Auto insurance carrier State Farm is driving home its first-ever movie tie-in with Disney’s/Pixar’s upcoming animated film Cars, which includes a sweepstakes, tour and interactive Web site.
The multi-tier partnership aligns State Farm, a property and casualty insurer, with a movie that uses animated cars as its main characters. To boost its online offerings for free quotes or to find a local agent, State Farm has launched a sweepstakes dangling 25 red 2007 Ford Mustangs as grand prizes.
To enter the State Farm Countdown to Cars sweepstakes, consumers log on to StateFarm.com and complete an online entry form. Twenty-five randomly selected winners will receive a 2007 Ford Mustang Coupe. Consumers can enter once daily through June 19. Online materials support.
And this week, State Farm will kick off its Cars Road Trip ’06, a multi-city tour of live versions of the film’s animated stars. The tour will make 25 to 30 stops nationwide, including the world premiere of Cars at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC, on May 26.
The partnership is part of a larger move by insurance carriers to ramp up their marketing efforts with more entertaining qualities, said Pam El, VP-marketing for State Farm.
“We look for opportunities where we can find the right partner,” El said. “[Cars] was the perfect tie-in for State Farm.”
TV spots featuring characters from the film will begin airing the week of May 22.
To further engage consumers in its brand and the film, State Farm will soon offer a variety of interactive features on its micro site Disney.go.com/features/countdowntoCars. Through the site, consumers can design their own Cars, create songs using various car sounds and play an online game (Ready, Set, Go!).
In addition, consumers can create mini movie clips by adding music and sound effects to car-themed movie scenes. Visitors can watch their clips on the site through the State Farm Drive-in Theatre screen and send them to a friend. Visitors can also travel along on the famed Route 66 (which is featured in the film) from Chicago to California and move virtually from town to town by answering multiple choice and true/false questions. The interactive features will be available by May 24.
State Farm is also releasing a limited-edition Cars North American road atlas, available through participating State Farm agents starting in May.
Cars details the story of Lightning McQueen, a hot shot race car who is on his way to a big race when he gets waylaid on Route 66 in Radiator Springs. There, McQueen discovers the true meaning of friendship as part of his life journey. State Farm is based in Bloomington, IL, on Route 66. Cars opens nationwide on June 9.
“Disney has had a record of very successful films,” El said. “They attract all age groups…kids of driving ages. This is a movie about cars and one character who has a lot of life events along this journey.”
“We hope potential customers will think about their life’s journey with us,” she added.
State Farm, Disney handle in house.
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