State Farm Insurance

Media Plan book

Jacqueline Hill

Katie KirkJenny Kohn

Caitlin Morris

Lindsay TullyPart I:

Secondary Research – Marketing Background

Company Analysis

State Farm’s Mission Statement:“State Farm's mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams.

We are people who make it our business to be like a good neighbor; who built a premier company by selling and keeping promises through our marketing partnership; who bring diverse talents and experiences to our work of serving the State Farm customer.

Our success is built on a foundation of shared values -- quality service and relationships, mutual trust, integrity and financial strength.

Our vision for the future is to be the customer's first and best choice in the products and services we provide. We will continue to be the leader in the insurance industry and we will become a leader in the financial services arena.

Our customers' needs will determine our path. Our values will guide us.”

About State FarmState Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company was founded on June 7, 1922, by George J. Mecherle, a retired farmer. It initially concentrated on meeting auto insurance needs of Illinois farmers through a mutual organization owned by the customers. By 1942, the company was the nation's largest auto insurer, a ranking it has held ever since. About one out of every five cars on the road is insured with State Farm. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is a mutual insurance company and as such does not have any shareholders. After the company’s initial success, State Farm decided to launch health insurance in 1965 and years later launched property and life insurance, as well as banking products and mutual funds.

. State Farm Story - Then and Now State Farm was founded in 1922 by retired farmer and insurance salesman George Jacob Mecherle. His motivation for starting State Farm was about fairness and doing the right thing for the customer. Mecherle knew farmers drove less and had fewer accidents than people living in cities. He thought they should pay less for automobile insurance and decided to start his own company. State Farms founder’s philosophy of insurance coverage at a fair price, coupled with fair claim settlement, remains the cornerstone of their success and will help drive us in our media planning.

Today, State Farm insures more cars than any other insurer in North America. They are the leading U.S. home insurer. More than 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 75 million policies in the United States and Canada.

Recent News Releases Involving State Farm October 4, 2007 -- LATINA Style Magazine Names State Farm®

as One of the Top Employers for Career-Minded Latinas October 2, 2007 -- State Farm® Becomes Univision Network’s

New Saturday Night Primetime Sponsor on “Sábado Gigante" September 5, 2007 -- 2007 State Farm® Good Neighbor Service-

Learning Grant Available August 17, 2007 -- $5 million in service-learning grants now

available - State Farm® Youth Advisory Board sets October 12 deadline

August 13, 2007 -- Have you Signed up for The Challenge Yet at 50MillionPounds.com?

July 17, 2007 -- State Farm Endorses Business Roundtable Climate Changes Statement

July 5, 2007 -- State Farm Companies Foundation Commits to Another Three-Year Cycle of Funding for Youth Service America

June 26, 2007 -- State Farm Named One of the "Best Companies for Diversity" by Black Enterprise Magazine

Past State Farm Awards and Recognition

Top 50 Best Companies for Latinas to Work 40 Best Companies for Diversity Computerworld Best Places to Work in IT Best Diversity Companies Readers’ Choice Hispanic Corporate 100 Top 50 Corporations for Supplier Diversity Top 100 Employers Top 50 Most Military-Friendly Employer Top 30 Diversity Recruiting Corporations America's Top Organizations for Multicultural Business

Opportunities Corporation of the Year Super Advertiser Partners Award Corporate Partnership Award Hero Award Lifeline Award Lifetime Achievement Award Outstanding Corporate Partner Award Partnership & Commitment Award Sponsorship Award Support of Student Homeownership Program (SHOP) Top 25 Recruitment Programs Outstanding Internship Top 20 Companies for Leaders Asian American Marketer of the Year Bronze World Medal Corporate Leadership Award Corporate Recognition Award Corporation of the Year Excellence in Asian Advertising Campaign National Urban League Incentive to Excel and Succeed

(NULITES) Award Silver Effie Award 

State Farm’s Community Involvement

"It's our responsibility to support the communities where we live and work," says Edward B. Rust, Jr., Chairman and CEO of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. "A thoughtful, comprehensive approach can make significant and lasting change, help build sustainable communities, and contribute to our policyholders' well-being."

State Farm’s Dedication to Excellence in Education

State Farm supports efforts to ensure that all children have access to an education. This will allow them to achieve their greatest potential and prepare them to be active participants in a nation and economy that continues as a global leader. Some examples of educational contributions from State Farm:

State Farm Service-Learning Champion Award State Farm Youth Board The State Farm Memory Wall Embrace Life Awards

State Farm’s Safe Neighbors Program

State Farm is an active leader in the community to help ensure that children are buckled safely, intersections are safer, homes are stronger, and much more. Examples of instituted State Farm programs dedicated to the community:

Safe Neighbors National Partnerships Child Passenger Safety Home Safety Natural Disaster Planning Arson Dog Program Young Driver Research Initiative

Grants & Scholarships

Through the Good Neighbor Citizenship program, State Farm commits resources to helping raise the levels of achievement of our nation's teachers and students, to making our homes and highways safe, and to building strong communities. Examples of State Farm’s scholarships and grants:

Foundation Grants Scholarships Other Programs Company Grants State Farm Community Volunteers

Strong Neighborhoods

State Farm partners with responsible community organizations who share their vision for healthy communities. We will draw from State Farm’s commitment to education, community and their customers to create a strong media plan that will prove they really are number one in the car insurance industry.

Market Data/Sales Trends

Price: Price of an automobile insurance policy depends on several factors. To determine the price of a particular policy, some factors that affect the price are: what you buy, such as the number of coverages and the deductibles, what type of car you drive, where you drive, how much you drive, your age, sex and marital status, your driving record and your credit history. All of these factors will determine the amount of your quote for a policy. Compared to its main three competitors, Allstate, Geico, and Progressive, State Farm is about parallel with Allstate’s prices. Geico is the cheapest of the three, Progressive follows, while State Farm and Allstate are very similar regarding type of company, consumer and price. State Farm feels that their emphasis does not need to be on having the lowest prices in the industry, as long as they remain competitive. A breakdown of State Farm’s yearly combined net worth of all of their affiliates is as follows:

2003: $40.3 billion2004: $46.3 billion2005: $50.2 billion2006: $58.1 billion

Product: State Farm Insurance offers several different types of insurance, including: automobile, homeowners, condo owners, renters, life, health, long-term care, business, boat, disability, flood and more. In addition, State Farm offers banking and financial services. They offer a wide variety of insurance coverage to aid you with the best policy at each stage of your life.

