State of Unrest

Growing up, my father always expressed the importance of insurance. There was never a year that went by that he did not speak of it. As time went on, I noticed he literally had a different type of insurance for everything, whether it is life insurance, car insurance, home owner’s insurance, health insurance, and etc. Whenever I watch television I always notice insurance commercials and the many agencies they represent. I normally stop paying attention when the All State or Progressive commercials come on but when State Farm commercials come on I am all ears. State of Unrest, otherwise known as Jake, is a commercial about a man who is trying to switch his insurance agency to state farm. The creative tactics this commercial uses is sure to grab anyone’s attention. Memories of the days where you thought you were being sneaky but got caught are sure to pop in your head. Whatever State Farm’s tactics may be, they are definitely not the average insurance commercial.
The commercial takes place in the house of the client. Immediately, the audience’s attention is brought to the husband. Surrounded by dimness, he talks on the phone. His voice is deep but a hint of secrecy lingers in the air as he attempts to whisper his words. Thoughts of an affair would cross the minds of most people; however this is not the case. Trying to be as quiet as possible does not work in the husband’s favor because his wife comes down the stairs livid. The wife insists that he tell her who he is talking to. Obeying her request the husband tells her. However, she does not believe him because she grabs the phone out of his hand and asks the person who he is. “It’s Jake, from State Farm,” he answers but the wife is not convinced.
This commercial is a successful in every sense of the word. For those who are always busy, like the college student who must attend classes, be a nanny after classes, go home feed the dog, then do homework State Farm is perfect. The student has the relief of knowing that she can get insurance through State Farm at any time of day or night. There is no having to call the agent by five on Fridays and four on Saturdays.
It is successful because it does a great job of appealing to the audience’s sense of emotion. Making the viewers wonder if the wife is going to wake up or imagining what will happen to the husband when the camera stops rolling. It makes the viewers want to have great customer service in every aspect of their life all of the time. Maybe twenty four hour tanning salons or bookstores. Customers everywhere just want to feel like they have that option if they would ever need it.
State Farm is a widely accepted form of insurance. This commercial makes it known that if ever one feels in a “state of unrest” with their insurance agency they can be sure to switch whenever they feel the need to.
Ultimately I think the commercial is successful because it lets its audience know how convenient and easy it is to switch. This commercial is not like every other insurance commercial that just mentions accidents and rewards but it uses creative situations to grab the attention of its viewers. The commercial’s catchy phrase at the end “Not only can we save you money…we can even do it at 3am”, gives the audience a sense of comfort in knowing that if ever they feel the sudden urge to switch, they do not have to wait.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47cAxRX3aDg