State Farm’s 9/11 Tribute Named Top Rated Insurance Ad of 2011

According to Ace Metrix, a California based company that monitors ad performance, the top rated insurance ad of 2011 was State Farm’s September 11^th Tribute that featured a group of children singing to New York firefighters. The extremely subtle ad ran over the weekend of September 11^th and didn’t feature any mention of State Farm until the very end of the commercial. 

Jonathan Symonds, executive vice president of marketing at Ace Metrix, praised State Farm for creating an ad that was likeable, attention grabbing, and socially relevant. Because the insurance industry is both highly competitive and considered somewhat bland by consumers, Symonds insists, "It is a very, very difficult space to do well in."

Other ads that scored well in Ace Metrix’s ranking were:

Nationwide’s “Collision” Ad

State Farm’s “State of Urgency” Ad

And, Mercury Insurance’s “Anti-Texting PSA”

In contrast, ads such as the Geico Caveman and Flo risked “irking” some people who don’t care for those particular characters, despite helping people remember the company and bolstering the brand.

Although Symonds said the difficulty insurance companies face is “humanizing insurance,” he also conceded that at the end of the day, the goal is to have customers remember your name when shopping for insurance. And, even though that’s easier said than done, the four commercials that came out on top in 2011 managed to do both.