State Farm stops Super Bowl ad, delays layoff campaign as Los Angeles rages

State Farm has canceled plans to air a commercial during Super Bowl 59 and suspended filming on a campaign tied to the Apple TV+ drama Severance as the Los Angeles wildfires continue to burn.

The Super Bowl ad would have been State Farm’s second straight year in the game. Last year’s ad, created by Highdive and featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVitotook first place in 2023 USA Today advertising counter.

A spokesperson confirmed to ADWEEK on Wednesday that the 2025 Super Bowl slot will not move forward: “Our focus is firmly on providing support to the people of Los Angeles. We will not advertise during the match.

State Farm also delayed the launch of a tie-in to the Apple TV+ series, Severance, due to the fires. This campaign is expected to be dropped later in the sci-fi thriller’s run.

As the show’s second season premieres Friday, Apple canceled its premiere red carpet party in Los Angeles on Monday night following the devastating wildfires. Jake from State Farm was scheduled to attend, in the character’s last real appearance.

Friday afternoon, State Farm released a statement saying, “Our number one priority at this time is the safety of our customers, agents and employees affected by the fires and providing assistance to our customers in the midst of this tragedy. »

State Farm said it was handling nearly 7,000 complaints linked to forest fires, which continue to burn while changing winds fuel the flames. The company serves more than 8 million customers in California.

“Our claims force is the largest in the industry and we bring the full scale and strength of our disaster response teams to help our customers recover, whether they are on the ground in Los Angeles or across the country,” the spokesperson said. “We have received more than 7,400 home and auto claims, and we are putting tens of millions of dollars into the hands of our customers. These numbers will continue to rise as residents return and assess the damage.

However, critics noted that the insurer could process many more claims if it did not do so cancel thousands of policies last spring, particularly in Pacific Palisades, one of the areas hardest hit by wildfires.

State Farm first appeared at the Super Bowl in an commercial featuring Drake in 2021. It went with a social media strategy in 2022 and focused on gaming in 2023 before his return last year.