State Farm’s Patty Morris on pulling off an NFL crossover in less than two days

With State Farm being an insurance company, it might be expected that it’s a little risk-averse.

That’s how the company’s head of brand, Patty Morris, set the stage for how State Farm overcame their usual guardrails and pulled off a campaign with the NFL with less than two days’ notice.

“You have to set the right conditions so that you are part of the cultural lexicon in a way that those opportunities come to you,” Morris says.

She’s referring to the 2023 stunt in which Jake from State Farm sat next to Donna Kelce at an NFL game to mingle and take selfies together.

The mother of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and former Eagles center Jason Kelce was going to be at an Eagles-Commanders game to watch Jason — setting up a perfect opportunity for State Farm to quickly capitalize on the then-rumored relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis.

“Risk-averse or not, when you hear an idea like that and you are able to put your brand in a position like that, you say ‘yes.’”