One company has chosen to pull its ad from the upcoming Super Bowl 59 following widespread criticism.
The big game is fast approaching, with the playoffs now well underway. Caesar’s Super Dome in New Orleans will host the fixture following a successful event in Las Vegas last year.
Given the game’s reach, commercials are aired at a stiff premium. Experts have estimated that a 30-second ad on FOX, where the game will be broadcast, will cost companies around $7 million.
According to a report from Front Office Sports, State Farm will not proceed with plans for a commercial. However, the sums involved have nothing to do with the decision.
The publication has cited the backlash the company has received for canceling insurance policies in southern California before the wildfires as the reason for the move.
“State Farm has pulled out of its planned Super Bowl ad on Fox as the insurer faces backlash for canceling homeowners policies in Southern California prior to the wildfires,” FOS reported on Wednesday.
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State Far Releases Statement Amid Reports Of Super Bowl Decision
State Farm has released a statement in response to the criticism they’ve been fielding amid the fires.
“State Farm, State Farm agents, and our employees are all focused on helping customers impacted by the Southern California wildfires in the midst of this tragedy,” the company insisted. “State Farm serves more [than] 8 million customers in California – more than any other insurer – and we’ve been doing this for nearly 100 years. Our claims force is the largest in the industry and we are bringing the full scale and force of our catastrophe response teams to help customers recover – whether they are on the ground in LA or across the country,” the company said in a statement.
“We are proud to report that our customer contact is at 90%. We’ve received over 7,400 home and auto claims, and we are putting tens of millions of dollars back into customers’ hands. These numbers will continue to rise as residents return and assess damage. Our focus is firmly on providing support to the people of Los Angeles. We will not be advertising during the game as originally planned.”
This comes at a time when insurance companies are under scrutiny following the k-lling of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in early December.
Meanwhile, FOX isn’t expected to have any difficulty filling the slot left empty by State Farm, considering that companies are lined up for an opportunity to have one of their ads air during the Super Bowl.
The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs have been tipped as the favorites to play in the big game on February 9, but there’s still a lot left to be done in the playoffs.
