Is State Farm a bank now? They’re offering a service where you can take a picture of your check with a smartphone and deposit it directly into your account. But is it your bank account, or your insurance policy account? I’m not really clear on how it works, but the one thing I am sure of is this: they don’t make it look very popular in their commercial.
In this spot they show a professional athlete accepting a check and shaking hands with a guy who I’m guessing is the team owner (?), while the athlete’s manager stands next to him on the left. Then someone in the media crowd says: “Better deposit that before you get hurt!” Then the manager imagines a bunch of scenarios where his client (the athlete) gets injured in a variety of accident scenarios. (This is a great idea, by the way! Present the product, and show an instance where you might need it, and make it funny and clever: great job so far!) So then the manager grabs the check and quickly uses the State Farm check depositing service to immediately deposit it, and as he does it, he tells everyone what he’s doing, and what the service is, etc. But this shocks the crowd, and everyone falls into silent disapproval. Hilarious, right? Maybe it’s awkwardly funny, but it leaves the product/service they’re selling in an extremely dubious position. You see, it’s the thing that everyone is now shocked and appalled about.
This ad is good in theory, but I think they should have ended it in a different way. The way it ends makes it look like everyone disapproves of this service, as well as the manager’s behavior. All they would have had to do to save it would have been this: have everyone gasp as he does the check scan deposit, and then have him give it back to the athlete, who resumes shaking hands with the team owner, making everyone cheer. Then, after the handshake, the player leans over to his manager to say: “Thanks, that’s good thinking!”
Still, though, I think it’s putting what’s a very useful service in an awkward position and showing it in a somewhat negative light. Here’s what I think would have worked a lot better: It’s the same press conference, and they’re shaking hands over the check. The guy says the same thing about how he’d better deposit the check before he gets hurt, etc. Then the manager sees an imagined example of his player getting hurt, and then the player imagines himself getting hurt. This happens during the handshake and the cheering. Then, after the handshake and the cheering, the player turns to the manager and says: “Hey, can we deposit that check now?” And the manager whips out his smartphone and uses the new service to do it, as he explains how it works to his client. Then his client (the athlete) says: “Thanks, man! I knew I hired the right guy! You always know just what to do!” And the athlete puts his arm around his manager and they both smile affectionately at each other.
I think this above scenario would have gotten the point across, made the joke, and then made the State Farm check deposit service look great in the end, rather than leaving it in an awkward situation. Plus, the guy who used the product/service would look good and be appreciated, rather than look like a jerk that everyone is angry with for ruining an important moment. The original ad has the right idea, but for me it just leaves the thing they’re trying to sell (the whole reason the commercial exists in the first place) looking awkward and tarnished with the way the spot ends. And that’s not helping the product, in my opinion.
Here’s the spot: see what you think:
