American Family Insurance Ads Take a Sweeping View of Chasing One's Dreams Without Fear

What should a dream cost? Or more specifically, how risky should one be?

American Family Insurance just released the latest installment of its “Insure carefully, dream fearlessly” work with BBDO New York. It begins with a hero piece about what the campaign stands for, and is reinforced by long-form ads that follow different people in the realization of a dream. 

In “Son,” a young man decides to leave the family farm to the consternation of his father, who can barely look at him. It opens with a dinner table scene where the dad asks, “So you’re going to help families in other countries farm … instead of this farm?” 

“That’s what I’ve always wanted to do, Dad,” says the earnest vagabonder. The tension builds in a situation as old as nuclear families: Your kin has expectations. You have dreams. What do you do when those things collide?

The ending doesn’t yield a magically harmonious understanding between father and son, but it highlights a touching—if begrudging—truth: Your dad might think that you’re being super stupid. No one has any way of knowing whether you’ll succeed, you least of all. But the love that holds families together is often more elastic than people think … and it can support an awful lot.

“Road Trip” tells a different story. We follow a man driving into the wild on his own, scaling cliff faces and whatnot in dizzying solitude. The tear-jerker comes when, at the highest and hardest-won point in his journey, he takes out his phone and we learn what he’s doing all this for. 

Thankfully, it’s not Instagram. 

That’s a pretty awesome brother. Good luck making it to the North Pole!

Insurance isn’t the kind of thing people like to think about; it’s basically paying for risk management, and we’d rather believe risks can be avoided. 

But these stories, which conclude “Everyone’s dream is worth protecting,” remind us that it isn’t just risks we avoid; sometimes we avoid the very dreams that keep our inner fires lit. The message here seems to be that this isn’t about fearing terrible unknowns; it’s about dreaming without fear.

The hero ad probably says it best: “When people say we protect things, we shake our head no. Because we protect this. And everyone’s dream is worth protecting.”

Two Smuggler directors worked on the new spots. “Son” and “Road Trip” were directed by Jamie Rafn, while the anthem spot “This Dream” was directed by Todd Field. 

CREDITS

—Spots: “Son”, “Road Trip”

Client: American Family Insurance
Agency: BBDO New York
Worldwide Chief Creative Officer: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Susan Golkin
Creative Director: Mike Folino
Creative Director: Luis Romero 
Head of Integrated Production: Dave Rolfe
Executive Producer: Becky Burkhard
Interactive Producer: Danielle Amico
Head of Music Production: Rani Vaz
Music Producer: John Melillo 
Head of Art Production: Erin Breen
Associate Art Producer: Lizzy Lehn
Director Data Solutions : Tina Allan
Senior Account Director: Gati Desai Curtis
Account Manager: Erin Sheehan
Assistant Account Executive: Jenni Moseley
Business Manager: Heather Weissman
Planning Director: Steve Panawek 

Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Jamie Rafn
Executive Producers: Drew Santarsiero, Patrick Milling-Smith, Brian Carmody
Chief Operating Officer: Andrew Colon
Producer: Ray Leakey
Director of Photography: Jody Lee Lipes

Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
Executive Producer: Eve Kornblum
Producer: Lisa Barnable 
Editor: Adam Pertofsky
Asst. Editor: Marjorie Sacks. Anne-Laure Dhooghe

Post Fx: MPC
Executive Producer: Jess Kurnit
Producer: Aiste Akelaityte

—Spot: “This Dream”

Client: American Family Insurance
Agency: BBDO New York
Worldwide Chief Creative Officer: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Susan Golkin
Creative Director: Mike Folino
Creative Director: Luis Romero
Head of Integrated Production: Dave Rolfe
Executive Producer: Becky Burkhard
Interactive Producer: Danielle Amico
Art Buyer: Katie Johnson
Director Data Solutions: Tina Allan
Senior Account Director: Gati Desai Curtis
Account Manager: Erin Sheehan
Assistant Account Executive: Jenni Moseley
Business Manager: Heather Weissman
Associate Planning Director: Kim Ryneska 

Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Todd Field
Executive Producers: Drew Santarsiero, Sue Ahn
Chief Operating Officer: Andrew Colón
Content Producer: Francesca Lentini

Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
Executive Producer: Eve Kornblum
Producer: Lisa Barnable
Editor: Adam Pertofsky

Post Fx: MPC
Conform Artist: Matt Tremaglio
Executive Producer: Jesse Kurnit
Producer: Aiste Akelaityte

Visual Effects Company: MPC
Creative Director: Alvin Cruz
Executive Producer: Jesse Kurnit
Producer: Aiste Akelaityte