PEMCO turns to community members to inspire newest “Northwest Profiles”

SEATTLE, July 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- PEMCO Insurance, the company behind the "We're A Lot Like You. A Little Different." ad campaign, is out this week with its newest Northwest Profiles, two of which were inspired by local Northwest residents.

The Seattle-based company recently turned to the community to help bring Northwest Profile #12: Supercharged Seahawks Fan and Northwest Profile #0: Nothing Between Me and My Tan Man to life. The local people behind the new profiles are winners of two crowdsourcing contests that challenged participants to reflect Northwest quirks and values in their entries.

"We've had a lot of fun over the years creating recognizable Northwest types, and for these newest profiles, we thought who better to come up with authentic profiles than Northwest residents themselves," said PEMCO spokesperson Jon Osterberg.

Issaquah resident Michael Eng is the new face of PEMCO's "Supercharged Seahawks Fan" profile, in time for the start of the football season.

Eng was one of hundreds of participants in PEMCO's "Best of the Nest" photo contest that asked Seahawks fans across the Northwest to submit their best "12^th Fan" photos for a chance to be the next profile.

With his nearly 2-foot-tall, blue-and-green mohawk, and face painted with game-day pride, there's no mistaking Eng for a Seahawks fan. The Northwest native has worn face paint on game day in all 13 seasons he's been a season-ticket holder. He added the mohawk to his game-day attire soon after and has sported it for the past 12 seasons.

"It's become a family routine," Eng said to describe the three-hour process it takes him to prepare his full regalia. His daughters, 4 and 8 years old, carefully shake the multiple cans of hairspray it takes to sculpt his game-day coif. 

As the winner of PEMCO's "Best of the Nest" contest, Eng was chosen to pose as the "Supercharged Seahawks Fan" for the company's ad campaign.

"I am honored to be the 'Supercharged Seahawks Fan' profile, but the way I look at it, it takes everyone to make up the '12^th man.' I am just one of many who are part of this community," Eng said.

"Northwest Profile #0: Nothing Between Me and My Tan Man" was also inspired by a Northwest native as part of a video contest that challenged residents to submit their own 60-second auditions that epitomize the Northwest traits, personalities, and quirky lifestyles of the people who live here. 

Former Newcastle resident Alex Bell, along with some of his classmates from the University of Southern California, came up with the concept after seeing so many sunburns after a sunny day in the Northwest.

"For better or for worse, it's just one of those things you see – it's so Northwest to be able to tell who spent the weekend outdoors," Bell said.

For Bell, collaborating on the "Tan Man" profile with classmate Edd Benda was a launching point for directing and producing more projects together. The 2013 USC graduates have gone on to work for a film studio and are currently working together on a feature film.

"The PEMCO project got us really excited at the possibility of pursuing more projects together. We've just gone on to do even bigger and better things," Bell said.

As the winners of PEMCO's crowd sourced video contest, Bell and his teammates won $5,000, which they celebrated over Slurpees. 

PEMCO's third and final new profile also represents a character often seen around the Northwest, "Whiskers of Wonder Guy." Meet him at werealotlikeyou.com, or spot him waxing eloquently in a hipster establishment.

For a look at all of PEMCO's recognizable Northwest Profiles, visit www.werealotlikeyou.com.

About PEMCO Insurance
PEMCO Insurance, established in 1949, is a Seattle-based provider of auto, home, boat, and umbrella insurance to Northwest residents. PEMCO Insurance is sold to consumers by the method they choose – phone, local community agents, or online. For more information, visit pemco.com. J.D. Power has ranked PEMCO "Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Auto Insurers in the Northwest Region, Two Years in a Row." For J.D. Power award information, visit jdpower.pemco.com.

CONTACTS:

Jon OsterbergPEMCO Insurance
206.628.4019
Jon.osterberg@pemco.com

Carley ButcherFirmani + Associates Inc.
206.443.9357
Carley@firmani.com

SOURCE PEMCO Insurance