OPINION — The popular Progressive insurance commercials featuring “Dr. Rick” are built around a clever premise: young homeowners gradually “turn into their parents,” adopting the supposedly embarrassing habits of older generations.
The ads work because they tap into recognizable quirks — chatting with strangers, offering unsolicited advice, worrying about trash bins. As viewers say, “it’s funny because it’s true.”
Yet the campaign’s central joke raises an interesting question in light of current research on Gen Z loneliness.
