What moved (Nov '25 – Oct '26)
| Metric | Nov 2025 → Oct 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation | 20% → 24% | +4pp |
| Claimed Usage | 12% → 14% | +2pp |
| Preference | 4% → 6% | +2pp |
What's behind the growth
Liberty Mutual's brand push spans three fronts: a new mascot, college football and a new way to shop for car insurance.
The biggest is Liberty Biberty, a fuzzy yellow puppet that became the insurer's first new brand character in eight years in July 2026. Built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop with agency Bandits & Friends, it is named after a 2019 ad in which an actor fumbles the brand's name. It joins LiMu Emu & Doug rather than replacing them, with integrations in NBC's "Sunday Night Baseball" and ESPN's "SportsCenter". The company expects 40 to 50 percent of its marketing dollars to go to ads featuring the character. "Liberty Biberty gives us a fresh way to show up in culture while staying true to what makes Liberty Mutual distinctive," said Jenna Lebel, Chief Marketing Officer, U.S. Retail Markets.
Sport has been the second pillar. Liberty Mutual became title sponsor of the Music City Bowl in Nashville for its December 2025 game. In April 2026 it renewed that deal and added a new early-season game, the Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff, scheduled for September 2026 on ABC.
It has also changed where people can get a quote. In May 2026 it launched an app inside ChatGPT that gives auto insurance quotes from its own rating engine, live in seven states with plans to reach more than 40 by the end of 2026.
