CHICAGO (July 19, 2010) — American Family Insurance has been recognized by the Telly Awards for two television spots that targeted both Hispanic and non-Hispanic customers by tapping into global truths linking both segments. Created by its multicultural advertising agency, the San Jose Group (SJG), the winning 30-second television spots consisted of one English execution, titled Baseball, and one Spanish-language execution, titled Batazo.
Through a planning process led by American Family Insurance and The San Jose Group, the English and Spanish spots came to life once the global truths for the insurer’s broader target market were identified. Together, the spots helped the insurance company measurably increase brand impact across the total market.
“In the planning phase, we started with a total market positioning statement and then applied a cultural lens to reach the Hispanic market with Batazo,” said Lisa Bacus, VP of marketing for American Family Insurance. “Because of this approach, the spot contained universal truths that in turn resonated with our total, multicultural market as well. This is about recognizing and embracing the concept of cultural convergence.”
Both the Batazo and Baseball television spots focus on the relationship between father and son, featuring a scenario where the father is pitching baseballs to the young boy in the front yard. After several misses, the son finally makes contact with the ball, at the expense of the satellite dish on the roof, the garage window, and the front hood of their car. The hero of the spot is the American Family Insurance agent, who offers a helping hand and makes everything right after the mishaps. At the heart of the commercial is the universal sentiment of a parent’s deep desire for his child to achieve greatness in life.
“Family is literally our middle name, so there was a clear opportunity for us to talk beyond price and own an emotional connection with the consumer,” added Bacus.
SJG’s multicultural advertising campaign, consisting of the Batazo television execution, print, radio, out-of-home, agent support, and online advertising, has proven to be successful for American Family Insurance, boosting unaided awareness and enhancing purchase consideration. The English Baseball commercial performed well in ad recall and entertainment value in the general market.
The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. The 30th Annual Telly Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.
The San Jose Group is a traditional/digital persuasive content agency, with best-in-class business units working seamlessly to provide integrated marketing solutions for U.S. and Latin American markets. The agency’s Convergent Marketing Solutions model embraces the consumer landscape in which minority groups have become the majority in the top 20 U.S. markets, as well as the converging communication channels they consume. For nearly 30 years, the agency has been dedicated to putting its clients first as well as developing meaningful and measurable work within 45 categories. The San Jose Group is a member of The San Jose Network Ltd., the largest independent advertising agency network servicing Latin America.
For more information, visit www.thesanjosegroup.com, American Family Insurance, the Telly Awards, and Batazo.