SANTA MONICA -- June 18, 2009 – Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) and State Farm Insurance® have joined together in a unique collaboration expanding outside traditional marketing models.
The two companies are cross-promoting a special mix of the Jackson 5’s biggest hit, 1970’s “I’ll Be There,” heard in an inspiring State Farm television commercial. UMe, which represents the recording and all other classic Motown properties, and State Farm’s ad agency (DDB Chicago), created the original content. Together they are now co-branding and marketing both the recording and the commercial, including making the complete version of the new mix available now for purchase by consumers via iTunes.
“This has not been done before,” said Tom Rowland, Sr. VP, Film & TV Music, UMe, “but the synergy of a great commercial and a great song made this possible. If this strategy is as successful as we believe it will be, this could certainly open up more such cross-promotions in the future.”
“The powerful and evocative ‘I’ll Be There’ lyrics coupled with the commercial’s images perfectly illustrate the theme of our Being There campaign, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Mark Gibson, State Farm assistant vice president-advertising. “The 70’s pop anthem has created an emotional resonance, not only with those who remember it nostalgically, but also with a whole new generation. This collaboration is an exciting marketing opportunity for us to extend the commercial’s reach and at the same time provide the public access to content that resonates with them.”
From a link on the State Farm homepage (statefarm.com®), viewers may stream the 90-second high-definition version of the commercial also accessible on YouTube. In addition, a buy button on statefarm.com will click through to the “I’ll Be There” Minus Mix (a stripped down/acoustic version of the song) on iTunes.
In turn, UMe will place the 60-second version of the commercial on its ilovethatsong.com and classic.motown.com Web sites; alert visitors to the Motown Facebook page of its availability; send e-mail blasts to all Motown.com subscribers with the commercial embedded; and conduct a search campaign tagging the commercial and song with a link to statefarm.com. The emotionally touching “I’ll Be There” commercial, which shows people helping, encouraging and supporting others, was prominently aired during the blockbuster “American Idol” finale and will continue to be seen on broadcast television through the fall.
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,700 agents and 68,600 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts ‐ more than 78.7 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.
Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) is the centralized U.S. catalog and special markets entity for Universal Music Group. Working in conjunction with all of the company’s record labels, UMe provides a frontline approach to catalog management, a concentration of resources, a greater emphasis on strategic marketing initiatives and opportunities in new technological fields. UMe is also designed to aggressively develop a cohesive and strategic approach to maximizing catalog repertoire by initiating and implementing integrated marketing campaigns, direct to consumer programs, brand management initiatives and strategic partnerships.
Mia Jazo-Harris, Public Affairs at 309-766-5242.