Kate Hudson has worked with actors such as Hugh Jackman, Billy Crudup and Matthew McConaughey, but says the cast of her Netflix series Running Points, which she wrote, have really gotten used to casting characters who obviously have little experience in movies or TV shows. “We were all a little bit starstruck,” she admitted in a recent interview.
Who is her new co-star? Jake from State Farm.
Advertising characters like the Pillsbury Doughboy and Donald McDonald have long called commercial breaks their home. Now, in a twist on the established advertising model, a popular State Farm personality will appear on the show his ads would normally support. His cameo in “Running Points,” a comedy about Hudson’s fictional basketball team, could test how viewers react when they see advertising elements on their favorite shows, and whether they see their appearance as the entertainment enhancement they were looking for or as a distraction.
Hudson says such concepts should be considered. The key to such partnerships is “being able to find the right mix” between commercials and content, she added, calling the characters’ appearances in the show “seamless.” Jake appears in the episode to help manage the Los Angeles Waves’ unruly point guard, Travis Bugg, played by Chet Hanks.
“Hopefully we can do something like this again,” said Hudson, who is also an executive producer on the series.
State Farm believes viewers will approve of Jake’s entertainment appearances. After all, State Farm’s Jake, played by actor Kevin Miles since 2020, “appears at sporting events and red carpets. He has celebrity friends. He supports people,” State Farm marketing director Allison Griffin said in an interview. “He moves in the world.” State Farm frequently has Jake attend games and other important events, so portraying him this way on the show — think Liberty Mutual-backed Flow at Emu or Progressive — isn’t as surprising as someone at an insurance rival doing something similar, she says.
Still, Jake’s first appearance on an actual show comes with some risk. If not executed well, viewers may feel like something is intruding on their favorite piece of entertainment, said one sales executive familiar with the mix of advertisers and programming. Jake’s moments on the show need to feel authentic and not forced, the executive says. Programs and promotions “need to work together and complement each other,” the official said. “If it’s one-sided, it won’t work.”
Actors on television shows have long been encouraged to leave the show’s roost and go on commercial breaks, putting popular characters in the service of sponsors who pay them to appear. Viewers of “The Pit” in recent weeks may have seen one of the series’ stars, Katherine LaNasa, talking to an emergency medical technician in a Volvo ad that appeared on Max, which streams the popular medical drama. Last year, “Saturday Night Live” characters appeared in commercials for Allstate, Capital One and Volkswagen to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. In 2016, the National Association of Realtors successfully convinced Disney’s ABC to allow Ty Burrell’s “Modern Family” character Phil Dunphy to appear in commercials aired on the network.
And it’s not like advertising characters haven’t appeared on TV before. ABC launched a sitcom in 2007 that focused on the antics of the popular caveman character in Geico commercials. Many rival insurance companies refused to advertise on the show, which was critically derided. The program lasted about six weeks before being cancelled.
There may still be some resistance to injecting advertising numbers into actual programming. Fans of CBS’s “NCIS,” for example, likely won’t see Aflac’s duck waddle across the screen in a recurring role. But in recent years, media companies have begun to bend many of the old rules that keep some television products untouched by commercial interests. Ads now appear next to HBO shows when they stream, and next to presidential debates. Both were once considered sacred.
State Farm believes there’s good reason to push Jake to new heights. Streaming viewers may discover “Running Point” weeks or months after Netflix releases new episodes, Griffin said. And if State Farm runs only commercials during the show, subscribers who discover the show later may not see the commercials. “If you’re integrated into the show, it doesn’t matter whether viewers tune in ‘in April or October or three years from now.’
The sports series will also feature traditional ads featuring Jake. The spot starring Jake and the “Running Point” cast members will be available on Netflix from April 13 to May 22, and will appear as pre-roll before episodes of the series begin. The commercial will also be featured within Netflix’s Top 10 Shows playlist and may serve as a first impression for users when the service launches.
Netflix has relied heavily in recent years on its ability to match advertisers and programming in unique ways. In 2019, Netflix was able to persuade Coca-Cola to revive New Coke after failing to revamp its flagship product. It’s all because the drink was featured in the third season of Stranger Things. Media buyers who negotiated advertising deals with the company say the streamer recognizes that such offerings could entice advertisers to buy more of its regular commercial inventory, highlighting its ability to build bespoke partnerships with its programs.
“The idea of Jake helping manage Travis, the team’s ‘biggest responsibility,’ gave us something grounded on brand, but was also completely true to the tone of the show,” said Magno Herran, Netflix’s vice president of global brand marketing and partnerships. “It’s fun, unexpected, and fits perfectly with the chaos the characters navigate.”
Griffin, State Farm’s marketing director, said no one wanted the character to get caught up in any hype. Viewers never see Jake wink at them or try to sneak in an insurance promotion. “He embodies what it means to be a good neighbor, and he doesn’t sell anything,” she says. “He’s not a caricature. He’s not a cartoon.” She added that State Farm felt it made sense for him to appear on the show because the company is an actual NBA sponsor and fans are likely used to seeing State Farm signs at professional basketball games.
“We treat him like a real human being with boundaries and respect,” Griffin says. “If he’s going to be included in something, it has to be authentic and that’s what we want him to do.” If Jake appears and is successful, will other advertisers follow him and try to create similar situations in their shows, and will they hold their characters to the same standard?
