Clever marketing helped Progressive stand out in the commodity world of car insurance. The Mayfield Village (Ohio) outfit got a lot of mileage from commercials lamenting the lack of "lame date insurance," for instance. But Progressive also is highly efficient, using just 87.3% of premium income last year to pay claims and expenses, down from 104.4% in 2000. That makes for comptetitive rates--and helps explain how net income soared 88% in 2003 on 28% revenue growth.