State Farm Pulls Super Bowl Ad, AppleTV+ Campaign After California Fires To Focus On 'Safety Of Our Customers'

The California wildfires and the aftermath have one insurance company saying no to a pricey Super Bowl LIX commercial.

What Happened: Anyone who has watched NFL games over the past several years is likely familiar with State Farm commercials, which have featured NFL players, coaches and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

While State Farm had an ad in last year's Super Bowl, the insurance company will sit out Super Bowl LIX, choosing to focus on the restoration of areas in California hit hardest by wildfires instead, as reported by Deadline.

Wildfires in California have left at least 25 people dead and more than 12,000 structures destroyed.

State Farm, California’s largest insurer, is expected to account for a portion of the estimated $15 billion to $40 billion in insured losses, according to the report.

"Our number one priority right now is the safety of our customers, agents and employees impacted by the fires and assisting our customers in the midst of this tragedy," State Farm said in a statement.

State Farm has also paused production of a series of advertisement tie-ins featuring characters from "Severance," a series on Apple Inc's AAPL AppleTV+. The ad series was set to feature State Farm spokesperson Jake, played by Kevin Miles, interacting with "Severance" characters, as reported by Ad Week.

The second season of "Severance" premieres on AppleTV+ Friday, Jan. 17. A Los Angeles premiere for the new season was among the entertainment events canceled due to the wildfires last week.

Why It's Important: Fox Corporation FOX FOXA will broadcast Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025, seeking a reported minimum of $7 million per 30-second spot, an increase from last year's range of $6.5 million to $7 million per ad.

Spending that much on a Super Bowl commercial as thousands of State Farm customers in California had home damage or had to evacuate the area likely wouldn't have sat well with Super Bowl viewers.

As Deadline points out, social media couldn't help but notice that the NFL Playoffs game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings was moved out of California to take place in Arizona at State Farm Stadium.

State Farm has faced scrutiny with reports that the company discontinued coverage of homes in California due to the rising risks of fires and other natural disasters.

The company recently said this is the largest fire event it has experienced in California and called itself the largest insurer by number of customers in the state.

"The California market is complex, we remain engaged with state officials to improve the long-term sustainability of insurance for residents. We're here to ensure that there's a sustainable market in California, so we can continue to serve California as we have for almost 100 years," the company said.

State Farm received praise for last year's Super Bowl ad, which starred Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. The ad was ranked first in the USA Today AdMeter viewer survey.

While State Farm won't be running Super Bowl ads this year, the company may receive some positive press and goodwill for saving the $7 million and focusing on its California customers during the tough time.

Sources told Deadline no other insurance companies have considered pulling out of Super Bowl ads at this time.

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