State Farm Punts On Super Bowl Commercial This Year Amid Backlash For Canceling 72,000 Insurance Policies In California

Looks like State Farm didn't opt in for the "Super Bowl Commercial Insurance." To briefly utilize and parody the insurance company's own jingle, like a good neighbor, State Farm won't be there during the Super Bowl. They originally planned to run an ad during the "Big Game," but have since pivoted due to the Los Angeles wildfires that have devastated and destroyed thousands of acres. That's because the insurance provider has caught a lot of flack online for canceling over 70,000 property owner policies in the state of California in April of 2024. Around 1,600 of those are believed to have been homeowners in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood - which was devastated in the seemingly uncontrollable fires that were strengthened by Santa Ana winds. A spokesperson for State Farm told the New York Post that they are currently focusing on helping customers in the Southern California and have decided it would not be in good taste to run an advertisement promoting their insurance coverage during the Super Bowl: "State Farm, State Farm agents, and our employees are all focused on helping customers impacted by the Southern California wildfires in the midst of this tragedy. State Farm serves more 8 million customers in California – more than any other insurer – and we’ve been doing this for nearly 100 years. Our claims force is the largest in the industry and we are bringing the full scale and force of our catastrophe response teams to help customers recover – whether they are on the ground in LA or across the country. We are proud to report that our customer contact is at 90%. We’ve received over 7,400 home and auto claims, and we are putting tens of millions of dollars back into customers’ hands. These numbers will continue to rise as residents return and assess damage. Our focus is firmly on providing support to the people of Los Angeles. We will not be advertising during the game as originally planned." In addition to punting on their Super Bowl advertisement, State Farm has also announced that they'll be offering renewals - instead of dropping policies - to residential policyholders that have been impacted by the tragic fires in Los Angeles. It sounds like they are doing their best to make things right, but let me tell you... the noise surrounding their 72,000 non-renewals for California residents back in 2024 was LOUD once it broke online. State Farm has been a staple when it comes to commercials in recent years - especially during the Super Bowl. A couple of years back, the "Discount Double Check" was alive and well when Aaron Rodgers was still a celebrity endorser. That torch was passed on to Patrick Mahomes, who now stars in many ads (along with Travis Kelce and Andy Reid) for the insurance provider. Then who could forget about Jake from State Farm? They know a thing or two about crafting commercials. Just last year, State Farm went all the way in on Arnold Schwarzenegger for their "Like A Good Neigh-Ba" campaign, which actually featured a Twins (1988 film for those that don't know) reunion with Danny Devito: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al3QmhDgbVo