Following the success of last year’s ‘Jingle’ ad featuring Peyton Manning, Nationwide unveiled its newest advertising featuring the Denver Broncos quarterback. This new ad will debut during the 2015 NFL Kickoff game on Sept. 10 on NBC and will run throughout the season.
“The original ‘Jingle’ ad was one of the highest performing television ads in the history of our brand,” said Nationwide chief marketing officer Terrance Williams. “People would speak to Peyton using the jingle when they would see him. We used those experiences to develop this new ‘Jingle’ themed advertising.”
Nationwide has been especially aggressive in brand promotion and advertising in the past couple of years. It retired its long-time ‘blue window’ logo, which was internally unliked, replacing it with an older eagle-based symbol. It hired torchy actress and country singer Jana Rae Kramer to star as a leather-clad cat burglar in 2013 commercials. In a 2015 Nationwide Super Bowl ad, actress Mindy Kaling tries to kiss Matt Damon in a restaurant because she thinks she’s invisible (right). 
The “invisibility” theme is intended to subtly highlight the idea that Nationwide, which took itself private after the financial crisis, has no shareholders and therefore, like a mutual insurance company or a cooperative like Vanguard, can focus on the needs of its customers, and recognize their individuality.
“I joined Nationwide because they put members first,” says a headline quoting Manning at the introduction of the new ad.
The Peyton Manning ad may be the most successful element of Nationwide’s ongoing ad push. Nationwide will refresh the ad with new Peyton “Jingle” moments throughout the season, the company said in a release. The new ad is one of several new enhancements Nationwide has incorporated into its marketing plan for the second of a three-year sponsorship agreement with the NFL.
Besides partnerships with the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos, Nationwide entered into new relationships this year with the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. Nationwide will be able to use each team’s branding and logos in advertising and marketing materials.
With these new deals, Nationwide has developed team specific advertising “to connect with the passion of the fans of those teams.” Those ads were released digitally at the end of August.
“Teaming with the NFL and its clubs allows us to spread our ‘On Your Side’ promise to fans everywhere,” said Williams. The company will also increase its efforts around the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, presented by Nationwide.
Last season, Nationwide contributed more than $250,000 to the various charitable foundations represented by the 2014 nominees, including to the Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation, represented by 2014 winner, Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis. This season, Nationwide will increase its contributions to the nominees’ foundations to nearly $300,000.
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