Considering their ad budget doesn’t come close to their much larger competitors, Farmers Insurance’s long-running “University of Farmers” ad campaign has been a public perception boon in the US, boosting their buzz score from well-below the industry average to above it over the last year and a half.
Currently riding high with their first Hollywood tie-in built around the recently released “X-Men First Class,” Farmers began their ascent to the big boys last September when the “University,” modeled after the real-life employee-training program, made its debut, replacing the old “True Stories” campaign.
Before September, Farmers was lingering a few points below the property and casualty insurance sector perception average. Once the campaign hit, Farmers moved up to match the sector average and has very much stayed there, even periodically beating it. While still several points behind such heavy spenders as State Farm and GEICO, Farmers has closed the gap modestly and is being viewed more favorably by consumer 18+ than ever before.
On January 5, 2010, Farmers’ buzz score was 5, while the property and casualty insurance sector average was 9.3. By October 21st, a month after the campaign debuted, Farmers rose to meet the average at 9.3. As of June 6, 2011, Farmers had a buzz score of 10, while the sector average is 9.7.
Farmers Insurance was measured using YouGov BrandIndex’s buzz score which asks survey respondents: “If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, was it positive or negative?”
Photo Source: Press Association
