State Farm(R) Gets 'In the Paint'

State Farm(R) Gets 'In the Paint'

Fun New TV Commercial to Debut During the NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- State Farm Insurance Companies today announced it is debuting a new commercial during the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship telecast airing on CBS Sports, starting March 16. The commercial will air during CBS Sports exclusive coverage of the NCAA tournament, and during sports-related programming on other networks.

For the second year, State Farm(R) is an official corporate partner of the NCAA. State Farm is extending this marquee sponsorship with a deep bench of marketing activities, including tailored advertising spots, an expanded media buy, mobile marketing events and grassroots outreach activities.

The new spot, "Paint," highlights State Farm's exceptional passion for both NCAA basketball and client service. In "Paint," an actual State Farm agent, Jean Stewart (Loveland, Ohio), has the opportunity to offer an average, everyday Super Fan a great rate, and is rewarded with her own personal cheering section.

"The NCAA has extraordinary grassroots outreach and real hometown college spirit. As a longtime supporter of the NCAA, State Farm has established relationships with 91 Division I schools and their men's and women's athletics programs. We see this expanded NCAA tournament presence as the natural extension of that ongoing support," said Mark Gibson, assistant vice president, advertising for State Farm.

"In terms of accessibility and reach, State Farm sees the NCAA tournament as the sports equivalent of its brand. With our 17,000 State Farm agents, we have the same significant accessibility and reach," added Gibson. "This ad ties the business of insurance to the fun and fan excitement surrounding the tournament. It shows how we can help the customer get the coverage they need, with exceptional State Farm customer service, at a competitive price."

On The Road to Indianapolis(TM)

State Farm is reaching NCAA tournament fans in a lot of different ways. State Farm's Fan Experience mobile marketing unit will visit the NCAA's Hoop City(R), a fan interactive area adjacent to the RCA Dome throughout the tournament. The Experience includes basketball challenges, a driving simulator and other fan-friendly activities.

State Farm's "Really, Really Big Shoe" display in downtown Indianapolis is part of the Tourney Town USA campaign in celebrating five high school and college basketball tournaments in Indianapolis during the month of March, culminating with the NCAA Men's Final Four(R) weekend. Indiana-based State Farm agents were invited to participate by writing their names on the 10 feet-tall and 14 feet-wide shoe.

State Farm will air a feature titled "Championship Drive" during CBS Sports' coverage of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Additionally, State Farm will sponsor the live game menu on the NCAA March Madness on Demand(R) Player during the streaming of tournament games on-line and the Real time Scores section of the NCAA's official Web site, http://ncaasports.com/ .

"Paint" (:30)

"Paint" features an unusual customer and his State Farm Agent Jean Stewart. As she outlines the great rate that State Farm can provide, he whoops and hollers as only a true State Farm Super Fan can. The new spot bears the long-running tagline, "Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There(R)," and was created by DDB/Chicago.

"Brackets" (:30)

State Farm also expects to run an updated version of its animated "Brackets" ad during the NCAA tournament. This successful ad concept debuted during last year's tournament.

About State Farm

State Farm(R) insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 76,000 employees serve nearly 73 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada. State Farm also offers financial services products. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked number 18 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com/(R) or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca/ .

About NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led non-profit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 360,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 49,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Division I, II and III sports. For more information, go to http://www.ncaa.org/ .

Contact
Mia Jazo-Harris
State Farm Insurance
(309) 766-5242
mia.jazo-harris.sfdx@statefarm.com

Contact
Gene Cyranski
GolinHarris
(312) 729-4218
gcyranski@golinharris.com

Contact
Gail Dent
NCAA
317/917-6119
gdent@ncaa.org

Source: State Farm Insurance Companies

CONTACT: Mia Jazo-Harris of State Farm Insurance, +1-309-766-5242,
mia.jazo-harris.sfdx@statefarm.com , or Gene Cyranski of GolinHarris,
+1-312-729-4218, gcyranski@golinharris.com , or Gail Dent of NCAA,
+1-317-917-6119, gdent@ncaa.org

Web site: http://ncaasports.com/
http://www.statefarm.com/
http://www.statefarm.ca/
http://www.ncaa.org/

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