The return of professional football each autumn has become as reliable a calendar marker on Madison Avenue as the upfronts in May or theeli Lilly earnings calls that send pharmaceutical stocks into momentary spirals. And so it is again this year, with State Farm rolling out a new campaign built around the sturdy shoulders of its longtime spokesman — the character known, with admirable directness, as Jake from State Farm.
The campaign, which made its debut on Wednesday, pairs Jake with Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback who has become perhaps the most ubiquitous pitchman in professional sports, and Andy Reid, the team's head coach, whose walrus mustache has graced State Farm commercials for several seasons now. New to the roster are Cam Skattebo, a running back for the New York Giants, and Fernando Mendoza, a quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The creative thrust, according to the company, centers on personalization — the notion that having insurance is not the same as having insurance tailored to one's particular circumstances. (What, you were expecting the ads to say, "Our coverage is basically the same as everyone else's"?)
State Farm, which is based in Bloomington, Ill., and has been the largest property and casualty insurer in the United States for decades, has built much of its recent advertising identity around the Jake character, who first appeared in a 2011 commercial and has since become a fixture of the brand's sports marketing efforts.
The new campaign arrives as insurers continue to jostle for attention during football broadcasts, one of the few remaining venues where advertisers can reliably reach large audiences watching in real time. Whether Jake's blocking skills prove persuasive remains, as always, a matter for the actuaries.
Original story published in adweek.com: "State Farm’s Football Campaign Taps Skattebo and Mahomes in Personalization Play"