Racist Car Insurance Commercials

You may have noticed that Progressive commercial with the quirky lady advertising car insurance. There are many skits with these commercials with a particular theme that caters to every gender and age group on the market. However, is there an underlying statement being made here. Is there actually a direct or indirect negative stereotype being played out. Marketers often advertise in ways that catch the eye of a particular audience. They are very strategic in targeting potential consumers and therefore construct advertisements with an appeal to those particular groups. However, one may say that there can be a bit of racial profiling involved in marketers' strategic planning as there is a fine line between targeted marketing and constructing advertisements that assumes the characteristics of a particular group of people. To dissect this a little further, let's take a look at some examples.

In the Progressive commercial, there are clearly several themes used to attract various people. One theme includes a guy moving about the make-shift car insurance store with a shopping cart in the shape of the front end of a truck. His clothes are a bit rugged and suggests that he is a trucker. As he looks across the room, he notices a female of similar trucker attire shopping for insurance as well. Clearly here, the theme of the commercial is catering toward truckers and other commercial licensed drivers. It is to say that Progressive has special rates, deals and offers for them as well. This seems harmless and makes sense because the company wants to give subliminal insight to various classes of drivers that informs them of their special rates pertinent to their driving class. Although, some may say that not all truckers are "greasy" looking and unkempt. There however, are commercials from this car insurance company that seem to go a step further and derive commercials that are geared to nationalities of people or simply put, Race Related. Sure there are people of all nationalities that have their license and are drivers, yet for what reason would a specific "ethnicity" or race need advertising on car insurance. This seems to be going a bit outside of the box. Furthermore, the theme of these ethnic related commercials also portray a stereotype that some may find offensive.

Continuing with the Progressive commercial, there is one skit that shows an African American couple entering the store to look for car insurance. The quirky Progressive lady emerges to offer them some insight and in the midst of her explaining their savings with progressive, against other car insurance companies, she makes a statement about them "saving big money." It is during this time that a mascot of some sort pops into camera view with a costume on in the shape of dollar signs. He dances and prances to the background theme music of something a little "Hip-Hopish.""Go Big Money..." is one of the statements then given by the quirky Progressive lady as the money guy continues with his rendition of a B-Boy. Here is where one might think of the underlying message being portrayed. Is it obvious or a known fact that all black people listen to and like Hip-Hop? Why couldn't there simply be elevator music playing in the background, or furthermore, no music and no dancing B-Boy at all? What implications are being made here, that there is an association of all this urban hip-hop jargon throughout the commercial? Perhaps it's politically correct, for this type of theme would not serve appropriate for the trucking skit. Or perhaps it is actually politically incorrect and bias to think that this will attract African American consumers to use assumed appealing themes such as Hip-Hop music and money glorification.

Again, what would be the need to even cater car insurance to a particular nationality of people. Should not the focus be confined to types of drivers and not types of people? Is there a special rate for Black people, or anyone's race? Of course not! For this may be even more damaging. It seems that the efforts here may have been in good faith but the illustrations have occurred in all the wrong manner. There are special rates, discounts etc. of car insurance for people whom drive trucks, motorcycles and regular cars. Yes there are even special rates and discounts for senior citizens, as the car insurance commercial portrays, but what special rates are there for those of different ethnicities. None of course, which therefore brings the concern as to the validity of such commercials that use these stereotypical themes.

Another car insurance commercial that has followed suit is Safe Auto. Their stretch of commercials features a rep. by the name of Justin Case, whose skits seem fair enough until he visit's one particular Safe Auto location. The women in the commercial is black herself and starts off giving some insightful information about the company but then jumps into a dance bit that has nothing to do with cars or insurance. It seems that this little piece could have been left out but then it would have been a "pointless" commercial, where the point is to appeal to black people. However, there may be many arguments to this theory, as the lady (Lady Rerun) was a contestant and winner of a contest to do the new jingle for the commercial. It just seems quite convenient that they've found a black lady, in which doesn't do much dancing herself, to prance around in a 10 second attempted dance routine. Perhaps, because she is the daughter of the famous Re-Run from the hit 70's TV. show What's Happening is the reason for her winning the part, but this would be another story in itself. This is not to take anything from Portia "Lady Rerun" Berry Allen-as she has many accolades under her belt, but it is just to make a statement of the use of stereotypical themes of dancing and singing amongst commercials featuring African Americans.

The list goes on and on with big businesses marketing and advertising with some stereotypical themes. It has been going on for as long as this form of advertising has been in existence, but does that make it right? There are ways to appeal to various types of ethnicities, but the assumption that one's culture is solely based on one thing or a string of things isn't the way to go. If nothing else, it portrays racism and may only be detrimental to that business to portray someone in a negative way then ask for their business.

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