Bloomington, Illinois, September 30, 2008 - - Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr., who holds Major League Baseball’s all-time consecutive games played record of 2,632, has agreed to a multi-faceted, multi-year association with State Farm Insurance, it was announced today by Mark Gibson, Assistant Vice President of Advertising for State Farm.
Ripken, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, will serve as a spokesperson for State Farm in national marketing and advertising activities including State Farm’s national teen driver safety program. As part of the arrangement, there also will be a close alliance between State Farm and Cal’s youth initiatives through Ripken Baseball, which include the Cal Ripken World Series, as well as various camps, clinics and tournaments. State Farm will also become the title sponsor of all Ripken Baseball Home Run Derby competitions culminating in the Ripken World Series each year.
“I am thrilled to be associated with such a well-known, trusted and dependable company as State Farm,” Ripken stated. “It is exciting to know and work with an organization that is so committed to supporting baseball at the grassroots level and support our communities in the development of our youth. I also look forward to assisting in leveraging State Farm’s relationship with Major League Baseball from an advertising and marketing viewpoint.”
As part of State Farm's sponsorship of National Teen Driver Safety Week, October, 19-25, 2008, Ripken will be highlighted in print ads and participate in a satellite media tour to help save teens lives. Ripken himself is the father of two teen drivers.
“The work Cal Ripken, Ripken Baseball and the Ripken Foundation conducts on a professional and grass roots level mirrors many of the initiatives State Farm supports nationally and locally, said Mark Gibson, assistant vice president of advertising for State Farm. “It’s a natural fit for State Farm and we are very excited for the opportunity to work with Cal on many different levels”.
Prior to this agreement, State Farm already had a major presence in Major League Baseball, including being the title sponsor of the 2008 MLB State Farm Home Run Derby in Yankee Stadium. Currently in the midst of a three-year contract as the Official Insurance Sponsor of MLB, having twenty-five individual signage deal with MLB teams, State Farm will also have a major presence during the World Series, as well as sponsoring signage behind home plate during telecasts of weekend and Monday night Fox and ESPN games. In addition, State Farm is involved with the NFL, the NCAA and LPGA and is a leading supporter of auto and home safety initiatives.
For questions or more information, contact Rich Pingeton, Relaciones Públicas, al (309) 766-8866.
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State Farm® insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 67,000 employees serve 78 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.