State Farm is bringing a soccer star out of retirement for its first campaign of the football season. Well, a fictional soccer star.
Fans of Ted Lasso might have thought they’d seen the last of Dani Rojas—a striker known for his sunny disposition and catchphrase “fútbol is life”—when the third season wrapped up last year, but State Farm is reviving the character for its new football season campaign.
He’s joined by a couple of State Farm mainstays, including brand mascot Jake from State Farm and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, in a campaign that’s designed to emphasize State Farm’s ties to the sports world—both real and fictional.
“Elevating our awareness in sports is something that’s really important for us, and we continue to strive to be synonymous with sports,” Kristyn Cook, State Farm’s chief agency, sales, and marketing officer, told Marketing Brew. “When you think about what sports represents, especially coming off of the Olympics—I’m sure we were all glued to the screen—it brings family, friends, and good neighbors together.”
The latest ads are also meant to emphasize the brand’s messaging about bundling, Cook said, which will be front and center this NFL season as State Farm continues to lean into the league.
Football is life
The campaign, called “Bundle is Life,” shows actor Cristo Fernández as Dani Rojas taking to the field with what looks to be a cross between a football and a soccer ball. On the sidelines, Mahomes explains to Jake from State Farm that Rojas got so excited about bundling his home and auto insurance that he bundled the two sports.
The spots started running on State Farm’s social channels Aug. 28, with linear placements beginning Aug. 30.
Fernández and his character epitomize State Farm’s idea of “the good neighbor,” Cook said. He’s also from Mexico and his character speaks Spanish on the show, which appealed to State Farm since the brand is looking to gain ground with Spanish-speaking audiences, she said.
Beyond that, the partnerships presented the opportunity for a play on words with “fútbol” and “football,” and State Farm is all about humor in its marketing, Cook added.
Forward pass
State Farm is coming off of a “breakthrough year” in its sports marketing, Cook said. The insurance agency pulled off one of the more memorable activations capitalizing on the hype around the early days of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship, and the brand also inked a deal with WNBA rookie phenomenon Caitlin Clark.
State Farm’s marketing team plans to build on that momentum by bringing back familiar faces like Mahomes and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who’s also appeared in State Farm ads and “has been playing really well for us,” Cook said. There will be some new faces on the roster this year, too: Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is set to appear in some State Farm spots this season.
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“We want to harness the influence of the NFL,” Cook said. “Is there a stronger, influential league out there in terms of the audiences, and the diversity of the audiences, and the community that football brings? For us, it’s about new collaborations, using established sports leaders, tapping into fresh fan bases and pop-culture trends, and bringing that all together…It’s more than just a logo presence.”
Fernández is only involved in the “Bundle is Life” campaign for now, but that doesn’t mean he won’t ever be back, Cook said.
Jake it off
As for everyone’s favorite tight end and his family, Cook said State Farm doesn’t have any plans with the Kelces at the moment, but that could change as the season progresses. The brand has been proven to move quickly with the family in the past: its work with Jake from State Farm and Jason and Donna Kelce last season came together in less than 48 hours.
Jake will definitely be out and about during football season beyond the current campaign, Cook said, but she declined to specify exactly when or where he might be spotted next.
“We have some other things up our sleeves where he may show up in a very unexpected way,” she said.