Place: State Farm has advertised through traditional and non-traditional media, such as television, print, radio, sponsorship and basically every choice of media available. They are mostly consistent with their marketing and advertising. State Farm’s print advertising is in home and family magazines, such as Homes and Gardens, as well as in transit. Many city buses in the majorly populated cities of the U.S., such as Chicago and Los Angeles have advertisements containing information about automobile insurance. Furthermore, State Farm launched its Now What? Campaign focused on internet usage to reach a younger audience. State Farm’s focus for distribution of insurance is to use their website,

www.statefarm.com, to retrieve a quote, find an agent or simply learn more information about the company.

Promotion: State Farm is constantly using promotions to gain business and build rapport with the consumers and policyholders. Here are just a few recent promotions pertaining to all aspects of their insurance coverage:

1. State Farm and the NFL decided to team up in an exclusive marketing sponsorship. This will be the first time that the nation’s largest insurer of homes and automobiles has joined forces with the nation’s most popular sport. The three-year agreement presents State Farm with numerous marketing and advertising incentives, the opportunity to leverage the NFL brand, as well as the first-ever presenting sponsorship of the NFL Pro Bowl beginning with the 2007 game. According to information found on State Farm’s website, “This sponsorship of the NFL allows State Farm to communicate through a channel that reaches millions of people and has an incredibly loyal fan base,” said Mark Gibson, Assistant Vice President – Advertising at State Farm. “With this alliance, State Farm is able to leverage the power of the NFL, and effectively reinforce its message that it is committed to being customers’ first and best choice.”

2. State Farm was the Promotional Sponsor for Disney and Pixar’s CARS animated movie in April 2006 and the Promotional Sponsor of Disney and Pixar’s CARSRoadTrip ’06, which followed the premiere of the movie. Both State Farm and Disney and Pixar were thrilled to work together. According to State Farm’s website, "State Farm is excited about our involvement in the launch of CARS. It's a great opportunity to showcase our commitment to cars and drivers in a way that makes auto insurance fun and relevant to all ages," said Pam El, Vice President, Marketing. "The theme of the movie and the mission of State Farm are very consistent. As the largest insurer of cars in the U.S., this is a perfect fit."

3. State Farm promotes many events nationwide, but they also offer several promotional benefits for their employees, such as health promotion, advantages to quit smoking and assistance programs. Here are just a few examples, according to State Farm’s website:

“From yoga to healthy cooking to weight loss classes, a variety of wellness programs are offered in many State Farm work locations. As a State Farm employee, you can also take advantage of our US Discount program which allows employees to obtain membership to local fitness centers at discounted rates.”

“As a State Farm employee, you and members of your immediate household will be eligible for services provided, free of charge, under the employee assistance program. Some of these services include: parenting/ child care, emotional well-being, addiction, legal issues, education, and eldercare.”

“State Farm supports employees' efforts to quit smoking by reimbursing them for smoking cessation expenses such as over-the-counter aids, classes, hypnotism, prescription medications, and doctor visits.”

Competitive Analysis

State Farm’s main competition in the auto insurance industry is Allstate Insurance Company. The other competition lies in newer, less-established companies that place their emphasis on low rates and online policy access. A leader in this type of auto insurance carrier is Geico. Therefore, we will analyze State Farm’s competition as Allstate and Geico.

AllstateAccording to Allstate.com, “The Allstate Corporation is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer. A Fortune 100 company, with $157.5 billion in assets, Allstate sells 13 major lines of insurance, including auto, property, life and commercial. Allstate also offers retirement and investment products and banking services. Allstate is widely known for their ‘You’re In Good Hands With Allstate’ slogan. Allstate was founded in 1931 and became a publicly traded company in 1993.”

Provides insurance policies to more than 17 million households Allstate insures 1 out of every 9 automobiles in the U.S. Allstate operates in 49 U.S. states and Canada Allstate is concerned with charitable donations and community

involvement

Allstate lists their financial ratings for the previous years as follows:

Financial RatingsFinancial Ratings: 2006 2005 % Change

Net Income Per Diluted $7.84 $2.64 197

Share(in dollars)

Operating Income ($ in millions)

$4,888 $1,582 209

Return on Equity (percent) 23.8% 8.4% 15.4 pts.

Revenues ($ in millions) $35,796 $35,383 1.2

Shareholders Equity($ in millions)

$21,846 $20,186 8.2

Book Value Per Diluted Share(in dollars)

$34.84 $31.01 12.4

GeicoAccording to Geico.com, Geico was started in the 1930s and its original customer base came from those enlisted in the military. Geico’s founder wanted to find a way to offer lower insurance premium rates by appealing to a select customer base. Today, according to A.M. Best, Geico is the 4th largest private passenger auto insurer in the U.S.

Geico has over 8 million policyholders

2006 Auto Policy Gain GEICO 10.7%Allstate 1.6State Farm 1.4Progressive 1.4

“State Farm has to compete on what sets us apart.  We’re providing the best value in the market,” said Executive Vice President Bill King. “And we’re making sure that value is balanced with a competitive price.”

Brand/Product/Positioning

Who is our target? 1. State Farm has a very wide target market. There are

many smaller markets that all have different marketing campaigns. For example, on their home website there is an entire page full of links to choose which life stage the consumer is in. It then goes into detail of why you would need insurance for that particular life stage. Some examples of these different life stages are: Planning for College, Getting Out on Your Own, Renting a Place, Finding a Job, Getting Married and Planning for Retirement.

