Progressive's Human Motorbike Rides Again, to the Music of Culture Club

Progressive’s freaky human/motorcycle hybrid Motaur, introduced in spots two years ago, heads out on the highway for a springtime ride in fresh commercials by Arnold Worldwide and Ruckus Films director J.J. Adler.

Dude loves his tunes, but Steppenwolf’s overplayed biker anthem “Born to Be Wild” doesn’t make the playlist. Instead, our high-octane hero goes pure ’80s, bopping to Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon”…

…until his back tire pops, and he pulls off the blacktop for a Progressive Roadside Assistance request.

It’s like they picked a catchy song as far removed from the gritty chopper milieu as possible—and rolled with it. Way to drive in an unexpected lane, or something!

“Terrence Terrell, the actor who plays Motaur, has such presence, and the character is so stoic and brooding, using a light track to counterbalance those things just seemed like the right choice,” Arnold creative chief Sean McBride tells Muse. “It’s also just the kind of song you find yourself singing along to when you’re by yourself on a long trip. If you were in traffic or in a full car, you’d be embarrassed to show everyone that you know the words. But when you’re alone, you just sort of surrender.”

Next, the dance track bubbles deep in the mix as Motaur shops for shoes. And by shoes we mean new tires, since he’s all bike below the waist:

“Communicating ideas for dance moves to a guy in a harness moving at 30 mph isn’t easy when you’re physically on set. It’s even harder from 3,000 miles away,” owing to Covid safety protocols, recalls McBride.

“These spots are pretty technical, and any time you combine that with comedic performance, the days get challenging quickly,” he says. “The rig we had Terrence in was physically taxing. He was essentially kneeling for hours at a time, so he was pretty worn out by the end of the day.”

Yeah, sometimes it takes a little extra to get your Motaur runnin’.

CREDITS

AGENCY
Chief Creative Officer, Sean McBride
Creative Directors, Gregg Nelson, Michael Sullivan, Tom Kelly, Doug Harry
Producers, Sean Vernaglia, Paul Shannon, Danielle Balanov
Business Affairs, Danielle Ivicic, Jonathan Toto
Marketing, Val Bettini, Jordan Colleran
Project Management, Eric Rubino
Planning, Catherine Sheehan

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Ruckus Films
Director, JJ Adler (@Ruckus Productions)
Director of Photography: Phedon Papamichael
Line Producer, Michael Angelos
EP/Partner: Greg Jones
Editorial Company: Cosmo Street  
Editor, Cosmo Street: Aaron Langley
Cosmo Street, Head of Production: Anne Lai
Post Production, The Mill
Sound Engineer, Michael Secher @ Soundtrack
Music: “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club  

CLIENT
President & CEO, Tricia Griffith
Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Charney
Business Leader of Creative Management, Meghan Walsh
Marketing Manager, Jennifer Nezovich
Marketing Specialist, Alison Beard
Marketing Specialist, Jenna Schroth