DC Navy Shooting ‘Sponsored’ by Progressive’s ‘Gun-Toting’ Flo

progressice_flo_gun_dc_naval_shooting.png

It’s been a while since we’ve witnessed a contextual advertising screw up. While we’re sure they still happen all the time and people have, for the most part, just become immune to them, it’s still intriguing to see them pop up from time to time.

Adrants reader Micah Donahue sent us this mobile screenshot of a Progressive ad banner above a CNN story about today’s shooting inside a D.C naval facility. In the banner, Progressive’s Flo can be seen aiming a gun at the viewer. Of course it’s not an actual gun but the placement of the ad above a story about a shooting is, at best, disconcerting.

To be fair, it’s not even clear whether or not this is a contextually served ad. It’s appearance could be completely random. Even so, an ad that has an image which appears to look at though someone is aiming a gun at you is probably not the best creative execution (no pun intended) to have in your rotation.

Picture of Steve Hall

Steve Hall

RECENT ARTICLES

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

I watched my immigrant father spend thirty years becoming fluent in a country that never fully accepted him, successful in a career that never fully valued him, and proud of a child who spent too long being embarrassed by him —and forgiving myself for that is the one thing all my success has never once been able to buy

I watched my immigrant father spend thirty years becoming fluent in a country that never fully accepted him, successful in a career that never fully valued him, and proud of a child who spent too long being embarrassed by him —and forgiving myself for that is the one thing all my success has never once been able to buy

Global English Editing

Psychology says the reason losing a fake friend feels like grief even when you’re relieved is that your brain doesn’t mourn the person. It mourns the version of yourself that believed the friendship was real, and that identity loss is neurologically identical to heartbreak.

Psychology says the reason losing a fake friend feels like grief even when you’re relieved is that your brain doesn’t mourn the person. It mourns the version of yourself that believed the friendship was real, and that identity loss is neurologically identical to heartbreak.

Global English Editing

People who carry an air of genuine sophistication into their later years aren’t the ones who learned the most rules — they’re the ones who became secure enough that the rules became irrelevant, and the habits that remain are simply the natural expression of someone who is completely comfortable taking up exactly the amount of space they need and not one inch more

People who carry an air of genuine sophistication into their later years aren’t the ones who learned the most rules — they’re the ones who became secure enough that the rules became irrelevant, and the habits that remain are simply the natural expression of someone who is completely comfortable taking up exactly the amount of space they need and not one inch more

Global English Editing

I’m 65 and the art of being happy alone took me decades to learn — these are the 8 things I do instead of chasing friendships that were never real

I’m 65 and the art of being happy alone took me decades to learn — these are the 8 things I do instead of chasing friendships that were never real

Global English Editing

The most overworked and underloved generation in American healthcare isn’t the one that runs the hospitals — it’s the Filipino immigrant parents who sacrificed everything to put their children inside them

The most overworked and underloved generation in American healthcare isn’t the one that runs the hospitals — it’s the Filipino immigrant parents who sacrificed everything to put their children inside them

Global English Editing

My parents left everything in the Philippines so I could have a better life and the thing nobody prepares you for is that the guilt of that doesn’t get lighter when you succeed — it gets heavier

My parents left everything in the Philippines so I could have a better life and the thing nobody prepares you for is that the guilt of that doesn’t get lighter when you succeed — it gets heavier

Global English Editing