Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there—in the end zone. The insurance company has scored a deal to become a three-year sponsor of the National Football League (NFL).
The agreement gives State Farm the opportunity to leverage the NFL brand starting this season, as well as its sponsorship of the NFL Pro Bowl beginning with the 2007 game. The deal includes trademark rights, broadcast and online media elements, and title sponsorship of NFL Match Up, a weekly program that provides an in-depth analysis of the weekend’s best games on ESPN.
State Farm said it also plans to support the NFL partnership with an integrated marketing plan, including national advertising, consumer marketing programs and on-line promotion.
“We’re extremely excited about [the sponsorship] as it will give our agents a lot of great exposure and branding recognition by being tied to the NFL,” said Bobby Wilkinson, manager national sponsorships, State Farm.
The insurance company currently has more than 17,000 State Farm agents who will benefit from affiliating with a brand as popular as the NFL, Wilkinson added.
In the past year, State Farm has expanded its front-line sponsorships to include NASCAR drivers Jeff Burton and Reed Sorenson; USA Basketball; United States Ski and Snowboarding Association and Disney/Pixar’s Cars. State Farm, based in Bloomington, IL, is also an official corporate sponsor of the NCAA.
DDB Chicago and Optimum Sports, New York City, will handle State Farm’s activation.
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