A couple posts ago I pointed a hellbent finger at a couple insurance companies with the word “Farm” in their titles who just so happened to put out near-simultaneous TV advertisements that take unnecessary pokes at bike commuters.
What I neglected to mention was that I wrote emails to State Farm and Farmers respetively taking them to task for the commercials and their underlying themes. To date I haven’t heard diddly from Farmers, but in my inbox this morning I found the following unsigned response from State Farm:
Thank you for your email regarding our advertisement that features a cyclist riding his bike to work. We have read your concerns and those of others with similar concerns. We take very seriously each letter, email and blog comment we receive.
I discussed the perception of this ad with others at State Farm, and we decided the right thing to do would be to discontinue it. We will remove this ad as quickly as possible from the current rotation schedule.
We are sorry the advertisement offended anyone. Our intention with this particular ad was to recognize and empathize with the everyday challenge of high gas prices, and suggest that State Farm could help by providing lower auto insurance rates than a person may be receiving from their current provider. But, clearly we have heard your concerns.
This change is being communicated directly to those who have corresponded with us, but I also ask that you pass this message along to others whom you know have a similar concern about this ad. Please know that State Farm is very concerned about doing what we can to improve the health, safety and environment in our communities. For example, in numerous states, employees can earn up to $1.50 a day by ridesharing, walking, or riding a bike to work. We also have more than 1,200 employees participating in van pooling throughout the country.
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