Where are we in the mind of this person? 1. State Farm has been in the business of providing excellent automobile coverage at an affordable price since 1922. 2. Since its inception, State Farm has expanded its services into other popular types of insurance, such as homeowners and life insurance, in addition to banking and financial services. Therefore, they cover a very large spectrum of insurance, like a one stop shop. It is very convenient for a consumer to purchase all types of insurance from them.

3. State Farm has grown to include 68,000 employees and 17,000 agents servicing 74 million policies in the United

States and Canada, and serving more than 1.8 million bank accounts.

4. State Farm is America's largest automobile insurance provider, covering "about one in every 5 vehicles" in the USA according to the company.” State Farm is very well-known and trusted.

5. Ranked #25 on Fortune 500 in 2002.

Where is our competition in the mind of this person?1. Major insurance competitors include Allstate, American Family, Farmers Insurance Group, Nationwide, Progressive, and GEICO

2. Allstate was founded in 1931and therefore, have been in the industry for almost as long as State Farm.  This has given them the opportunity to create credibility and loyal customers.  According to Ellen McLaughlin, Allstate Insurance expert, Allstate and State Farm are direct competitors.

Where would we like to be in the mind of this person? 1. According to State Farm’s website, “Our vision for the future is to be the customer's first and best choice in the products and services we provide. We will continue to be the leader in the insurance industry and we will become a leader in the financial services arena. Our customers' needs will determine our path. Our values will guide us.”

What is the consumer promise?1. State Farm's mission is to help people manage the risks of

everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams.

What is the supporting evidence? 1. Their prices, agents and company slogan, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.”2. State Farm is very informative and has many great resources right at your fingertips. The State Farm website is very user friendly.3. Their superior customer service

What is the tone of voice for this advertising?

1. Very friendly and warm 2. Make you feel like part of the community, part of the family3. Trustworthy

Brand & Competition – Media Use & Creative Strategies

State Farm’s Current Media Use

Television1. Major network Stations

ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX2. Popular Cable Networks

Univision National sponsor for Sabado Gigante (tv show)

3. ESPN4. Nickelodeon

Internet1. Weather.com2. Microsite called nowwhat.com

Commercial spots and print ads advertising for the microsite

Sponsorship1. Official insurance sponsor of Major League Baseball2. Official insurance sponsor of National Football League3. Official insurance sponsor of Nascar

Alternative Media1. Corporate sponsor of NCAA

State Farm’s Current Creative Strategy

Slogan “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.”

Focus Friendly, reliable feeling Ensures that you can get optimal service for the same

price as their competitors Guarantees friendly, knowledgeable insurance agents

Allstate’s Current Media Use

Television1. Major networks

ABC, NBC, CBS, FOXPrint

1. Nascar Major print campaign emphasizing safe driving on and off

the trackSponsorships

1. College football2. Sugar Bowl in New Orleans3. Mexican National Soccer Team4. United States Olympic team5. Latin Grammy Awards

Allstate’s Current Creative Strategy

Slogan “You are in good hands with Allstate”

Have used Leo Burnett for past 50 years “The right hands make all the difference”

Headline with sports personalities hands featured Placed in sports magazines

Straight-talk approach Highlights the benefits of using Allstate

Geico’s Current Media Use

Television Major networks - ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX National cable programs

ESPN CNN Spike TV

Sponsorship NASCAR Busch Series driver Mike Wallace

Seasonality – Buying Trends

Car-buying trends: There are 2 basic times a year when consumers purchase cars. According to Ken Morrow, an insurance agent at ThrotonPowell Insurance Inc., consumers looked to buy new automobiles in March and April, when the weather begins to change for Spring, and again in the fall during October and November, when the new models for the following year come out.

Factors that affect consumers’ decisions about purchasing auto insurance (according to Katz in the Media Handbook) : need, awareness, preference, search, selection, purchase, use, satisfaction

Because of this, it is important to get into the minds’ of consumers before they even realize that they need auto insurance, so that State Farm will be the first company that a consumer will consider when they realize their need for the product.

Means of buying auto insurance: from a company through an agency, directly from company and online.

When consumers buy auto insurance: There are two yearly peaks in auto insurance sales that coincide with the two yearly peaks of auto sales. The largest amount of auto insurance policies are sold during March and April, and then again during October and November.

Geography

State Farm's Corporate Headquarters is located in Bloomington, IL with

offices all over the United States and in parts of Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

Insurance.com reports that auto insurance rates are down 1% nationally in 2007. However, in addition to this national change, rates have gone down much more in some states than others. The following chart shows the ten states that had the largest premium drops from 2006 to 2007.

State 2006 Premium

2007 Premium

% 2007 Change from 2006

North Carolina $2,261 $1,945 -16.2%Arkansas $2,118 $1,907 -11.1%District of Columbia

$2,753 $2,504 -9.9%

South Dakota $1,812 $1,653 -9.6%North Dakota $1,941 $1,773 -9.5%West Virgina $2,367 $2,163 -9.4%Nebraska $1,702 $1,579 -7.8%

Rhode Island $2,553 $2,375 -7.5%Iowa $1,496 $1,394 -7.4%Mississippi $2,021 $1,893 -6.7%

The most cohesive trend that we noticed in these ten states was that most of them lie on the outer boundaries of the U.S., with the exception of Nebraska and Iowa. Also, none of them lie in the western U.S., so it appears that insurance tends to have higher premiums the further west you go. On the other hand, the second chart shows the ten states that had the largest premium increases from 2006 to 2007.

