What are you wearing, Jake from State Farm?

Uhhh… Khaki’s.

Introduced in August of 2011, Jake from State Farm was originally just a character from a commercial, but has thus become larger than just someone who works as a State Farm agent. As part of the State of Unrest campaign, the commercial shows how its customers can be uneasy about their insurance at any given time, even 3 A.M. Jake now has an official Twitter account with over 16 thousand followers.

The commercial begins with a man at his home, talking on the phone in the middle of the night in a hushed voice, as if he is doing something wrong and doesn’t want to get caught. He does, however, by his wife who asks who he’s talking to, to which he responds, “Jake, from State Farm.” The wife doesn’t believe her husband, because she thinks he’s actually talking to another women, and cheating on her. Her husband hands the phone to his wife so she can hear for herself. She asks Jake what he is wearing, and he tells her khaki’s, to which the wife says she sounds hideous. The commercial ends with a voiceover, which emphasizes that people stay with State Farm because they’re a company that’s there for you, even in the middle of the night.

This commercial has become very popular, airing on various channels throughout the past three years. In January of 2014, three years after its inception, it is still being aired. It was particularly aired during an episode of Supernatural on the CW, which had 2.76 million viewers. CW’s programming as a whole is aimed more towards teenagers and young adults. The probable demographic for this campaign, and most precisely, this commercial, is generally people aged 18-49. That may seem like a broad range, however, the product, or rather the service is insurance, which is a little dull, unless you can find a way to make it fun, exciting, and memorable. State Farm has done exactly that across the board with their commercials. Most people can sing the jingle on command and can even quote this “Jake from State Farm” commercial by heart.

The fact that this commercial takes place during the middle of the night highlights that State Farm is unlike other insurance agencies because they are available for their customers at all times. Although it is humorous, there is no ambiguity what they message is. The state of unrest is displayed in two ways: the husband being concerned about his insurance in the middle of the night, as well as the wife concerned that her husband is cheating on her. The husband then becomes assured that State Farm is there for him, although I cannot say the same for his wife, which is not so much the focus of the commercial.

This commercial speaks in a way that the target audience can understand and relate to. It still is humorous regardless of the age of the viewer while still delivering an important message.