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Summer is the season of small talk. All the BBQs, family reunions, and traveling to new places. More than any other season, it’s a time of year where we are confronted with talking to strangers and distant relatives. Progressive Insurance knows that means the odds of acting like your parents increase dramatically. 

That’s why the brand launched a new summer ad campaign this week featuring Dr. Rick, back once again to help folks to avoid the pitfalls of “Parentamorphosis.” We see his advice on hosting a BBQ, talking about the weather, and even attending the Summer Olympics in Paris.

Created with ad agency Arnold, in partnership with Pearpop and Ninety6, Dr. Rick is making a multimedia comeback with the new campaign showing up at select airports around the U.S. There’s even a vending machine at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport stocked with free copies of Dr. Rick’s 2021 book, Dr. Rick Will See You Now. 

The airport displays have specific features aimed at those heading for Olympic host city Paris. These include a guided audio city tour with travel expert Rick Steves, and a hotline (1-855-2DR-RICK) for travelers to get advice from Dr. Rick on navigating Paris, and avoiding common “parent-like” behaviors while on the go, from airport etiquette to packing tips.

Summer is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. Sade Balogun, Progressive’s senior business leader of brand experience, says that the brand wanted to reach its core consumer at the airport or on a trip. 

“Dr. Rick is a long-standing and beloved brand figure, whose aim from the start was to help young homeowners ‘un-become’ their parents,” says Balogun. ”When traveling, it’s easy to turn to familiar, parental-like behaviors. Clapping when the plane lands, or getting to your gate four hours early just to make sure it’s there. We wanted to recognize these relatable behaviors, and Dr. Rick was the perfect persona to help bring this to life.”  

Paging Dr. Rick

Progressive came up with the idea of “parentamorphisis” back in 2016, after a year of research that led to the insight that many first-time home buyers start to exhibit qualities of their parents. Dr. Rick’s first appearance was in a spot called “Group Session.”

Since then, Dr. Rick has advised on how to pronounce “fajita,” the perils of wearing socks with sandals, and other potential parental pitfalls. He’s now arguably as popular as the brand’s long-running character Flo. 

The insurance category is rife with familiar and long-running spokescharacters. State Farm has Jake, Geico has the Gecko, Aflac had the Duck, Allstate has Mayhem. But Dr. Rick may just be the most universal for one simple reason: Everybody is terrified of becoming their parents. 

Balogun says that relatability has been the key to Dr. Rick’s success. She cites a recent study by Talker Research that found people start noticing their parental behaviors as early as their 20s. “This human truth makes Dr. Rick adaptable to so many scenarios most people can relate to. That relatability, coupled with humorous advice and the cheeky remarks he’s best known for, allow him to remain culturally relevant and adaptable.”

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