Farmer’s Insurance

Lately I’ve been obsessed with the new Farmer’s Insurance campaign-  you know, the one with this guy.  The jingle at the end is particularly catchy, and their campaign features a ‘farmer’s insurance’ school theme with each ad being a different, humorous lesson.  They also brought in ShadowMachine films to create some animated shorts which they feature on their website (http://www.universityoffarmers.com/).  They animated shorts were actually more informative than the 30 second spots, talking about specific insurance policy points.

The ads don’t have a very strong call to action and it feels like they don’t offer a specific advantage over other companies, excepting maybe hipper advertising.  But the themes and the executions don’t really feel like they mesh- the ads seem to shoot for younger demographics but they address issues that don’t really apply, like boat insurance.  I don’t know anyone close to my age who gets around on his own Ski-doo.

I also dislike the usage of J.K. Simmons – he’s great, and fits the part, but I think it would have been stronger to cast Professor Burke as a unique face, sort of like the Allstate Mayhem commercial, or the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World. By using Simmons, all I see is Burn After Reading.

The ads are alright, the message could use some redirection, and the Farmer’s website doesn’t tie in with the campaign as well as it could.  But that tagline is so damn catchy!