State Farm Looks to Engage Cycling Community
Responding to criticism of an ad depicting a humiliated office worker forced to bike to his job due to high gas prices, State Farm Director of Marketing Communications Tim Van Hoof writes:
I’m sorry this commercial offended anyone. State Farm has been a
supporter of bicycle safety through the thousands of bicycle rodeos
we’ve held for children throughout the US and Canada, and we are open
to discussion about how State Farm may be able to work with the
bicycling community in the future.This advertisement is part of an overall campaign where we attempt
to capture consumers talking about points in their lives. Our intention
is to recognize and empathize with these everyday challenges, and
provide ways State Farm can help.State Farm is also very concerned about doing what we can to improve
health, safety and the environment in our communities. If you’d like
more information on what we’re doing, go to statefarm.com.To View the overall ad campaign please go to: https://youtube.com/watch?v=profile_videos?user=statefarm
Thanks for writing, Tim. Streetsbloggers, what can State Farm and other insurers do to improve conditions for cyclists and others who routinely get around without a car? Pay-by-the-mile auto insurance? Cessation of the use of the word “accident” in referring to every car crash? An auto fatality trust fund to pay for safe streets initiatives?
Other suggestions?
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