State 2006 Premium

2007 Premium

% 2007 Change from 2006

Nevada $1,942 $2,060 +5.7%Washington $1,792 $1,860 +3.6%Pennsylvania $1,925 $1,986 +3.1%Connecticut $1,965 $2,025 +3.0%Tennessee $1,548 $1,588 +2.6%Missouri $1,558 $1,593 +2.2%Indiana $1,463 $1,481 +1.3%Virgina $1,575 $1,591 +1.0%Vermont $1,554 $1,553 +0.1%Illinois $1,556 $1,548 +0.5%

The trend that can be noticed in the states with the largest premium increases is a little harder to spot in terms of geography, but almost all of them are states that are completely inland and most of them lie in the same region of the Northeast and Midwest. Again, not much is mentioned in the West so it appears that the prices of auto insurance premiums fluctuate more on the eastern side of the U.S. Insurance companies take many things about a region into account when determining auto insurance rates. Factors that may affect premiums are parking, traffic population, theft rate, number of accidents, and percentage of uninsured drivers in a region. Therefore, auto insurance tends to be more expensive in more populated areas, cities in particular. This is important because it may have an effect on where a consumer chooses to live if they are concerned about how much their insurance rates will be. Typically, homeowners’ insurance rates are also higher in areas where auto insurance rates are higher. State farm has auto insurance policies placed in all 50 states and Canada, so they are careful to follow insurance pricing trends to ensure that they have the least amount of underwriting loss possible, which makes their

finances more successful. There are people at State Farm who are responsible for researching these topics so that they are always accurately pricing policies nationally as well as making sure that they do not place too many policies in a high risk area.

Purchase/Usage Patterns & Product Category Trends

State Farm Insurance has very high usage patterns because they are the number one insurer of cars in the United States since 1942, and the usage trend has been increasing ever since. In just five years, State Farm Bank has grown to one of the country’s largest 100 thrift institutions. State Farm’s collision repair satisfaction ranks high among consumers. More than 80 percent of State Farm customers surveyed would recommend State Farm to friends and family for auto and homeowners insurance.

The State Farm group net worth increased by $6.0 billion to $46.3 billion in 2004. This is the second consecutive increase following three years of significant decline. State Farm added over 375,000 policies and accounts in 2004 despite falling short of their auto growth goals. The number of policies and accounts has increased almost 7 million over the past five years. Financial services policies and accounts have increased during each of the last five years. The property and casualty expense ratio improved to 35.7 percent and was better than the industry average.

To remain competitive, State Farm says that they must continue efforts to improve efficiency and productivity without compromising customer service. The pace of change seems to get faster every year, mainly due to technology. In dealing with the product/usage patterns, customers purchasing auto insurance expect to be able to interact with businesses at their convenience, any time of the day or night. They are increasingly concerned about value and want to buy and use products on their own terms. They appear to have less brand loyalty to their insurance provider. When it is time to renew, more customers go shopping and younger consumers switch at a rate higher than other age groups. Especially in auto insurance, there is much price competition.

State Farm states that they do not need to have the lowest prices in the industry to be successful, as long as they are competitive prices. State Farm is known for their continuous renewal rate as well. Group studies showed State Farm that since their productivity raised and their expense ratio dropped, they were put behind the industry

average. State Farm then proceeded to lower their auto rates in 2004 to adhere to the auto insurance category trends.

State Farm builds their company trends and usage patterns by understanding the lives and needs of their customers. They try to build a long lasting personal relationship, rather than a quick “ in and out business deal.” Demographic trends are favorable for their financial services business, as baby boomers show a growing need for retirement products. The growth of State Farm added more than 375,000 policies and accounts during 2004 and the production and retention trends in their auto lines showed continued improvement.

Consumer Decision Process

Need: In most states, if you want to drive your own vehicle, you must be insured.

Awareness: Most consumers are aware of the legal issues regarding insurance. Also, they know what the consequences are if they do not have insurance if something occurs. We want to raise State Farm’s brand awareness and show consumers the specific benefits of choosing State Farm over another competitor.

Preference: Consumers prefer many things, such as convenience, safety, a long-standing company, great customer service, an agent they can call with questions, concerns and other issues, a financially stable company and a company that cares about them as individuals and not just about their money.

Search: Ellen McLaughlin says that, “The best search method for any policyholder is word of mouth.” But other options are searching online, direct mail, etc. State Farm is very easily accessible online, through television and many other ways. They are nationwide, so their actual business locations are easy to find.

Selection: The consumers select a company by calling an agent and getting a quote. If this quote meets their expectations and is financially reasonable then the consumer will lead into the purchase mode.

Purchase: The consumer will become a policyholder through that particular company once they buy insurance. The price must be feasible for the consumer, as well.

Use: The consumers typically try out the insurance company for a year, or until their current policy is expired. After that point, they make a decision to either stay with the current company or go elsewhere.

Satisfaction: State Farm prides themselves on their claims service. Their claims department is one of the largest of all insurance companies. If the consumer is satisfied with the quotes/new quotes and the claims departments of State Farm, the policyholder will continue to keep their insurance with State Farm.

Results From SMRB Data

According to the 2006 SMRB data for consumer use of automobile insurance by brands, male principal shoppers do not purchase State Farm as often as Progressive, Geico and AIG. For the category of respondents of age 21, there was a significant difference between State Farm and Prudential, Liberty Mutual, and one of its main competitors for this age group, Geico. Also, the age group of respondents who are 22-24 is still not choosing State Farm to be their provider, unlike Geico, Allstate and Prudential, who all have very similar statistics of consumers.

On the other hand, managers and professionals have a higher rate of State Farm purchases, along with Nationwide and Allstate trailing close behind. This research shows that a more mature and business professional audience is already aware of the advantages of State Farm.

This research has led us to target a market consisting of 21-25 year-old males who are recent college graduates and are entering the workforce to begin their career. The SMRB data helped show the consumer purchasing patterns of males and helped us recognize that State Farm needs to increase awareness of their brand and expand the market for State Farm.

Pricing/Distribution Pricing

Varies by Accidents Traffic violations Type of car Number of years licensed Student How often car is driven Number of drivers on plan

Distribution Online By phone Personal agent

SWOT Analysis for State Farm

Strengths: - Idea of community- donates lots of time/money to programs that help others

-“like a good neighbor…”- idea of a friend

- Lots of different insurance policies, programs, prices, companies to choose from

- Great with diversity

-Countless awards received

Weaknesses- Their commercials are serious- unlike Geico who uses humor

-There are still many other insurance companies out there to compete with

-They’ve been using their “like a good neighbor” slogan for awhile now

Opportunities- Perhaps advertise all the good deeds and work they do in the community

-Add more diversity to their commercials

-Highlight their Hispanic awards to attract people in this market

Threats-The many other insurance companies out there

-Competing with great advertising

Part II:Audience Analysis

The primary audience is Caucasian, single males, ages 21– 25, who recently graduated college. In terms of cohort, they are at the beginning era of Generation Y. Our target can be found nationally, is just starting their first entry level job, are moving out of their parents’ house, and starting their life. They are splitting rent for their first apartment with roommates.

