I know that’s a pretty bold statement, but I must say that right now two of my favorite campaigns out there are for Allstate and Farmers. They are humorous, but at the same time, they resonate with the target when it comes to describing what their companies offer. The Allstate ad series features the character “Mayhem” played by Dean Winters, who represents all that can go wrong in life – from a Miscalculating GPS to  snow buildup on your roof to an emotional teenage driver.

In second place for me but not too far behind is the “University of Farmers” series. These depict the over-the-top school that Farmer’s insurance agents attend to learn how to be the best agents in their field. Led by Professor Burke (played brilliantly by J.K. Simmons), the Farmers trainees tackle classroom subjects such as water craft accidents, dryer fires, and the legendary autoboathome.

In a field that has so many competitors all basically offering the same thing, these brands do a good job of differentiating themselves from the rest of the pack while still being informative as to what they are selling and how they can help the consumer. They have both been able to create a campaign of 4 or more ads that follow a consistent concept but don’t get tired or stale as each new spot is released.

Which goes to show that brands in even the most boring categories can be sold in interesting ways.