Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal auto insurance company, has selected a squeaky-voiced international student from Japan to provide the music for its animated TV advertisements.

The San Francisco-based company said its newest animated commercial would feature Kazutaka Nomura, a singer/songwriter who goes by the name PWRFL POWER.

Nomura was selected, according to Esurance, after winning the Capitol Hill Block Star Contest last July in Seattle. The chance to appear in the company's national commercial was among a variety of contest prizes.

Kristin Brewe, Esurance's director of brand and public relations, said in a statement that the company–after hearing PWRFL POWER's song, “It's Okay,”–”knew that it would be perfect in a music video-style ad.”

The cartoon commercial, using Mr. Nomura's vocal and guitar, features the company's animated icon–Erin Esurance, the pink-haired spokesperson for the insurer.

Mr. Nomura, a.k.a. PWRFL POWER, got started when he played for a small crowd at a cabaret club in Seattle for a friend's birthday. More gigs in the Seattle area followed, and after only 16 months, PWRFL POWER has played at multiple shows in the United States and Japan, and is currently on a 60-show, multi-city tour across America, Esurance noted.

“Esurance is known for our quirky, animated ads, which has helped us stand out in an extremely cluttered category, and this ad is one of our quirkiest,” said Ms. Brewe.

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