This target is a part of the “young influentials” segment who are busy balancing their work and leisure activities. This segment has just graduated from college and is renting apartments in young areas with parks, health clubs, and hip restaurants and bars. They are a part of the “Young Achievers” lifestage group.

This is their first experience picking their own automobile insurance. Since they are recent graduates just beginning their careers, they are very price sensitive. Although State Farm is already targeting a more mature and older audience, we as an agency decided to broaden our market and target a new audience. Since State Farm has such loyal customers already, we would like to encourage a younger audience to consider the great benefits of State Farm, as well. We are targeting recent college graduates in entry-level positions with less discretionary income, which is normally the typical target market for less expensive companies such as Geico and Progressive. According to the SMRB data, this target market is lacking in brand awareness and State Farm’s competitors are getting their business. After implementing our media strategy, we plan to increase State Farm’s brand awareness with this market and as a result, increase their market share.

According to Ellen McLaughlin, a previous representative of Allstate Insurance, consumers do not change providers until they are forced to financially or when they are in different stages of their lives. Another reason for targeting this audience, is to gain this market as clients early on in their life so that they can develop a good relationship with their State Farm agent and as a result, continue to use State Farm as them move through different lifestages.

A Day In The Life of Adam

Adam, a 22 year old single Caucasian male, graduated from University of Wisconsin- Madison in may 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. He works at Chase bank at an entry level job. He has been working there since July 2007.

Adam wakes up at 6:30 am to the sound of Coldplay coming from his alarm clock. He gets out of bed and jumps into a cool shower to wake him up. After his ten-minute shower, he dries off and shaves. He puts on aftershave, and puts some gel in his hair. He puts on dress pants, a button down shirt with a tie and sprays some cologne. Then Adam makes himself a bowl of Frosted Flakes and pours a glass of orange juice. He eats his breakfast and heads off to work at around 7:30 am.

Adam gets into his used silver Honda civic and makes the fifteen minute commute to Chase bank. On the way, he stops in the Starbuck’s drive-thru and gets a grande coffee with a shot of espresso. He arrives at work at about 7:50 am since he begins work at 8 am. He works throughout the day and takes his lunch break at 1pm. He gets into his car and drives to Subway about ten minutes away. He orders a meatball sub sandwich, a bag of potato chips and a large Coke. He eats lunch there and drives back to work to be back by 2 pm. He finishes his work day at 5 pm and drives to the local pub to have a drink with his co-workers. He orders a Bud Light bottle. After a drink, he drives home to his apartment where he shares rent with two other males that he met in college.

Adam and his roommates make chicken on their George Forman grill, a side of broccoli and mashed potatoes. They sit around their table, eat dinner and talk about what is new in their lives. After dinner they hang out in their living room and watch Sports Center on ESPN. After watching their television show, Adam gets ready for his daily workout. He gets into his car and drives to the gym. He does weight training for forty five minutes and cardio for a half hour. Once Adam completes his workout, he drives back home for a shower. Adam takes another ten minute shower and gets ready to go to bed. Before

getting into bed, Adam checks his Gmail email account and www.cnn.com for the latest news in the business world on his laptop. Adam gets into bed at 11 pm.

Primary Research

We collected primary data from people in our specific target audience. Due to the limits of our location, we distributed 100 surveys to senior males at The University of Illinois. Sample of our survey:

1. Do you own a car?

2. Do you have auto insurance?

3. Do you pay for your own auto insurance?

4. Please rank your familiarity with the following auto insurance companies from 1 – 4 (1 being the most familiar, 4 being the least familiar):

_______Progressive_______Allstate_______State Farm_______Geico

5. Please rank the factors that would help you choose an auto insurance carrier from 1 – X (1 being the most important, X being the least important)

_______Price_______Well-established company_______Your parents used it _____ Coverage_______Special promotions_______Other (if applicable)

Please List:_______________________________________________

6. Please check how interested you are in sports:______ Very little______ Somewhat______ Moderately______ Very______ Sports are my life

7. Please indicate how often you visit ESPN.com, read sports magazines, or watch sporting events on television:_____ Never_____ At least once a day_____ More than once a day

8. Please select your ethnicity:

_______African American_______Asian_______Hispanic_______Caucasian_______Native American_______Other (if applicable)

Please List:_______________________________________________

9. Please select your age group:

_______17-20_______21-25_______26-30

Key Findings from Primary Research

Out of our 100 sampled males, we found that 95% have car insurance. However, only 17% choose their own insurance provider. Given this low percentage, we feel that this age group will be picking their own car insurance post- graduation and would excellent target market. The research found that 42% ranked Allstate 1st for familiarity, with 33% selecting State Farm and 25% selecting Geico. Drawing from this information, we hope to make State Farm number one for familiarity by significantly increasing brand awareness. 73% listed price as their first consideration for car insurance, with coverage being the second most selected answer. The research found that 86% of the sample check either ESPN.com, ESPN network, or read ESPN Magazine on a daily basis.

Part III:Media Plan

In order to reach our target market effectively, 21-25 year old males who are recent college graduates in an entry-level position, our media strategy will focus on a nationwide campaign with a variety of different media and advertisements. We will a media selection of television, magazines and internet, as well as non-traditional media such as out of home and sponsorship to reach our target market. The use of this media will increase the awareness of the reliable service and competitive pricing that State Farm offers.We will launch our campaign in November 2008 and it will continue to run for approximately one entire year following a specific schedule.

Media Strategy Statement

We will use a media mix of traditional and non-traditional consisting of television, magazines, internet, out of home and sponsorship. We chose these specific media because they we will effectively and strategically reach our target market.

TelevisionAccording to the Media Handbook, some of the benefits of television to the advertisers the true to life perspective and the wide reach of people it offers at any one time.

