State Farm partnered with CBS Sports with three core objectives:
In 2017/18 Football season, State Farm shifted the focus of their messaging from just talking about the price of insurance, to demonstrating that State Farm understands & values the actual possessions that are being insured. The idea that possessions are worth more than just the money paid for them; their true worth, and why they're valuable to the consumer, is the personal backstory they have with them. Each backstory can be different; for example, a backstory could be around the hard work it took you to get them, or the time and memories you have with them, or the sacrifice it took you to obtain them, and only State Farm understands this, and that's why they're here to help protect them. This idea laddered up to the overall brand message that State Farm is "Here to Help Life Go Right."
Demonstrate their commitment to this by making a long term impact by giving back to a community in need.
Reach football fans in premium content environments.
Strategy and Execution
In response to State Farm's objectives, CBS Sports created the SEC Highlight of the Year Vote to live within premium college football environments on air, digitally, socially, and on-site to maximize reach and impact.
At launch, CBS Sports identified 14 of the "Most Valuable Possessions" in the SEC college football season, selecting one highlight (i.e. "possession") per SEC team and representing 14 unique communities. A voting destination was created and hosted on CBSSports.com where fans could vote for their favorite highlight from their favorite team. The school of the winning top highlight would win a community giveback (to be determined based on needs) from State Farm. Promotional elements tied back to the "Most Valuable Possessions" positioning to reinforce State Farm's message.
Socially, each highlight was branded with State Farm and distributed from CBS Sports and the CBS-owned 247Sports brand, which is home to highly engaged team-specific fan pages for each of the SEC teams. Fans of each team were targeted through their fan pages and encouraged to vote for their team's top highlight - not only for team pride, but because it would benefit their community.
On CBS Sports broadcast, the program was promoted two times: (1) to announce the program and encourage voting, and (2) to announce the winner and community giveback.
Once the winner, Louisiana State University, was announced, CBS Sports & EcoMedia worked with State Farm to identify the needs in the community and arranged for State Farm to support the National Park and Rec Association (NRPA) through the CBS EcoMedia advertising program. As a part of this unique collaboration, State Farm and NRPA enabled more than 150 children in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take part in a recreational flag football league never before offered to the community and gave 2x scoreboards to this sports facility.
This aligned with the theme that some possessions are valuable beyond cash value, both the scoreboards and flag football league spoke to the value of the back story, experience and memories this give back will do for the community as a whole beyond its monetary value.
Results
10.8MM social impressions
3.6MM video views
2.24x higher engagement rate vs. the CBS Sports Digital social engagement rate benchmark
185% overdelivery
Engagement rate beat 20 of 26 other sports media companies in the same flight (organic and paid)
400K total votes for the SEC Highlight of the Year
