DDB and “I, Tonya” director help State Farm fill in blanks

State Farm’s “Here to Help _____ Go Right” by DDB

What happens when your she shed goes to smithereens when it’s sauteed by fire … after a lightning strike?

That’s the idea behind DDB Chicago’s engaging and humorous new national campaign for State Farm which broke during the season finale of NBC’s This is Us. Titled, “Here to Help _____ Go Right,” the initiative is meant to bring more meaning and context to the already successful “Here to help Life Go Right” brand platform.

Crafted by the creative team of Brian Culp, Katie Bero, Christopher Bruney and Adam Cook, each story is basically a new way to define life’s various stages for a variety of people and features real State Farm agents filling in the blank for those stages. The spots successfully use humor and the agents’ down-to-earth approachability to demonstrate the breadth of ways State Farm can help.

The agency teamed with MJZ director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Lars and the Real Girl) and Hungry Man director Dave Laden to bring the fully-integrated campaign to life.

The end result is creative that sheds amusing light on a variety of insurance moments, both expected and unexpected. The State Farm agents act as nice anchors to the wackiness on the other side of the phone.

In Pothole, real-life agent Benjamin Raymond helps his customer deal with the damage to his car.

In She-Shed, State Farm agent Zach Bay tries to assure his customer that her “She-Shed” is covered after being struck by lightning.

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Each spot gives us dialogue that feels crisp, real, and unhurried, which is nice since the spots are fairly dialogue-heavy.

Here, agent Robert James shows his young customer how State Farm can help during the many stages life throws at us.

“Agents are what really set State Farm apart, so it’s been fun to pluck real ones out of their offices and shine a spotlight on their unique ability to help life go right when things go sideways. And it turns out, life can go sideways in a lot of ways,” said Mel Routhier, Executive Creative Director of DDB Chicago.

In “Awkward Photo” agent Oumar Sylla practically becomes an extension of his customer’s family as he shows them all the ways State Farm will be there to protect their home:

What’s nice as well, is that DDB and State Farm continue to pay attention to diversity in their casting which reflects the evolving demographics of the country. In “Shopping Cart,” agent Nora Vaden Holmes demonstrate the various situations in which State Farm is there to protect your vehicle, from runaway shopping carts to newly-minted teenage drivers:

“As a company, being here for our customers in expected and unexpected moments, is paramount,” said Patty Morris, Brand Content Director of State Farm. She added, “This chapter of ‘Here to help life go right’ focuses on our empathetic approach and puts our Agents front and center as a point of differentiation for our brand.” We at The Reel agree, Patty.

CREDITS:

MUSIC: HEAVY DUTY PROJECTS
   Executive Music Producer: Kate Urcioli
   Music Producer: Dylan Bostick

 
Have new work? Contact Colin Costello at colin@reelchicago.com or follow him on Twitter @colincostello10.