• by Sarah Mahoney , 93 minutes ago

With fans everywhere gearing up for the start of football season, State Farm is readying a new squad of creative, with some marked changes.

Ads are still funny, of course, and still showcasing some of the game’s most beloved characters. But this year, Alyson Griffin, head of marketing, is running some new routes, some with a fierce focus on personalization, and some highlighting new personalities. The brand is thus shaking off the single-theme approach it has used in the past.

The personalization emphasis, she says, is an important one, pointing out the many ways State Farm can “know” customers that its competitors can’t claim, even as many insurance companies make personalization claims around custom bundles.

State Farm is the country’s leading insurer, but only the fifth largest advertiser.

“What differentiates our company from others is that, if you want, we create your personalization with an agent in your community,” Griffin tells Marketing Daily. And considering America has more local State Farm agents -- about 19,000  -- than McDonald’s or Starbucks locations, that’s deeply meaningful to many customers.

But how about those  -- especially younger ones -- who loathe the idea of a face-to-face interaction? “If you want to do it all online or with an app, we make that easy for you, too. Either way, we’re making sure to create a plan that doesn't oversell things you don't actually need and makes sure you understand what your policy is really covering.” 

Other insurers have brokers in communities, she says, “selling everything but State Farm. They’re not experts on any one company. They’re just looking at prices and saying, 'Here’s what’s cheapest.’ They don’t know the holistic customer, in the way our agents can.”

The first such spot features Mike, from Lubbock, Texas, pleasantly shocked to see his grandma dining out with NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and that his ex-girlfriend is ready to admit she was wrong.

Another new spot, called “Getting to know you with Cam,” follows Jake as he gets to know the New York Giants' Cam Skattebo, entering his second season, and one of the league’s most electrifying running backs.

Each of those ads, plus additional creative featuring Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza, the NFL’s most-watched rookie, and fan favorite Andy Reid, coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, follows different storylines, but ends with the same message: Coverage is personal. And State Farm is getting to know you in ways other insurers can’t touch.

“Personalization is the key, and we're using football to tell humorous stories about it,” Griffin says.

The company had a hit last year with a string of humorous spots comparing the difference between State Farm and other insurers with analogies like NFL’s Derrick Henry versus King Henry VIII, an athletic trainer versus pop star Meghan Trainor, and guard Trey Smith versus a crossing guard.

“You’d see something new with each one, but they all had the same construct. This year, we’re not having that kind of matching luggage. Each spot is different, and personalized.”

High Dive is the agency. The new ads are running on linear, digital, social, OLV, and also include a collaboration with Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football and CBS, with co-branded commercials.