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Nationwide's New Catsuit-Wearing Spy Looks A Lot Like Erin From Esurance

Laura Stampler   

Nationwide's New Catsuit-Wearing Spy Looks A Lot Like Erin From Esurance
Advertising1 min read

Nationwide Insurance recently released a new campaign in which a leather-clad spokescharacter (who doesn't actually speak) does acrobatics around a house that is getting robbed, replacing stolen items.

If this kind of insurance saving character seems familiar ... that's because it is.

Flash back to the retired, pink haired, leather jumpsuit loving Erin from Esurance commercials.

nationwide insurance leather aderin esurance ad

Even though Nationwide didn't go the cartoon route in the McKinney-made commercial, country star Jana Kramer's look has definitely been done before in a rival insurance spot.

The spy-like Kramer descends head first:

nationwide ad

Esurance Eric jumped up of high-rise building the same way:erin esurance

They even have a similar crouch:

nationwide commercialErin Esurance

Although Erin had a dedicated fan following — often depicting her in inappropriate fan art — she was one of the lowest rated brand mascots in 2009, according to an E-Poll survey.

"Her appeal number of 18% (22% for males) is well below the category average of 33%, while her total awareness at 13% is far below category average of 37%," spokesperson Randy Parker told CBS News.

She even ranked lower than Microsoft's "Clippy" character. Erin was dropped in 2010.

There has been a recent trend to give branded characters an edge. The T-Mobile girl made headlines when she swapped the pink dress for a leather jumpsuit last spring, for example. But then T-Mobile cut her from the campaign.

We'll see if Nationwide's familiar leather loving spy will fare better.

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