The problem with being old

State Farm had 104 years of brand awareness but struggled with relevance. Insurance is low-interest and intangible, so the company needed a character to personify the brand and help people connect.

“People do not wake up every day thinking about insurance. It's a super low interest category.”

Jake Stone starts small

In 2011, State Farm cast a real call center employee named Jake Stone for a 24/7 customer service campaign. The ad became a cult classic and ran for over five years.

“quickly became this cult classic”

Nine years later, Jake returns

After the original campaign ended, social media showed people still cared about Jake. State Farm cast actor Kevin Miles to revive the role in 2020, choosing someone charismatic who shared the brand's values.

“Make Jake famous”

The Super Bowl moment

State Farm's brief to agencies was simple: make Jake famous. The brand entered the Super Bowl for the first time with Jake alongside Drake, creating a cultural moment that launched the character into the mainstream.

Jake goes everywhere

Today Jake appears on Jeopardy, in Halloween costumes, on Saturday Night Live, courtside at NBA games, at Coachella, and in the metaverse. His cultural presence proves the character resonates across audiences.

Three rules for brand characters

State Farm's head of brand shared key lessons: only create a character if it aligns with your brand, stay agile to match cultural trends, and cast someone who genuinely shares your values. Building connection takes patience and a thousand small moments.

“This is not something that happened overnight.”