The driving force behind this campaign was, and still is, brand authenticity. The LGBTQ+ Movement is often inundated with brand support that is sometimes seen as inauthentic, self-serving and rainbow-washing. Some brands treat Pride like a one-time holiday – showing up in June, but dark the rest of the year. Through creating an always-on approach, we wanted to show consumers that State Farm supports and engages the LGBTQ+ community, not only during Pride Month, but year-round.
Ultimately, the goal was to create brand consideration through aided/unaided awareness, preference, and brand distinction. State Farm is a company that lives up to its brand promise: Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. State Farm’s promise to strengthen communities extends to all neighbors, in all neighborhoods.
To demonstrate brand authenticity to those in the LGBTQ+ community and allies, we shot and developed seven “One Good Neighbor” (OGN) stories, highlighting actual State Farm agents & employees who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. The OGN video series was shot documentary style with agents and employees speaking about their own authentic experiences within the LGBTQ+ community, and the impact their own “One Good Neighbor” had on their lives. It was important to give the LGBTQ+ community a platform that uplifts their voices and unique stories.
These personal, hopeful, and often poignant, videos explain the hardships and triumphs that each person faced and how having that one person who made them feel safe being their true selves made an impact. Each video culminates with a call to action to show the importance of the viewer being someone’s one good neighbor, taking the message beyond the video on screen. The smallest act of kindness can make all the difference.
To amplify the One Good Neighbor message, we housed the long-form videos on the State Farm YouTube channel; created cut downs for social media; banner ads, homepage takeovers and pre-rolls with various media partners; expanded the OGN message to include celebrity influencer stories on social and received further exposure through State Farm teaming up with The Trevor Project (TTP), with TTP sharing additional cuts of the long-form videos with co-branded end cards with its audience.
The campaign drove high ad recall for State Farm, many of the spots stood out in terms of video completion rates, brand lift and perception change, and the storytelling format resonated with our audience. In addition to these successes, the comments from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies demonstrated a need for this type of content and support.
