• by Tanya Gazdik , December 24, 2011

Esurance is launching a new campaign featuring the voice of John Krasinski, the star of “The Office.”

The San Francisco-based direct-to-consumer personal car insurance company is focusing creative around the concept, "Insurance for the Modern World."

The campaign includes TV, cinema, in-flight, online video and streaming radio. It will debut on CBS during the 1 p.m. (EST) NFL game on Dec. 24. The new commercials will also be available exclusively on the Esurance Facebook page.

Krasinski, whose upcoming film "Nobody Walks" makes its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, adds “personality, candor, and wit to a visual narrative that captures the reality of our modern world while emphasizing the interconnectedness of our real and digital lives,” according to Esurance Chief Marketing Officer John Swigart.

The campaign is a “fresh voice” in an incredibly crowded category, Swigart adds.“We think consumers are tiring of the escalating silliness of many car insurance commercials, many of which focus solely on price," he said in a release. "We deliberately chose a voice and feel that contrast with the atmosphere we've seen in some recent car insurance ads. We think the new campaign shows that Esurance is the ideal company for insurance 'do-it-yourselfers' and invites them to take a fresh look at Esurance when they next shop for car insurance."

The campaign also features the Grammy Award-winning song, "Jam Man," from Country Music Hall of Fame guitarist Chet Atkins.

Creative is focused on self-directed consumers who shop for and buy their insurance online. The ads seek to engage consumers in a “smart” conversation about their car insurance.

One ad asks consumers how they decide if a car insurance company is "trustworthy" or not. Another highlights the innumerable savings claims made by car insurers and suggests that Esurance is better positioned to save consumers money because it was "born online, raised by technology, and majors in efficiency."

The campaign is the first collaboration between Esurance and ad agency Leo Burnett, which was brought on to help grow Esurance's brand visibility with consumers. The ads were directed by Omri Cohen, whose past work includes noteworthy projects with Google and Nike.

Esurance was acquired by Allstate in October 2011. This campaign is the first time on a national scale that consumers will see Esurance represented as an Allstate company.