Inside the Campaign: DDB New York’s ‘Scary Right’ for State Farm Insurance

The 4A’s is committed to showcasing creative work done by member agencies through its Inside the Campaign feature. Here DDB New York discusses how its agency helped create the “Scary Right” campaign for State Farm Insurance.

Campaign: “Scary Right”

Agency: DDB New York

Client: State Farm Insurance

Program Background

The “Scary Right” campaign will make your heart beat fast and your palms sweat until … a State Farm representative is there to help. Created by DDB New York, the State Farm ads promote the hashtag #HereToHelp, which is in sync with the new State Farm tagline and positioning “Here to Help Life Go Right”.

Shot by Jaime Travis, the director of MTV’s Scream, “Scary Right” is an all-digital campaign comprised of social media and online video. The Halloween-related campaign taps into culturally relevant moments, served best in the real-time social environment—where two-way conversation and action are natural.

The two online videos are intended to reach a wide demographic that is connected by their interest in the pop-culture and the horror genre. In the end, the work showcases the role that digital plays for the brand—building powerful stories that will engage the audience and generate positive experiences.

Both creative executions have a spooky twist that plays off the duality of life’s moments, demonstrating that State Farm is not only there for when things go wrong, they are also there to help life go right.

In the first spot, entitled “Chase,” a young woman en route to a party and taking a short cut through the woods suspects she’s being followed. Her pace quickens as she catches a glimpse of a shadowy figure behind a tree. As she trips, falls and prepares for an attack she comes face-to-face with … State Farm representative Nicole. Commenting on how fast the girl has been running, Nicole hands her the purse she’s dropped along on the way, and lets her know she’s “happy to help.”

The second ad, “Jumper,” shines a light on a lone couple inside a car on the side of a dark road. As they realize that both their car battery and their cell phone have gone dead, a menacing vehicle looms behind them. As the couple prepare for “the end” they slowly drop their window to reveal …. Joe, a State Farm representative, who is there to help with a not-so-menacing jumper cable. Both spots end with “Happy Halloween”.

The spots, which include :30 and :60 versions, are running across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other pre-roll placements. Witty posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will support the two videos.

To launch the “Scary Right” campaign, Halloween-style movie posters were published across State Farm’s social media channels. The posters promoted and sold the Jake the State Farm costume and got fans in the Halloween spirit. The poster series received over 15 million impressions.

Credits

CLIENT

Client: State Farm

Director of Branded Content: Patty Morris

Manager, Mass Media & Partnerships: Troy Johnson

Marketing Brand Content Manager: Justin Reckamp

Marketing Analyst – Social Media: Stephanie Helland

Marketing Analyst – Brand Content: Nick Rynerson

CREATIVE AGENCY

Agency: DDB New York

Chief Creative Officer: Icaro Doria

Executive Creative Director: Cam Hoelter

Art Director: Dylan Ostrow

Copywriter: Turan Tuluy

Head of Production: Ed Zazzera

Senior Producer: Amanda Van Caneghem

Group Business Director: Claudia Duch

Senior Account Executive: John Little

Strategy: Kallista Adami-Koll, Chiara Martini, Tim Polder

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Production by Interrogate

Director: Jamie Travis

Executive Producers: Jeff Miller & George Meeker

Producer: Dave Robertson

DP: Igor Meglic

Production Designer: Jesse Benson

Art Director: Kathryn Molenaar

Location Manager: Monty Marsh

Wardrobe Stylist: Maya Lieberman

Hair & Makeup: Michele McKaig

EDITORIAL & POST PRODUCTION

Editorial & Post Production by Cutting Room Films

Editor: Chuck Willis

Assistant Editor: Greg Ryan

Senior Producer: Anna Petitti

Sound: Walter Bianco

FINISHING

Finishing by Light of Day

MUSIC

Music by Pull

Composer: Mitch Davis

Executive Producer: Scott Brittingham