As the named sponsor on this year’s Super Bowl venue in Phoenix, State Farm was already expected to be part of the big game. But occasions like this only come around once-in-a-while, so the brand wanted to do something special.
Rather than running an expensive commercial during the game, State Farm is encouraging fans to participate in an interactive challenge, guessing how many times “State Farm Stadium” is mentioned during the game’s broadcast on Feb. 12.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen success in the football space through having an ad spot during the big game, launching virtual AR experiences with NFT prizes, leveraging TikTok for fan engagement, and more,” said Alyson Griffin, vice president of marketing at State Farm. “The State Farm Stadium Challenge is yet another move from State Farm to modernize the advertising landscape, innovate around naming rights and sports strategy and show up in game day conversation in an unexpected way.”
State Farm kicked off the contest on Feb. 5, via a video from TikTokker Khaby Lame. The video features the brand’s spokescharacter, Jake, and Lame being pitched an outrageous commercial intended to run during the Super Bowl. The pitch includes having Jake fly across the screen on a hang-glider, trailing smoke, while dancers swirl around using jetpacks. When Jake asks Lame his opinion, the social media star uses his well-known two-handed gesture to point out that the stadium behind them already carries the State Farm name.
The spot ends with Jake explaining the contest and its prize, a chance to appear in one of Khaby’s videos. Griffin noted that Khaby has more than 154 million fans, with a high appeal among Millennials and Gen Z. She added that his approach to showing how complex tasks often have simpler solutions aligns with State Farm’s intent to simplify insurance for its consumers.
“We know that many consumers find value in connecting on social, and we expect fantastic engagement with a chance to be in a TikTok with Khaby on the line,” Griffin said. “Given his widespread recognition and how popular TikTok is with younger audiences, we believe the chance to appear in a TikTok with Khaby is huge for creators looking to grow their own audience or for anyone who wants to experience what it’s like to be in a video with one of the biggest influencers in the world.”
In addition to working with Lame, State Farm has enlisted additional Tik Tok stars Spencer X, Michael Le and McKenzi Brooke to promote the contest. Griffin did not provide further details about their involvement.
To further build excitement in the run-up to the game, Jake will make appearances at pre-game events throughout Super Bowl week, including the GQ Hall of Fame inauguration.
