[wastedyears]

Wow, that’s what she looks like off-camera? I would not recognize her.

[dalereed]

A complete turnoff!!!

[Fast Moving Angel]

Ditto on all counts. And I particularly can’t stand the commercial where she says “more like a 900 v-twin” ... GAG.

[ari-freedom]

umm.... no

[reagan_fanatic]

[EDINVA]

For Petie’s Sake.. she’s an actress/model who got a gig and did it well with what she was cast for and the scripts given to her. My problem with Progressive is the Lewises, far left loonie billionaires, who own the damned company.

[camle]

i think the annoying part is calculated to get your attention, and remember the beast. works.

[ari-freedom]

“She reminds me of my old high school girlfriend, sort of a plain Jane who was a blast to be around when you went out with her.”

except that Flo is a plain jane who is really annoying

[freekitty]

I like her. She’s just working for the wrong company.

[Joiseydude]

If you wanna talk about TV pitchwomen don’t forget Ivory Snow’s Marilyn Chambers.

[ErnBatavia]

Maryanne AND Ginger. Both of them.

....at the same time. I could handle it.

[GreenHornet]

I don’t know anything about the actress that plays her, but I love Flo.

[ConservativeStatement]

Farrah Fawcett and the Noxzema ad. Joe Namath loved her pair of hands.

[ari-freedom]

*snort*

[BubbaBasher]

I prefer Jill The Mercury Girl

[TNCMAXQ]

I think she and the ads are kind of funny. There are other commercials I find much more annoying. Like that hummus ad where the parents don’t know the kids are having a wild party in the house. They air it about a half dozen times every evening during Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Can’t stand it! Then there are the Ford commercials with Mike Rowe of ‘Dirty jobs.’ They show them over and over again. I have to turn it off when I see them come on.

And don’t get me started with the AFFLAC radio ads, which they will sometimes air twice in a row with no break. Annoying!

OK I will stop my rant now.

[Oratam]

These ads had been airing for a couple of years and suddenly she’s gone “viral”? Since she’s got a few acting credits on IMDB my guess is she recently changed agents and is being agressively promoted. Expect a sitcom soon. /s

[Abathar]

Thus the reason why she was my old girlfriend, fun to be around but could only take in doses.

[EyeGuy]

You panting horndogs are thinking with the ol’ Johnson.

Hands down its got to be Lovey Howell.

With Thurston’s millions, you could buy matched sets of Ginger/Maryann combos for every day of the week

[Dr. Thorne]

These commercials are so irritating that I change the channel for 30 seconds to avoid them. "Flo" is an idiot.

The same is true for the GEICO gecko (I'm desperate for a hawk to swoop down and eat him) and stack of money commercials. And of course, both companies are notoriously left-wing.

[Clemenza]

My fave commercial pitchwoman remains Sabine Ehrenfeld, formerly of Overstock.com.

[isom35]

how about the Rosetta Stone lady?

[Bitsy]

Can’t stand her, her condescending tone, or the idiotic look she wears on her face.

I agree and the hairdoo, red lipstick and extend eyeliner is from the 50s or 60s - what has that got to do with progressiveness.

[paulycy]

“I’m sorry Dick Butkis.”