Ad Analysis Essay On State Farm

Ad Analysis Essay

When advertising a product, comedy is an important factor. When an advertisement is humorous, it grabs the attention of the viewer easier than advertisements that are serious or just plain boring. The addition of humor can have drastic effects on an advertisement, especially when the subject or product being advertised isn’t very exciting. State Farm, which is one of today’s leading car insurance companies, began using comedy while advertising their car insurance plans and are now known for their hilarious commercials.

The broad audience targeted by State Farm has remained the same throughout the company’s existence. By advertising the services that they provide for their policyholders, State Farm is after an audience

of adults, young and old. State Farm offers auto insurance, home & property insurance, life insurance and health insurance. Their slogan, “like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” is used by State Farm in an attempt to persuade the audience of adults in need of insurance, to choose State Farm. By acting as a good neighbor, State Farm shows how they are involved in communities, which makes the company appeal to those who care about the quality of the insurance that they pay for.
Since nearly everyone is in search of car insurance for a low or reasonable cost, State Farm’s advertisements logically appeals to viewers because of the affordability that they offer.

From the time State Farm was founded, the company has made car insurance affordable and has widely advertised their ability to do so. State Farm’s earlier television commercials simply got their point across by coming out and saying exactly what the company had to offer and explaining the affordability of their insurance, making the commercials pretty unappealing to the viewer. Although the commercials gave enough information about the insurance, the viewers were left bored and sometimes confused. Using just a single person during the advertisement also makes the commercial less interesting, especially because that person is talking while sitting at a desk. State Farm’s early commercials didn’t have many negative effects to the company, but weren’t persuading customers

either.
More recent State Farm advertisements still get at many of the same points, but now include a celebrity, a comedic actor, funny music, or all three.

State Farm’s television commercials are now the main source of advertisement for the company. These commercials have also become famous for their humor, which has led to an increase in the popularity of State Farm insurance which has benefited the company. In their more recent television commercials, State Farm has created new “deals”. The most popular deal that State Farm has to offer, is what they call the “discount double check”. The discount doublecheck promises to double ckeck that policyholders are recieving all of the discounts that they qualify for. Featuring in State Farm’s “discount double check” commercials, is NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In the commercials, Rodgers is shown talking with a State Farm insurance agent about the “discount double check” and how it works. Alongside Rodgers and the insurance agent is a married couple who overhears the conversation and also asks about the “discount double check”, causing the insurance agent to further explain what the “discount double check” offers. The insurance agent in the commercial also applies the “discount double check” to real world examples that help the viewer to understand the advertisement

better.
The humorous advertisements and television commercials by State farm touch the emotions of viewers with comedy. Joy is brought to the viewers, which is one sign of a great advertisement. Also, because of viewers finding State Farm’s commercials to be funny, the commercials tend to stick in the viewer’s head and is likely to be shown to friends of the viewer.
More recent State Farm advertisements are effective because of their use of comedy when advertising. Since the introduction of comedy to State Farm commercials, the company has gained more business. Although, State Farm does a good job of entertaining the viewers during their more recent advertisements, some aspects could stand to be changed. If I were to construct an advertisement for State Farm, I would keep the presence of comedy, and their slogan. Though I would incorporate the aspect of giving specific detail from State Farm’s older advertisements, into the more recent ones. A mixed balance between comedy and specifics would create an ideal advertisement for the State Farm insurance company.

State Farm television commercial, 1993 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxMT3U7QoNo

State Farm television commercial, 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF2o5NtlfK0

Works Cited
Lazare, Lewis. “Get Insurance Quotes – Save on Auto Insurance – State Farm™.” State Farm. Chicago Business Journal. Lazare, Lewis. 10 Oct. 2016.