Magazines “Magazines as a medium reach a broad range of the population”. According to the Media Handbook, “94% of all adults read magazines in any one year, buying about six different titles in that time period” Magazines can be considered a pre-shopping experience that allows consumers to learn about the product before purchasing it.

InternetInternet is considered to be the ultimate choice in mediums of advertising. One reason for this is because “the internet is the first mass medium able to offer a targeted, personal advertising message”

Out of Home BillboardsIt has been said that bigger is better. This is the case when it comes to billboards. According to The Media Handbook, “The large size of the poster panel or painted bulletin means that the outdoor advertising gets noticed.”

SponsorshipThere are several benefits gained from using non-traditional sponsorship. One major benefit is the “heightened visibility for the brand name, thereby increasing the chances of shaping positive consumer attitudes.” Also, the reason why we chose to do sports sponsorship is because “the majority of sponsorship spending (69%) goes toward sports-related events.”

RadioWe chose not to use radio because iPod use is increasing and continues to increase, especially for our target market. Another reason why we chose not to use radio advertising is because of a few drawbacks. According to the Media Handbook, radio can only offer sound, as opposed to sight and motion of television. Furthermore, radio ads are usually a background medium because people are doing something else at the same time, which makes it more difficult to grab and keep the consumers’ attention).

NewspaperWe chose not to use newspapers because they are on the decline and have a few negative aspects to their usage. One example is that the consumer is usually an active reader, which basically means that if your headline doesn’t catch the consumers’ attention, there is a good chance that he or she will not look at the ad at all.

We will use several different subgroups within each medium focusing on sports, business and news.Television: ESPN, CNN and NCAA March Madness on a primetime channelMagazines: ESPN Magazine, Sports Illustrated and MaximInternet: ESPN.com, CNN.com and Facebook.com Out of Home: Billboards in Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles & BostonSponsorship: NCAA March Madness

We will allocate media evenly throughout the United States with the exception of out of home billboards. Billboards will appear in select heavily populated cities where we can reach our target market, such as Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles and Boston. We chose these particular cities because of our research from the U.S. Census Bureau which can be found within the billboard section of this media plan.

For most of the media we will advertise in key sales months of vehicles such as November and March with secondary emphasis during lesser sales periods throughout the year. According to Ken Morrow, an insurance agent at ThorntonPowell Insurance Inc., most consumers buy automobiles before or after the cold winter months here in the Midwest. Since this is the major time for automobile purchases, this also coincides with automobile insurance purchases.

The scheduling strategy for our campaign is pulsing throughout the entire year for all of the selected vehicles. However, some of the vehicles will heavy up during the months of November and March, such as television and sponsorship. We decided to heavy up during these months because of the College Football schedule, the NCAA March Madness tournament for television advertisements, and the sponsorship of the actual March Madness event.

Media Emphasis and Budget Distribution

Total Budget - $300 million

Media Distribution we will use:

Media Outlet Budget Distribution Amount in millions

Traditional, $195Non-Traditional,

$105

Traditional Media (65%) Television (45%) Magazines (30%) Internet (25%)

Traditional Media Outlet Budget Distribution Amount (in millions)

Television, $87.75

Magazines, $58.50

Internet, $48.75

Non-Traditional Media (45%) Billboards (40%) Sponsorship (65%)

Non-Traditional Media Outlet Budget Distribution Amount (in millions)

Billboards, $42

Sponsorship, $63

Television - $87.75 million

The use of television to reach our target market has a strong percentage of the traditional use of media. This is because our target market engages in many hours of television in their lifetime. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., “the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube” (www.csun.edu). Also, according to television research, 99% of households in the United States possess at least one television (www.csun.edu).

The subgroups within the medium of television will consist of ESPN, CNN and the NCAA March Madness tournament on a primetime channel. Television will use 45% of the traditional media, which is approximately $87.75 million of the $300 million nationwide budget for State Farm. The emphasis of this budget will go towards ESPN and sports-centered television shows to reach our target audience effectively. ESPN’s mission statement is “To serve sports fans wherever sports are watched, listened to, discussed, debated, read about or played” (www.espncms.com). According to ESPN, they are the Worldwide Leader in Sports and air more than 5,100 live and original hours of sports programming and cover 65 sports (www.espncms.com).

ESPN has an 81.6% U.S household coverage that is still growing

ESPN recently completed 10 consecutive quarters of year-to-year household ratings growth

ESPN has been ranked the #1 favorite network (cable or broadcast) among men for the last 7 years

Sportscenter, ESPN’s flagship news program, is the #1 favorite ad-supported cable program among men

Cable subscribers vote ESPN their #1 favorite network ESPN is the only network airing every major sport

The secondary emphasis will go towards CNN and business-centered television. This is to reach our target audience who is well-educated and interested in the world news around them. The television show we will broadcast during is Anderson Cooper 360 degrees in which to connect the viewers with the world of news. Since this show airs at 10pm ET and 7pm PT, this is a good television show to reach the viewers who are home from work and settling down for dinner or for the night.

According to the Advertising Media Services media kit, it costs $147,900 to run a 30-second commercial advertisement on primetime television. A budget of $87.75 million to spend on television allows the opportunity to run approximately 592 commercials between the three mediums. We will run about 250 commercials on ESPN during Sportscenter, a sports-centered television show, and during ESPN College Football Scoreboard, which is presented by Acura. We chose these particular shows because our target market is recent college graduates in the work force who are still interested in college sports. Also, The College Football Scoreboard hour-long program is a great opportunity to run State Farm insurance commercials because it ties in with the Acura vehicle commercials. We will run about 150 commercials on primetime television during the NCAA March Madness Tournament. We chose this particular medium because of our target audience’s interest in sports and because of their relation to college and college life since they are recent college graduates. The remaining 200 spots will be featured on CNN during Anderson Cooper 360 degrees. We chose this medium because it focuses more on the business-centered part of our targets market’s lifestyle. This is a program for the well-educated who are interested in news and culture.

