A few weeks after Progressive’s Jeff Charney took the stage at ANA’s Masters of Marketing Conference in Orlando, Campaign US caught up with the CMO to hear more of his marketing insights.
Charney, who runs his marketing department like a Hollywood network, started Progressive’s successful in-house agency, 96 Octane, seven years ago – before the industry was even really talking about in-housing.
This year, Progressive is hitting some milestones, including celebrating 10 years of Flo as its brand icon, surpassing 30 billion in written premium and hitting a 52-week high for PGR stock performance.
See what Charney has to say about recruiting talent, the future of marketing and more. Oh, and of course we asked about his neck tattoo.
You have a ton of energy, enthusiasm and passion—tell us what you think is the most important quality a leader should possess? Instinct.
You mentioned in-housing a lot at the ANA recently. What makes for a successful in-house agency? Talent.
Recruiting talent today is harder than ever. What's the secret to attracting newcomers to Progressive? Culture.
What's your biggest piece of advice for young people looking to get into the industry? Relevance.
How about a piece of wisdom to help advertising agencies continue to thrive today? Out-create.
Take out your crystal ball. In 10 years, what do you think marketing will look like? Seamless.
Describe Progressive's very popular Flo character in one word. Heart.
And the question on everyone's mind... is your neck tattoo real? Perhaps.