Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield’s Battle Goes Beyond the Football Field
It’s easy to compare Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield. They are both football stars; they were both drafted by sluggish football teams, with the hope that they could revive the struggling offenses. They’ve both made good on those promises, too. On Jan. 17, Mahomes and Mayfield battled it out on the football field. Only one team emerged victorious, advancing to the championship game. The Mahomes’ led Kansas City Chiefs may have won the game, but is the Cheifs’ signal-caller the winner in the advertisement world? Fans are split on who is the better insurance pitchman.
Patrick Mahomes is a pitchman for State Farm
Mahomes might be a star on the field, but he’s been busy off the field, too. Aside from an impending marriage and fatherhood, he’s got a ton of endorsements. His best-known partnership is State Farm. The insurance company linked up with Mahomes early on in his career and have shot a series of commercials that play on his on-the-field talent and relaxed personality.
Mahomes has filmed an entire series of commercials for State Farm, with the most recent featuring actors getting the same haircut as Mahomes so they can get his very special State Farm pricing. The ad’s premise suggests that everyone gets the same pricing, whether they are an average Joe or a future Hall of Famer.
Baker Mayfield gets goofy in commercials for Progressive
State Farm has played on Mahomes’ calm demeanor in their commercials, but Progressive has gone a different direction with Mayfield’s partnership. Mayfield signed on to act as a pitchman for progressive in 2019, and the ads were a hit nearly instantly.
In the ads, Mayfield treats FirstEnergy stadium as if it were his own home. In one spot, he runs around frantically covering the stadium’s seats. In another, he is alarmed to find out “company” is coming because he is unprepared. In each ad, Mayfield is incredibly energetic and appears to be a touch, well, clueless. All-in-all it works, but it works for a completely different reason than State Farms ad spots.
Which commercial series is better?
While Mahomes and Mayfield figured out who would be advancing in the playoffs, the jury is still out on who the better pitchman is. Whether you prefer the cool, calm demeanor of Mahome’s work with State Farm, or the manic energy of Mayfield’s ad spots at the Browns’ home stadium, one thing is for certain; people largely love the ads. According to CNBC, ads featuring football stars outperform other ads shown during any given game. Mayfield is beloved by Progressive for his ability to turn on the charm, and State Farm is devoted to the genre ever since their initial success with Aaron Rodgers. Which one you think is better all comes down to preference.
Ad industry insiders suggest that Mayfield might have the edge when it comes to commercials. His Progressive spots are original and seem to play off Mayfield’s personality. On the other hand, Mahomes’ commercials appear to follow State Farm’s tried and true recipe. They’ve worked with sports stars before and, in theory, could use any high-end star to fill in for Mahomes. The same is not true for Progressive, who appears to have built the commercials around Mayfield.