We will use a scheduling strategy of pulsing, while we heavy up on the months of November and March. One reason for doing this is because the key sales months for automobiles are November and March,

according to a ThorntonPowell Insurance agent, and therefore automobile insurance purchases may coincide. Also, these particular months are parallel with College Football in November and the NCAA March Madness Tournament in March. This is great timing to reach our target market, and we relate their passion for sports with our creative strategy so that it coincides. The beginning two weeks of November is when our commercials will run on ESPN and CNN and the entire month of March is when we will run the commercials for ESPN and the primetime channel for the NCAA March Madness Tournament.

In regards to the creative strategy, the reason why we are not allocating media evenly throughout the United States is because we are specializing the television commercials. Depending on the geographic location of the running commercial, it will contain their particular sports teams featured in the commercial.

Magazines – $58.5 million

The print campaign will focus on Men’s sports magazines and a fashion magazine.

ESPN Magazine – $25 Million

Approximately $400,000 per each full page

Will appear behind front cover

Run nationally, every month

Sports Illustrated – $22 Million

Approximately $350,000 per each full page

Appears behind front cover

Run nationally, every month

Maxim Magazine – $11.5 Million

Approximately $200,000 per each full page

Appears in the middle of the issue

Run nationally, every other month

The print selection for this campaign is appropriate for our target market because we are focusing on males, ages 21-25, which is a main demographic for all of these magazines. From ESPN’s media kit, men ages 18-24 have the highest readership rate at 30% while Sports Illustrated have a 24% readership rate for males ages 18-24. According to Maxim’s media kit, about 70% of the readership is college educated, which is another main component in our target market.

Internet - $48.75 millionThe internet campaign will run on three major websites.

ESPN.com

Facebook.com

CNN.com

According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, in today’s world, 88% of people say that the internet plays a daily role in their lives. We decided to use online advertising because it’s 100% trackable, it can be interactive and fun, and it is also less expensive than other media. The internet is a perfect outlet for our specific target audience, considering that 75% of males, ages 18-24 are online. Targeting our audience of males, ages 21-25, will be easy since we can pick the perfect websites that we know they will be visiting.

Our top priority website is ESPN.com, which will coincide with our advertising that we will be placing in their magazine and on television. The ESPN website is the second most-visited website by all males, ages 18-34. 89% of ESPN.com users visit the website at least once per day, ensuring that our State Farm advertisements will be seen. 84% of users are college educated and fully employed, which is exactly the type of audience we intend to target. Better yet, ESPN.com users that have bought a new car in the past year have an index of 132, making car insurance an extremely relevant advertisement. ESPN.com users are also extremely social; heavy beer consumers have an index of 161 while those that attend bars and clubs weekly have an index of 181. Our target audience is educated and successful, yet still young and enjoys having a good time. Therefore, State Farm will position itself as a necessity for this group, as they are going out and being social, yet perhaps purchasing their first car. We will spend $19.5 million on interactive banner style advertisements and will use pulsing as our scheduling strategy throughout the entire year. However, we will run more ads during the time of March Madness. This is a top month for buying car insurance, and also coincides with our advertising on television during the games.

Since our target audience is full of recent college graduates, we will advertise on Facebook.com, an extremely popular social network. With Facebook, you can create an ad and choose precisely the audience you want to see it. The ad can then be shown to the friends of the chosen audience, hoping that they are part of the same demographics and share the same interests. Facebook advertising also allows you to become part of peoples' daily conversations by creating a Social Ad where users can interact and comment on your page. Ads can be purchased by number of clicks or by impressions. We will be sure to target males, ages 21-25 and will also target members of social groups that involve cars, car accidents, car insurance and driving. After searching on Facebook, we found hundreds of groups that we will target related to cars and car insurance. A handful of Facebook group name examples include “I Want to Pay Less for My Car Insurance”, “Why is Car Insurance so Expensive?”, “My Car Insurance Costs Me More Than My Car”, “I Really Hate That Guy From Allstate Insurance” and “BULL! I only saved 14.9% on my Car Insurance by Switching to Geico”. Gieco

also has its own Facebook group, which is completely free of cost to create. We plan to create one for State Farm that is fun and includes a link to the company’s website. We plan on spending $14.63 million on creating social ads that will run throughout the entire year. By using the Facebook social ads, we can be sure that our specific target audience is reached, and interaction and feedback will take place on our ad’s webpage.

1.6 billion monthly page views are registered on CNN.com, including 815 million average page views to the home page alone. CNN attracts a diverse audience from influentials to business men, and attracts more C-Level executives than any other website. Unlike doing a quick internet search, CNN users spend an average of 30.5 minutes on the site, allowing ample time for our ad to be seen. 333 million people also subscribe to CNN mobile worldwide, therefore allowing our advertisement to be seen on cell phones as well. Finally, CNN.com is exclusive. It attracts an audience that tends to not visit other online news sites. In fact, at least 57% of CNN visitors have not visited another major news competitor in the last 30 days. Since CNN users are so loyal, we feel that they would love an extremely friendly and loyal car insurance company like State Farm. Since CNN.com acts as a daily newspaper for many males, our advertisement will run throughout the entire year.

Outdoor/Billboards - $42 million

The outdoor campaign will run in 5 major cities throughout the national State Farm campaign.

Chicago

Dallas

Miami

Boston

Los Angeles

We will buy a 100 show billboard, reaching a number of viewers equivalent to 100% of the population in the area every two days. According to Gaeblar Ventures, when determining the costs of billboards, it is necessary to look at the amount of traffic known to go past the board (the Annual Average Daily Traffic, or AADT), the number of people age 18+ in each vehicle, and the hours of illumination for the display.  After determining that, we can better plan our emphasis based on what we think will contribute the most audience penetration from our target market.   Since our campaign is national, we plan to hit five major US cities with our billboards: Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, and Boston. We chose these five cities, because they are all heavily populated and evenly spread out throughout the US.  Another reason we chose these five major cities was because of the research we found from the U.S. Census Bureau.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the entire population of the U.S. is currently 303,484,439.  The 2006 population estimate for Chicago, Illinois is 2,833,321.  The 2006 population estimate for Dallas, Texas is 1,232,940.  The 2006 population estimate for Miami, Florida is 404,048.  The 2006 population estimate for Los Angeles, California is 3,849,378.  The 2006 population estimate for Boston, Massachusetts is 509,763. We aim to target as many people as we can within each city, based on their total population and four week rate for billboard ads.  According to the Traffic Bureau for Media Measurement, the total MSA population of all these cities for 8-sheet outdoor billboard advertising is 27219.7 million, with the number of panels available being 1462, and the average four week rate listed as $62593.75. We plan to have billboards posted on nearby expressways and commuter routes. Billboards will also be placed in advantageous locations such as big shopping centers, auditoriums, and other highly populated areas, where the billboard will be noticed.

