• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

Farmers Insurance is attempting a marketing hat trick: A major rebranding effort that also hangs onto its comedic edge and jettisons a familiar spokesperson.

With a campaign called "Honesty Is Our Policy," the company is looking to claw its way up in the category, with a repositioning that acknowledges that most insurance companies -- no matter how funny their ads are -- speak a confusing lingo that baffles consumers and makes comparison shopping next to impossible.

The pivot is based on a commitment to what’s new  -- a more honest, transparent sales pitch, inexplicably drenched in pink -- and the familiar. J.K. Simmons’ Professor Nathan Burke may be gone, but the entire effort hinges on new (and wacky) lyrics to its impossible-to-unhear jingle.

Simmons, who debuted in the role in 2010, “has been a strong and recognizable part of the Farmers brand since 2010,” a Farmers spokesperson tells Marketing Daily via email. “But all professors reach their tenure, and we've retired him from the new campaign.”

The move toward greater transparency is based on real changes to the company’s approach: a new “Coverage on a Page” offer that plainly shows what’s covered and what’s not, and coverage review sessions, offering Farmers representatives willing to take people through a simple conversation to see if they can change their coverage, save money, or both.

Farmers says it is the first major brand repositioning in years and the first campaign from Dentsu Creative since being named the brand's creative agency back in April.

Ads are running on broadcast, digital, social, out-of-home, and experiential. All of them play with the cadence of the Farmers’ jingle, including “We own pink now. But we sort of went too far,” “What is covered? Why does this make zero sense?” or “For the record, he dyes his hair to hide the gray.”

"The strategy is grounded in a simple belief: Our customers' insurance coverage should be easy to understand, with no jargon, no big words, and no lawyer needed to make sense of it," said Eleanor Solomon, head of creative for Farmers Insurance, in the release. "Farmers is introducing tools that help make insurance easier to navigate—highlighting what is and is not covered, offering coverage reviews even if your policy is with another insurer, and, in some cases, helping consumers explore alternatives when Farmers isn't a fit for them."

The company, based in Woodland Hills, California, hopes the campaign will help the brand stand out in a competitive category. State Farm and Progressive dominate the property and casualty insurance industry in the U.S., with market shares of 10.4% and 7.6%, respectively, according to the 2025 ranking from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Farmers ranks a lowly No. 9 spot, with just 2.7% share.

Farmers isn’t the only insurer breaking new ads this week. The General’s WWE Fan of the Year is moving forward, with documentary-style films featuring three real fans. The campaign, part of The General’s multiyear partnership, aims to turn authentic fan stories into compelling creative and asks the WWE Universe to choose the winner through a public Instagram vote. One of the three finalists ultimately gets an all-expenses-paid VIP SummerSlam experience.

The company says the content ties into its ongoing campaign from BBDO, which makes the point that while the WWE definition of “break” is painful, the General is just offering you a better deal.