• by Danielle Oster , September 6, 2024

Peyton Manning takes the opening snap in Nationwide’s football season campaign aimed at showing audiences it’s “So Much More” than an insurance company.

Manning gets straight to the message in a new 30-second ad, asking viewers if they know that Nationwide is “so much more than a great insurance company?” and informing them “They’re one of America’s largest financial services companies, too.” Sitting in front of a canvas, paintbrush in hand, he then connects the message to how he’s so much more than a quarterback, before completing his self-portrait signed “Paintin’ Manning.”

The ad starring the 10-years-plus Nationwide spokesperson made its debut yesterday during NBC’s broadcast of the opening game of the NFL season between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.

“Paintin’ Manning” is just the opening drive of the “So Much More” integrated campaign, which also features digital content, as Nationwide is investing heavily in promoting the message during the NFL season. Subsequent “So Much More” ads will continue to appear during NFL gameday broadcasts and related content throughout football season.

Nationwide CMO Ramon Jones said in a statement, “One of the biggest misconceptions that Americans have about Nationwide is that we are just an auto insurer. We're just a homeowner's insurer. And so our goal with this campaign nationwide is…to help consumers, help intermediaries, help Americans know that we're bigger than just property casualty. We have amazing financial services products."

"These new ads showcase how people are frequently so much more than what they appear to be," Manning added in a statement, saying that Nationwide’s financial services “can help customers with things like planning for retirement and protecting their long-term goals."

Nationwide will also continue its position as presenting sponsor of the award named after Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton.

“For more than a decade, Nationwide has presented the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, which highlights players who are making a positive impact in their communities,” Manning said in a statement. “Nationwide recognizes that NFL players are so much more than athletes … in many cases, they’re also philanthropists who are making a positive impact in people’s lives and communities.”

According to Nationwide, its financial services division would rank number 129 on the Fortune 500 list, if treated as a standalone business. Nationwide claims its financial services business has doubled sales over the past decade, “significantly outpacing the industry” – with the company responsible for managing around $400 billion in customer assets, and supporting more than 2.7 million employer-sponsored retirement plan participants.