Domzalski 1

Jacob Domzalski
Joan Robinson
ENG 101- 4002
8 December 2015

The Double-Edged Blade

In a highly competitive market such as America, businesses face many struggles to get
their name out into the spotlight or even survive. State Farm is an insurance company that many
Americans have come to know. How does State Farm persuade consumers to purchase their
services instead of other insurance policies from rivaling companies? What actions do they do to
promote themselves and are remembered by? Are the strategies that State Farm uses effective
enough to keep them above the other popular groups? Commercials are a medium that proves to
be one of the go-to options of advertisement.
At the start of the commercial the audience identifies three people in the middle of a
conversation at a table in the office. Their discussion is interrupted when the person in the center
of the table vanishes instantaneously. Throughout the remainder of the advertisement, other
agents of State Farm disappear while they are just going about their day. The viewer then sees a
man in a flooded kitchen who says the jingle that State Farm is most commonly known for, and
the agent who was shown in the clip before teleports next to him. Near the end of the
advertisement the office the commercial started at is shown again, where the first person to
disappear then returns, but with frizzled hair. At the very end of the allocated time segment for
the commercial State Farms logo, phone, and website are shown on the screen. Even though the
advertisement is only thirty seconds in duration, the strategies that were incorporated into the
commercial are capable of having an immense impact on the consumers that the company wants
to entice to purchase the services provided.

Domzalski 2

Like many other well-known corporations, State Farm has multiple forms of advertising.
One of the easily remembered commercials is their jingle segments. The jingle like a good
neighbor State Farm is there incorporates the stereotypical good neighbor. One issue that
could arise from this theme is how much help the neighbor will provide. It is depicted in the
advertisement as it does not explicitly tell the audience important information on their services.
Although most people dont focus all too much on detail like fine print, there are few who would
make a purchase without concrete evidence as to why it should be purchased. A consumer needs
a reason to spend their money on a particular brand over the others and this advertisement does
not seem to give that reason in a form that the audience will be able to understand completely.
Commercials can cause people to not buy a certain product/service just as well as it can promote
their businesses operations.
A minor detail that a majority of those who view these advertisements remember is the
color red on almost every State Farm agent. This helps in building the corporations identity
within the industry. The main selling point in the slogan is that the consumer can trust State Farm
when the unexpected happens. Sure, the agents do not magically appear when you say the jingle,
but that is how they advertise that they are swift in helping the consumer. People unconsciously
want safety in their lives and while State Farm is incapable of preventing anything bad from
happening, they are one of the organizations willing to provide assistance. Helping cover certain
expenses is the main purpose of an insurance company and they manage to present this very
easily and clearly. Another way they promote themselves with this advertisement is that they do
not focus on slandering their competition. Viewers are able to understand that State Farm is
confident in their ability to give high quality service.

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Many people in todays society are quick to jump onto the bandwagon. One of the better
examples of this would be the hashtag. Commercials make use of this natural occurrence by
implanting into the viewers mind that they should purchase a certain product or service. What
starts out as a small group of consumers could potentially become a horde depending on how
well the first group spreads the word around. A deep message within the advertisement could
also yield a similar outcome. It really comes down to if the audience views it at a certain angle.
Commercials are a high risk-high reward form of advertising. If the message isnt clear
for the audience, then misunderstanding the context is an issue that could prove to be
troublesome in the future. Companies like State Farm utilize stereotypes and other subjects that
the consumer can relate to as a means to sell goods and services. The better corporations know
which methods are more effective in order to gain the majoritys approval. Creating a
commercial to appeal to the majority of the viewers is a daunting task to undertake, but if done
effectively the chances of the companys survival will increase.