* The Theory: Mercury's rates are so low because the company is run from the planet Mercury.

LOS ANGELES, July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mercury Insurance Group has launched "Mercury Theory," a humorous new advertising campaign featuring a suite of 10, thirty-second TV commercials, as well as an interactive destination website, www.mercurytheory.com.

The commercials began airing this week on network affiliates and cable TV in major markets in Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia (beginning July 31), as well as Philadelphia.

"Mercury Theory" presents a totally new and substantially upgraded marketing direction for Mercury, founded in 1962 and today part of Mercury General Corporation (NYSE: MCY - News), one of America's fastest growing auto insurance companies.

"A dry list of facts may have sold auto insurance in the past, but not anymore. Today, audiences want to be entertained by advertising," said Erik Thompson, Director of Advertising at Mercury. "This campaign gives us the ability to communicate Mercury's core values -- low rates, great service and financial stability -- in such a way that will leave a lasting impression upon consumers while we entertain them."

The focus of the campaign is to humorously communicate Mercury's core strength of low auto insurance rates. The premise is that the quirky-and-entertaining Dr. D.B. Selwick, a UFO Theorist and seeker of truth, is gathering evidence that Mercury's rates are so low because the company is run by alien beings from the planet Mercury.

"The insurance space has become very competitive over the past two years," says Chuck Wall, CEO of MarketPower Group, Mercury's advertising agency of record. "Because of that, we wanted to create a series of spots that viewers want to watch and even anticipate, which is what we have done with Dr. Selwick."

The new website, www.mercurytheory.com, offers many of the TV commercials before they air and takes visitors into Selwick's lair and provides an opportunity to undertake a quest into his restricted files for further evidence that aliens from the planet Mercury run Mercury Insurance. Selwick draws off-the-wall conclusions that the average person might not make.

Mercury selected former New York City Emmy-winning journalist, Logan Crawford, to star in the recurring role of Dr. D.B. Selwick. The commercials were produced by award-winning director Edward Schumacher of Venice, CA-based Ambush Productions International, with Mercury's agency of record, San Antonio-based Market Power Group, designing and implementing the media purchase.

Mercury Insurance and its affiliated group of sister companies provide top-quality insurance products and services at a fair, affordable rate. Mercury auto insurance is sold in 13 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. Mercury also offers homeowners, personal liability and mechanical-breakdown insurance in several of these states. For more information please visit http://www.MercuryInsurance.com

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