Progressive and longtime agency partner Arnold are bringing back one of advertising’s more relatable nightmare creatures: the giant sticky-note to-do list monster haunting small business owners everywhere.
The latest installment of the ongoing “Monster To-Do List” campaign continues Progressive’s push into the small-business space, dramatizing the endless avalanche of responsibilities that entrepreneurs juggle daily. But this year’s campaign introduces a new twist: there are now two monsters.
Which honestly feels emotionally accurate.
The new hero :30 spot, “Nelson’s Odds & Ends,” follows two antique shop owners attempting to manage a furniture delivery while being relentlessly stalked by oversized swarms of yellow sticky notes screaming tasks like “Do Inventory,” “Pay Electric,” and “Hire Someone.” Watch below:
Amid the chaos, one note unexpectedly cuts through the panic: “Get a Quote.” The moment reframes Progressive’s business insurance offering as one of the few tasks on an entrepreneur’s never-ending checklist that can actually be handled quickly and painlessly.
It’s a smart continuation of a platform that has quietly become one of the stronger metaphoric campaigns in the insurance category over the last few years.
Since debuting in 2023, the “Monster To-Do List” concept has resonated because it visualizes something every small business owner immediately understands: the constant psychological weight of unfinished responsibilities. Instead of glamorizing entrepreneurship, the campaign acknowledges the anxiety, exhaustion, and mental clutter that come with trying to keep a business afloat.
“This year, we introduced a second monster to showcase that owners aren’t alone in that daily grind,” said Sean McBride, Chief Creative Officer at Arnold. “They see themselves in this lovable menace.”
That phrase “lovable menace” is actually pretty key to why the campaign works.
The monsters themselves are chaotic and overwhelming, but they’re also weirdly funny and strangely sympathetic. Arnold avoids turning the metaphor into pure stress advertising by giving the creatures personality and comedic timing, rather than making them feel oppressive or dark.
Visually, the campaign continues leaning into practical effects and tactile production design, which helps the oversized sticky notes feel tangible rather than overly digital or polished. The flurry of tasks physically invading the shop creates an exaggerated realism that’s both absurd and deeply familiar to anyone who has ever owned a business.
And strategically, Progressive smartly avoids trying to solve every entrepreneurial problem. The campaign only promises to simplify one thing: insurance.
That restraint makes the message land harder.
At a time when many brands insist on pretending to “empower” small business owners with vague inspiration, Progressive simply says: your to-do list is terrifying, here’s one thing we can help remove from it.
That’s probably a lot more useful anyway.
CREDITS:
BRAND: Progressive Insurance
AGENCY: Arnold Worldwide
- Chief Creative Officer: Sean McBride
- Chief Client Officer: Val Bettini
- SVP/GCD: Donnell Johnson
- ACD: Sarah Shellaberger
- ACD: Dylan Meagher
- AD: Kaylee Hoelscher
- Copywriter: Hayley Lyons
- SVP/Producer: Sean Vernaglia
- Senior Producer: Chris Majocha
- Managing Director: Andrew Arnot
- VP, Marketing Director: Crissy Cavallaro
- Sr. Marketing Manager: Maddy Downey
- Strategy Director: Ellen Chandler
- Brand Strategy Director: Mitch Blum
- SVP/Head of Business Affairs: Lisa Belden Colucci
- VP, Director of Business Affairs: Jane Dowson
- Business Affairs Manager: Carolan Manning
- Director, Project Management: Kerrie Jacoby
- Project Manager: Amy Cox
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Smuggler
- Director: Björn Rühmann
- Cinematographer: Peter Simonite
- Co-Founder: Patrick Milling-Smith
- Co-Founder: Brian Carmody
- Managing Director: Sue Yeon Ahn
- Executive Producer: Allison Kunzman
- Chief Operating Officer: Andrew Colón
- Head of Production: Alex Hughes
- Line Producer: Luigi Rossi
EDIT: Cut & Run
- Editor: Andrea Mendoza
- EP: Marcia Wigley
- Colorist: Ricky Gausis, Trafik
POST: Zero VFX
- Executive Producer: Jack Swanson
- Sound Engineer: Mike Secher, Soundtrack
MUSIC: The Ski Team
EP: Donny Dykowski
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