State Farm is doubling down on a messaging strategy that dings rivals for inferior service at Super Bowl LX, with the brand running a 60-second spot in the coveted first ad position of the broadcast’s first quarter. For its big game play this year, the insurance marketer is swapping out recent DC Comics-inspired creative for something more musical but still brimming with Hollywood stars who can appeal to a wide range of viewers.
“Our goal is business value,” said Alyson Griffin, head of marketing at State Farm. “We use celebrity to break through in culture and we use celebrity for the bigness to meet the moment, which is Super Bowl.”
In a teaser video released Monday, Hailee Steinfeld sits down for an appointment with a pair of agents played by Danny McBride and Keegan-Michael Key at the fictional Halfway There Insurance firm. The “Sinners” actor asks if their business is just like State Farm. The comedic duo then launch into a parody of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” tweaking the lyrics to emphasize that they are not willing to go the extra mile for customers. For example, Bon Jovi’s “Tommy used to work on the docks” becomes “We barely cover boats by the dock.”
At the end of the teaser, McBride and Key are joined by pop group Katseye as Steinfeld admits she should’ve picked State Farm and a “to be continued…” cliffhanger promises more to come on Feb. 8. “Livin’ on a Prayer” celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and is endemic to sports culture as a stadium anthem, which made it the right fit for State Farm, according to Griffin.
State Farm previously introduced McBride and Key’s characters during the NFC and AFC Championship games in January and has set up a website for their imaginary competitor. In addition, the brand is running out-of-home ads and social and digital content that leans on its celebrity talent to reach different generations of consumers.
“There’s still more that will be revealed on game day and more spots throughout the year,” said Griffin.
The campaign will extend beyond the Super Bowl into other occasions like March Madness and the FIFA World Cup. Agencies TMA, OMD, Infinity Marketing Team, FleishmanHillard and This Machine are behind the effort.
Doubling down
State Farm created a splash last year by illustrating the ways in which rivals come up short using superhero iconography. In the ads, people in tough spots who are expecting Batman to come to their rescue are instead greeted by Bateman — that is, actor Jason Bateman — whose comparative normalcy is comically ill-suited to combating crime.
“Having insurance isn’t the same as having State Farm,” the commercials argue, just as getting Bateman when one needs Batman invariably leads to disappointment.
The Halfway There Insurance concept effectively replaces “Batman vs. Bateman,” which was made with agency Highdive and originally intended as a Super Bowl spot before the wildfires in Southern California led the company to pivot its plans to March Madness. “Batman vs. Bateman” went on to generate acclaim, including an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Commercial. State Farm’s last Super Bowl appearance, a 2024 spot that riffed on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s thick Austrian accent, also topped USA Today’s closely watched Ad Meter rankings.
State Farm is able to be more deliberate in developing its marketing platforms and celebrity partnerships because it isn’t beholden to quarterly earnings, since it operates as a mutual insurance company, according to Griffin. The executive wants to avoid what she described as “random acts of marketing” that deliver a short-term pop in attention but don’t contribute to long-term brand building. Super Bowl ads have been criticized over the years for overusing celebrities who don’t have a clear connection to the product or relevance to the campaign message.
“We have to make really, really tight use of the dollars and therefore have to make decisions every year based on what we’re trying to achieve and who we’re trying to reach,” said Griffin, who added State Farm assesses the Super Bowl opportunity on a year-by-year basis.
State Farm is trying to seed more excitement for the campaign by having Katseye promote the upcoming commercial during an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon. The stakes for the Super Bowl remain high, with 30 seconds of national airtime carrying price tags of up to $10 million. In State Farm’s case, it is making the opening advertising salvo during a night that is sure to be packed with other A-listers and high-concept creative.
“You’ve got 110 million — maybe it’s going to be more this year — eyeballs and they’re actually watching commercials,” said Griffin. “We want to meet that moment in a way that’s fun, but importantly, educational as well.”
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