State Farm is collaborating with Netflix on an integrated campaign around the sports comedy series “Running Point,” per details shared with Marketing Dive. The effort includes both a co-branded spot and an in-show integration that represents the TV show debut of brand character Jake from State Farm.
“This is tied to our ongoing strategy of showing up at the intersection of sports, entertainment and pop culture,” said State Farm Head of Marketing Alyson Griffin. “We like to set conditions over time that allow us to capture lightning in the bottle, should it present itself.”
The opportunity to collaborate with Netflix around “Running Point” — a show set in the front office of a fictional LA Waves basketball team — represented that type of moment. State Farm markets around all levels of basketball, from high school and college to pro leagues like the NBA, WNBA and Unrivaled, and while it counts Netflix among its media partners, it has never collaborated in this way with the streamer.
“With ‘Running Point,’ we saw an opportunity to collaborate with State Farm in a way that complements the tone of the series while creating something fun and unexpected for the audience,” said Magno Herran, vice president of global brand marketing and partnerships, Netflix. “It’s a great example of how we work with brands to build moments around our titles that bring fans closer to the stories they love.”
The partnership includes a co-branded spot featuring Jake from State Farm and “Running Point” stars Kate Hudson and Chet Hanks that will be in market from April 13 through May 22. The ad will appear as a pre-roll before “Running Point” episodes, be showcased within the Top 10 show playlist and show up as the first daily ad impression served to a user.
In a first for the brand character, Jake will appear in-show during an episode of “Running Point,” which returns for its second season on April 23. While State Farm has previously collaborated with shows including “Severance” and “Only Murders in the Building,” the integration represents a step up for how the brand shows up on screen. It also demonstrates how State Farm can iterate on its basketball-focused “With The Assist” platform in a way that lives on beyond a traditional media buy.
“[Netflix] learned even more deeply about our brand… because we were deeply collaborating on two things simultaneously, and we think that will help our relationship even more, moving forward,” Griffin explained. “How can we retarget? How are we thinking about showing up in those places? We think that this collaboration helped get us even further with them.”
The inclusion of Jake from State Farm in “Running Point” also brings authenticity to the show. State Farm branding appears in NBA stanchions, and the character sits courtside and walks the entrance tunnel during All-Star Weekend.
State Farm also recently brought Jake to EA Sports FC 26, where he will be dynamically and contextually inserted into key moments in the soccer video game.
“There are not a lot of brands who can do that, where it wouldn't just look like a ‘Where's Waldo?’ situation,” Griffin said.
The EA Sports integration comes as the FIFA World Cup is set to kick off in North America this summer, representing a major moment for marketers including Coca-Cola and Ferrero to engage with large audiences. It is also an example of how State Farm continues to leverage its brand assets in real life and digital platforms authentically.
“Sports is important to us, but it is important to us because it's where our current and potential customers are,” Griffin said. “Gaming is also important to us. There's some lifestyle entertainment that is also important to us, and we're excited by the fandom around sports and the passion that people have when they're watching, and we will continue to show up there.”
