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