Farmers Airship to Fly Over FarmVille Skies

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies® announces an industry-leading partnership with Zynga, the maker of FarmVille, the most popular game on Facebook with over 60 million monthly players.

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The Farmers in-game integration, will use the likeness of its Farmers Insurance Airship, a 246-foot long Zeppelin.  When players place the Farmers Airship on their farm, they receive free "wither protection" for the crops on their virtual farm. In a nod to the security that Farmers Insurance offer its customers, this protection means players crops won't wither for the 10 days of the promotion.

"This is the first time an insurance company will be featured within internet Social Gaming," said Kevin Kelso, Chief Marketing Office of Farmers Insurance Group Inc.  "It's an innovative and exciting way to showcase our online and interactive presence."

The campaign will begin October 18, 2010 and for the first 10 days the Farmers Airship will be available for free.

"More than 60 million people a month, play FarmVille, and players are proud of the virtual farms they build," said Marc Zeitlin, Vice President of eBusiness for Farmers Insurance Group Inc.  "We are thrilled to offer virtual protection which mirrors the protection we provide to millions of people everyday with our home, automobile, business and life insurance products."  

Farmers recently announced a chance for FarmVille followers to experience part of their virtual life in real life, by winning a chance to ride on the Farmers Airship.  

During a sweepstakes running from October 1, 2010 to November 15, 2010 on Farmers' Facebook page, fans can win a ride for themselves and a companion on the world's largest airship. To enter, log onto facebook.com/farmersinsurance.

"Zynga's mission is to connect the world through games and we look for brand partners that share our vision to create the most fun and most social game experience," said Manny Anekal, Global Director of Brand Advertising at Zynga. "Millions of people play FarmVille daily and we're excited to unveil a campaign with Farmer's Insurance that further demonstrates our commitment to delivering high quality in-game brand experiences."

About the Farmers Airship

Stretching 15-feet longer than a 747 and 50-feet longer than the largest blimp, the Farmers Airship, the Zeppelin Eureka, is the world's largest airship. Owned and operated by Airship Ventures, Inc., the airship is one of only two Zeppelins commercially flying in the world today and features the largest logo ever used in Farmers' history. Larger than most homes, the decal is comprised of 697 sheets of vinyl totaling almost 4,850 square feet and measuring approximately 185-feet long by 30-feet high on either side of the Zeppelin. Farmers iconic blue and red shield measures 30-feet high by 50-feet wide, while the 17-foot tall letters spelling out the company name stretch over 105-feet. When not flying in support of Farmers events in communities around the country, the Farmers Airship is based in California and offers passenger flightseeing tours above San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Monterey, Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles. www.FarmersAirship.com

About Farmers Insurance Group Inc.

Farmers is a trade name and may refer to Farmers Group, Inc. or the Farmers Exchanges, as the case may be. Farmers Group, Inc., a management and holding company, along with its subsidiaries, is wholly owned by the Zurich Financial Services Group.  The Farmers Exchanges are three reciprocal insurers (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange), including their subsidiaries and affiliates, owned by their policyholders, and managed by Farmers Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information about Farmers, visit our website at www.farmers.com or www.Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance .

SOURCE Farmers Insurance Group Inc.