Why State Farm is skipping Super Bowl ad for TikTok play with Khaby Lame

State Farm might not have a commercial running in the Super Bowl, but the insurer will still be one of the most talked about brands on Feb. 12. The Bloomington, Illinois-based company has organic marketing built into State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, which will host the Big Game matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. State Farm plans to use those naming rights to its advantage with a new campaign that will feature TikTok star Khaby Lame alongside spokesman Jake from State Farm. “We’re taking this innovative approach to maximize State Farm Stadium, these naming rights,” said Kristyn Cook, who was promoted to chief marketing officer earlier this year, noting that State Farm plans to “engage fans not just during the game but before and after.” One week before the game, State Farm will run a video on TikTok that shows Lame and Jake getting pitched by overzealous executives on how the brand should approach the Super Bowl this year. It only takes one look out the window at the name emblazoned on the stadium to elicit Lame’s famous shrug and set a different course of action for the insurer. “That simple shrug that’s us saying the Big Game came to us and we’re going to leverage that in a unique and different way,” said Cook. Such leveraging involves a call to action for viewers to guess the number of times State Farm will be mentioned during the Super Bowl. The winner will get a chance to star in one of Lame’s TikTok videos. State Farm, which worked with Infinity Marketing Team on the effort, plans to amplify the effort with posts from other TikTokers such as Spencer X, Michael Le and McKenzi Brooke. The brand will also run commercials about the contest on linear and connected TV this week. State Farm spent an estimated $29.9 million on NFL playoffs advertising, according to iSpot, ranking fifth among brands. Ad Age events Sign up for events and awards Learn more here This is not the first time State Farm has ditched a pricey in-game ad—a 30-second spot is costing as much as $7 million this year—for a more digital-centric, social-first approach, as it seeks to connect with young Gen Z and millennial consumers. After airing a Super Bowl spot in 2021, the brand took to TikTok last year with a campaign that had Jake acting as a talent scout for fans. The socially led strategy is one Cook said will be a key priority as she takes the marketing helm. The insurer is maintaining a “human plus digital” focus, by activating in the metaverse, executing in new ways on TikTok, investing in gaming and sports and continuing to personalize the insurance experience for customers, she said. Such innovation comes at a particularly challenging time for the insurance industry, when climate change, inflation and rising claims costs, along with a wholly new generation of customers to court, put pressure on brands like State Farm to adapt their marketing. Overall, most insurers, who are known for operating billion-dollar marketing budgets in some cases, have been investing more in digital advertising and pulling back on traditional mediums like broadcast TV. “We’re not afraid to experiment and try things and use data and push ourselves to modernize the brand,” said Cook.

Why State Farm is skipping Super Bowl ad for TikTok play with Khaby Lame

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