Auto insurance company Progressive adds to Mega Millions madness

John Egan

Auto insurance company Progressive contributed to the Mega Millions lottery frenzy March 30 with a mega-giveaway.

As the multistate Mega Millions jackpot catapulted toward a record-breaking $640 million, Progressive advertising character “The Messenger” was handing out 1,937 Mega Millions tickets in New Orleans’ French quarter. The Messenger (actor John Jenkinson) bought the tickets at a convenience store in suburban Metairie.

The company gave away the 1,937 tickets in honor of its 75th anniversary. Progressive was founded in 1937.

“I’ve never sold so many lottery tickets at one time,” says Shobha Movva, owner of the Metairie store that sold the tickets. “And when he said he was giving them all away, I thought he was crazy. He just told me he’s ‘saving it forward.’ And I guess we could all use a little bit of savings.”

The Messenger’s appearance in New Orleans was part of Progressive’s nationwide “Saving it Forward” marketing campaign. So far, The Messenger has committed such “random acts of saving” as filling up tanks of gas for motorists, paying for drivers’ parking, covering travelers’ airport baggage fees and giving away hard-to-get concert tickets.

“Now I’m giving them a chance to live in a way most of us can only dream about,” The Messenger says of the Mega Millions giveaway. “If one of those tickets holds the lucky numbers, I hope the winner also saves it forward and spreads their good fortune with others.”