Web Marketing Association Honors Progressive with Two 2006 WebAwards
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio--The nation’s third largest auto insurance group, The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, today announced that the Web sites of its two brands – Progressive Direct®, which is sold by phone and online, and Drive® Insurance from Progressive, which is sold by more than 30,000 independent agents and brokers in the U.S. – have received “Standard of Excellence” WebAwards from the Web Marketing Association (WMA) for outstanding achievements in Web site development.
The WebAwards, the premier annual Web site competition that names the best sites in 96 industries, are produced by the WMA which was founded in 1997 to set high standards for Internet marketing and Web site development on the World Wide Web.
The WMA judged more than 2,300 Web sites from 35 countries that were entered in the 2006 competition. Each site was assigned three or more judges from a panel of independent Internet experts and evaluated on seven criteria including: design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting, and ease of use.
The judges scored Progressive Direct’s Web site, www.progressivedirect.com, above the industry average in “ease of use,” “technology,” “interactivity,” “content” and “copywriting,” and one judge said “…the site is clear and easy to use; I think the top level navigation is usable and speaks to the audience.”
“Progressive Direct is always looking for ways to re-invent the online customer experience to make it easy for people to shop for, buy and own insurance,” said Toby Alfred, customer experience general manager, Progressive Direct. “We’re pleased to receive this award from the WMA because it has a history of setting high benchmarks and industry standards for Web site development.”
Drive’s Web site, www.driveinsurance.com, scored above the industry average in “interactivity,” “design,” “content” and “copywriting.” One judge said the site “…creates a positive interactive environment for the target audience; navigation is easy to use and fairly consistent.”
“Driveinsurance.com is an important tool that helps people find an agent, get a quote and learn about the benefits of buying insurance from an independent agent,” said Bill Everett, online experience manager, Drive. “Getting the Standard of Excellence WebAward reinforces that we’re meeting our objectives – to make the site an effective tool for consumers who want to purchase insurance through an agent.”
Both progressivedirect.com and driveinsurance.com feature innovative, customer-friendly tools.
On progressivedirect.com, the first-ever auto insurance “Rate Ticker” shows Progressive Direct rates side-by-side with those of other top insurers in real-time, and “Talk to Me” uses Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to allow online shoppers to speak with a licensed sales representative immediately, over the Internet, just by clicking their mouse.
On driveinsurance.com, “Find an Agent” allows customers to search for local independent agents by entering their ZIP code or selecting the type of insurance they’re interested in, and “Get a Quote” allows customers to get a fast, free online auto insurance quote and even have their information sent electronically to an agency of their choice to complete the sale. Customers can also manage their policy online.
The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, in business since 1937, ranks third in the nation for auto insurance and number one for motorcycle insurance based on premiums written and provides drivers with competitive rates and 24/7 in-person and online service. The products and services of the Progressive Direct Group of Insurance Companies are marketed directly to consumers by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE and online at www.progressivedirect.com through the Progressive Direct® brand. The products and services of the Drive Group of Progressive Insurance Companies are offered by more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies and online at www.driveinsurance.com through the Drive® Insurance from Progressive brand. The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, are publicly traded at . More information can be found at www.progressive.com.
