Why is Progressive Insurance's "Flo" Popular?

If you watch any sort of television at all, you've likely seen the commercials starring Progressive Insurance's chipper saleswoman "Flo" in the last year or so, as they've been advertising heavily on just about every possible channel. My initial reaction to these ads was that Flo was a little irritating, and when I first started seeing them around last summer, I figured it was a campaign that wouldn't be long for the airwaves.

One year later, however, and not only have the Flo ads increased in airplay, at this writing the fictional saleslady now has a Facebook page with over 5,000 fans, and even a Twitter account to keep Progressive customers apprised of the latest deals from her odd, sterile insurance world.

Why do people like Flo? Well apparently, a good deal of the fanbase thinks she's hot. Flo-related stories on sites like the Houston Press have dozens of suggestive and salacious comments, such as this one from "Sam", who shares with us that he'd " ... just like her to sit on my face and tell me I get a discount for that too." Perhaps it stems from this commercial, where it looks like Flo and a blonde MILF are inches away from making out with each other in exuberance over insurance discounts.

Personally, I don't get the sexual angle, as she has always looked sort of like a female version of the Joker to me. Actress Stephanie Courtney, who plays Flo, doesn't seem to get it either - "The way I play her, she's pretty much the most asexual thing on TV right now. I think the Geico lizard puts out more sexual vibes than Flo does." Still, people wanna tap that big ol' booty. It could be the retro 1960s look, or the sterile white smock and background playing into some sort of hospital/nurse fetish. Maybe it's just that the walls of reality and television have broken down that far for some people, so that it seems to them like this quirky, kinda dorky cashier is someone they could actually call up in real life and have a chance at a date with.

There has to be more to it than just creepy sexual obsession, though, so I consulted with a 30 year old female friend of mine (married, with two children) who says she loves the ads. The reason she said she looks forward to them is that " ... Flo seems like a fun, quirky gal, like the girl in high school that was kind of a spaz but was popular and everyone liked to hang out with." Apparently for a lot of female viewers, Flo comes across as someone they'd just like to get a drink and shoot the breeze with.

I have to wonder if at least some of this is astroturfing on the part of Progressive, as their official channel on Youtube is over three years old and yet has only 7,000 views, and some of the TV ads hosted there have well below 2,000 views at this time. Surely a bunch of obsessive crushers would drive the numbers up higher than that? Even the worst YTPoops usually get more than 2000 views in a matter of weeks.

Whatever the reason, fans of Flo will likely not see any new commercials out of her for awhile, as she is reported to be pregnant with her first child (and yes, she's married.) Sorry, lonely dudes and chicks.