Sponsorship - $63 million

The sponsorship will run nationally at the events during the stages of NCAA Basketball March Madness tournament.

State Farm will be sponsoring an event during one of the peak times of auto insurance sales throughout the year. March is a month that is a key player for auto insurance sales during the year. Many people buy new cars in the Spring after the harsh winter months, and March is also a good time because many of the new models for that year have come down a bit in price since they were released a few months prior. One of the most popular months for sports fans across the country also happens to be March, as fans throughout the country create pools and follow closely as they watch their teams compete in the NCAA Basketball March Madness.

Because we are targeting males age 21-25, advertising during sporting events is an effective way to reach the largest number of our target segment. Our primary research showed that 86% of our target audience follows sports through ESPN. State Farm’s sponsorship of the NCAA March Madness tournament will heighten brand recognition for a minimum of 86% of the target market. This will also give State Farm the opportunity to be a forerunner in the minds of our target segment as they begin thinking about automobile and insurance purchases. Sponsorship will allow us to put the State Farm name on scoreboards, on scrolling banner ads on score tables, on televised commercials, in bathroom stalls, on game tickets and more throughout the entire NCAA March Madness tournament.

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TV                      Magazine                        Internet                        Outdoor                        Sponsorship                        

 exposure to ads/event promotion

 increased exposure to ads/event promotion

Part IV:Creative Strategy

Creative Strategy Statement

Who is our target? General male population Recent college graduates Ages 21-25 Sports-oriented

Where are we now in the mind of this person?We are well-known for being one of the leading brands in auto-insurance, and we are trusted for providing very good coverage at an affordable price.

Where is our competition in the mind of this person?Allstate is the main competitor and is known as being more expensive and therefore, has a more affluent consumer base. Geico and Progressive are known for having the most inexpensive policies by relying less on insurance agents and more on policies through the internet.

Where would we like to be in the mind of this person?We would like to be the first choice for auto insurance buyers that are buying their first policy after graduating college.

What is the consumer promise?State Farm's consumer promise is to help people manage the risks of everyday life by providing full coverage auto-insurance for an affordable price.

What is the supporting evidence?The supporting evidence is their competitive prices, friendly agents, and easily accessible resources (telephones and internet) that provide valuable information about their policies.

What is the tone of the voice for the advertising?The tone of our campaign will be humorous, but also trustworthy and knowledgeable.

Creative Rationale

The overall creative focus will be a sports theme that relates the unexpected events in sports games to unexpected occurences in life. We will rely on humor in regards to the sporting events and then bring a more serious feel to the importance of insurance and planning for the unexpected. Each different media vehicle will have the same call to action, which is to visit State Farm’s website to get an insurance quote. According to Dan Obrien’s Tapestry Presentation, online interaction is the most appropriate call to action for general markets .

TV:The main creative concept for our TV spot is to show different well-known sports bloopers or unexpected wins while a voiceover explains how you can't always be prepared for unexpected situations in sports, but you can be prepared when it comes to motor vehicle accidents. It will continue to emphasize the low cost, unlike the risks of gambling on sports games, and the excellent coverage for these unexpected incidents. The bloopers will be chosen depending on where the spot runs. For example, in Chicago one blooper would be the Cubs' play-off game that ended when a fan interfered with a game-winning home run. By specifically chosing sports teams from a particular area, we plan to spark a relevant interest with the viewer based on their preference for their local team. The call to action for the ad will be to visit State Farm’s website to find out more information and get a quote for car insurance.

Magazine:In order to reinforce the creative concept from the tv spot, we will be having a similar creative concept in a print format. There wil be an image of a dissapointed fan looking at the score board of their local team (depending on what city the advertisement is placed) as he heads to leave the arena. The headline will read, “Not every play can be planned... But you can choose your own car insurance.” The copy will then emphasize the low cost, high quality insurance

that is available through State Farm. In addition, the call to action for the ad will be the same as the TV spot.

Internet:The internet campaign will continue to reflect our main sports creative strategy while offering a direct link to get a quote from State Farm’s insurance page. For the Espn.com site, there will be a banner ad consisting of a game where the viewer has to shoot a basket into the correct hole. The failed attempted shots will show the prices of other competitors insurance quotes. The winning hole will show the State Farm’s prices . This will be an interactive way of comparing State Farm’s insurance prices while keeping the sports theme.

Outdoor:The outdoor campaign will consist of a simple headline over an image of a rioting crowd after a sports game, with the headline reading, “Sometimes you have to prepare for the loss, chose State Farm for the unexpected.” Then there will be the company’s call for action. The billboard advertisements will be designed to catch our target market's attention to create a quick, but memorable impression, leaving the reader thinking about the advertisement after they have driven past it. According to Gaeblar Ventures, the majority of people who own automobiles are typically more affluent and mobile, which assures that billboard ads will directly appeal to our target market. We will also research the traffic patterns of our target customer base in the cities we have chosen to run billboards.

Sponsorship:The sponsorship will focus on a call to action. They will be primarily revolved around getting the State Farm name out to the millions of March Madness viewers and directing them to the State Farm website. The “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is there,” slogan will also be used in this sponsorship because it will be used to accompany the heavy campaigns that will be run during the same

time period. It is going to be impossible for March Madness viewers to avoid seeing the State Farm name throughout the competition.

1st Rough Print Advertisement

2nd Rough Print Advertisement

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