Tom’s story may be true, but it’s not compelling enough to actually make the switch.

Summary

This AAA commercial is a monologue given by AAA customer Tom Schwallie and his personal experience with AAA.

Tom: My name is Tom Schwallie and I’m a AAA member. My wife and I switched our home and auto insurance to AAA a couple of years ago and we’re really glad we did. Our agent made sure we had the right coverage for us.

When we needed to make a claim, the first things she asked, “Is everybody safe and are you okay?”. That meant a great deal to us. We all buy insurance hoping we never need it, but when we did it was clear that AAA was the smart choice.

Screen changes to white with “I choose AAA” and that AAA logo on it. Screen changes again to “Get your quote today” and AAA.com/quote.

Point of the Commercial

Customer testimonials are a very powerful marketing tool for companies. AAA insurance is using these to try and gain your trust through the positive experiences of other clients. They want you to think that if these other people have had great experiences, you will also.

Unfortunately, you do have to be careful about staged customer testimonies. This is not to say that the ones that AAA insurance is currently using are staged, but there are desperate and unscrupulous companies out there that do. (Trust me, as a writer I have been offered and turned down jobs to write these fake customer testimonials.)

What They Want you to Do

We have already talked about AAA insurance wanting you to think that if you switch to them that you will have just as great of an experience as the person you are listening to. If you are going to make the switch or at least contact them about possibly doing so, they want you to contact them through the internet.

AAA insurance offers no other way of contacting them in this commercial other than to get a quote through their website.

My Opinion

While customer testimonials are good tool to use to advertise, they are best when used in cooperation with an additional method of advertising. I was slightly swayed into thinking that AAA might be a good switch, but only while I was watching the commercial.

Once it was over I forgot all about it. The commercial was so simple that it was boring, and there was nothing there to make it last in my memory for the next time I start looking for new insurance.

Giving this AAA insurance commercial a thumbs down.

PEMCO uses the local company angle to sell its insurance coverage.

Summary

Commercial opens with two vehicles approaching a four-way stop at the same time.

Announcer: Politeness is nice.

One driver signals to the other driver to go ahead through the intersection first. The other driver signals back for him to go first.

Announcer: It’s gracious,

Both vehicles start to go through the intersection at the same time and both come to a sudden stop.

Announcer: It’s well-mannered.

First driver once again signals to the other vehicle to go first, this time not looking as cheerful.

Announcer: But, no one ever said it was efficient.

Both vehicles once again try to go through the intersection at the same time and both come to a sudden stop again.

The words “Northwest Profile #4” come on the screen.

Announcer: 4-way stop you go, no you go, no you go guy (word appear on the screen as announcer says them), you’re one of us.

Jogger now approaches the intersection.

Announcer: And you deserve a local insurance company that doesn’t hesitate to put customers first.

Now the two cars and the pedestrian are doing the “you go first” dance and everyone is starting and then stopping again.

The screen goes to an olive green with the PEMCO INSURANCE logo and “We’re a lot like you.” on the screen. Under the sign are the 3 insurance products they write, their phone number and “call your local agent or visit PEMCO.com”.

Announcer: We’re a lot like you; a little different.

Point of the Commercial

PEMCO Insurance is making two points in this commercial. One, they are making the connection with drivers in the Pacific Northwest that they are from here and they know how life is in this part of the country. Because they are from this specific area, they can take care of you better than a company that is headquartered back east and probably thinks the capitol of Washington is Seattle.

Two, the politeness issue isn’t just funny, it’s making a point about the PEMCO Insurance company. In fact, they directly address it at the end of the commercial when the announcer makes the connection that PEMCO is just like the polite driver , but instead of letting the other car go first, they put you the customer first.

What They Want you to Do

They want the drivers in the Pacific Northwest to trust them because they are local. They want these drivers to switch to them from the large national companies for the same reason. PEMCO is actually playing a very strong card here. In the Pacific Northwest there is a large “Buy Local” movement to encourage people to keep their money local and help out the economy in the area that they live in.

My Opinion

I’m not sure if this is what happens in the other parts of the country, but PEMCO hit it right on the head for those of us that live in the Pacific Northwest. I have played the part of both drivers and the pedestrian, stuck in this overly, polite intersection stand-off.

Aside from that, PEMCO has a whole series of “Northwest Profile” commercials to make the point that they are a local company and that they understand what it is like to be a driver here. The commercials are simple, they are different (in other words it doesn’t mention being better than GEICO) and it makes a point.

Overall, even though it isn’t my favorite commercial; I would still give this PEMCO Insurance commercial a thumbs up.

GEICO’s little piggy is more annoying than convincing that you can save 15% or more with GEICO.

Summary

Commercial opens to the Geico dramatic Spokesperson.

Spokesperson: Could switching to GEICO really save you 15% or more on car insurance? Did the little piggy cry “wee! wee! wee!” all the way home?

Travelers Insurance tugs at the heartstrings with a short story about a dog and his boy’s soapbox car.

Summary

State Farm and Disney partner up to plug both their products.

Summary

Commercial opens with Mater and Lightning McQueen rolling down the red carpet at the world premiere of the movie Cars (Disney/Pixar). The red carpet is lined with other cars photographing the two celebrities.

Lightning McQueen: So Mater, now that you are a big star you’re going to need an agent.

Mater: Yea McQueen, to get me into all them big parties and find me a shack in the hills and……..

Photographer takes Mater’s picture right in front of him and the flash startles Mater. He throws into reverse, hits a pole and the “Cars’ World Premiere” sign falls down on top of him.

Mater (yelling): Hey, I can’t see!

Mater takes off erratically and his tow cable shoots up in the air and hooks a lamp post. The cable tightens and Mater is lifted into the air, dangling in front of a State Farm insurance office. McQueen rolls up to the dangling Mater.

Lightning McQueen: Actually you need a different kind of agent; maybe a good neighbor.

McQueen glances at the State Farm agent window and the screen goes to the State Farm logo.

Announcer: Call a State Farm agent and get the good neighbor service you can count on-anytime, anywhere. And check out Cars the new Disney Pixar film, only in theaters.

Screen goes back to Mater and McQueen, with Mater still in the air.

Mater: I feel better already.

Screen pans quickly to the State Farm agent window to close the commercial.

Point of the Commercial

Okay, I have written quite a few of these insurance commercial breakdowns now and I know what I believe the point of the commercial is.

But, now it’s your turn. What do you think the point of this commercial is?

Think deeper than “To advertise State Farm”. There are some hints given in the rest of this post.

What They Want you to Do

They want you to laugh. I know that this sounds silly, but laughter instills a feeling of goodwill towards the item that you are laughing about. Many people that watch this commercial will have a more positive feeling about State Farm as compared to what they may have felt before seeing it.

They also want you to contact a State Farm agent, of course.

My Opinion

Love it! I’m a huge Disney fan anyway, so State Farm has already appealed to me on that level. I also found the play in words (agent) to be a very smart basis of the commercial. The best part was that it wasn’t done campy like so many of the cartoon commercials can get.

Giving this one a thumbs up.