6 Most Memorable Nationwide Commercials
Commercials are often an effective way to communicate ideas to an audience using funny jokes and memorable characters. Insurance companies spend a ton of money each year on advertising, and their TV spots often go great lengths to entertain and educate customers. This is a great way for them to stand out from their competition.

Nationwide has some of the most memorable commercials in recent years. They use their catchy jingle, “Nationwide is on your side”, along with celebrity endorsements and other forms of advertising to convince their viewers they’re the right insurance company for them.
The best Nationwide commercials often help to inform customers about policies and other special deals they can only get through Nationwide, such as Nationwide SmartRide Insurance. We’ll cover the six most memorable commercials they’ve used, and hopefully your favorite one made the list.
#1 – Leslie Odom Jr.’s Magical Jingle
Leslie Odom Jr. has a beautiful voice that perks up everyone’s ears the second it’s heard, and this makes his extended lyrical composition of Nationwide’s classic jingle so memorable. The commercial doesn’t talk about any specific policies, but it does try to tell a story that connects the audience to the company on an emotional level.
Odom Jr. sings about how the company will be by your daughter’s side as she drives in and out of state, whether it be from college or a vacation, and how Nationwide will be an effective insurance partner for your family as you reach retirement age.
This helps viewers feel like the company will be a lifelong partner in insurance, not just a stopgap before they move on to the next company for coverage.
If you prefer a different singer than Odom Jr., Nationwide has a few other TV spots using famous artists such as Brad Paisley, Jill Scott, and Tori Kelly. These commercials also use marketing associated with family and comfort to connect the audience to their insurance company.
#2 – Your Car Is as Precious as a Baby
Who doesn’t love babies? They’re adorable, vulnerable, and in need of tender care and affection. Nationwide decided to associate a person’s love for their infant with their love for their vehicle, and it’s incredibly effective. They want you to know their policies will protect your car from trouble the same ways you would protect your newborn.
The commercial ends by clarifying how Nationwide doesn’t have shareholders and this separates them from its competitors. The ad isn’t long enough to elaborate on this statement, but it makes the audience want to look into this statement and learn more about it before contacting Nationwide.
It’s also the type of commercial that you may not totally understand the first time you watch it due to being distracted by the baby’s cuteness, and this makes you feel inclined to pay attention even more when it pops back up on the screen.
#3 – Peyton Manning Can Jingle Any Phrase
Peyton Manning is one of the best football players in NFL history, as he won two Super Bowl championships and five MVP awards in his almost two-decade-long career. Manning always had a captivating personality and a great sense of humor throughout his playing days, and once he retired it allowed him to do even more commercials than before.
Nationwide tabbed Manning to participate in this ad in which he goes about his daily activities, but he does so with an accompanying jingle to the tune of the company’s famous tagline. “Chicken parm you taste so good” has nothing to do with insurance, but it makes you think about the company’s slogan long after the TV goes off for the night.
The fact Manning appeared in many more commercials for Nationwide around this time period made him kind of a spokesperson for the company, and this ad became part of a portfolio of fun ones to choose from.
#4 – Sneaky Spy for Nationwide
One of the most important things to think about when trying to travel safely is deciding whether you have adequate homeowners insurance to cover any theft back at home. Nationwide plays on this concern by assuring their customers they have a unique policy in which they’ll replace stolen items with brand new ones regardless of cost.
The fun spy character who comes into the house and installs the new toaster and other appliances is great marketing because it harkens back to memories of watching thrilling movies with similar protagonists. The commercial ends with their signature song to make sure customers remember who they’re going to go through for insurance.
This was one of a few other commercials the company did on this policy of replacing stolen items with new ones, so it’s worth looking online for the other ones if you’re interested in the ad campaign.
#5 – Customers Acting Like Children
We learned during the pandemic how often adults can act childish when they don’t get their way with customer service reps or employees at stores, but Nationwide knew about this beforehand in this adorable and hilarious commercial.
Much like the commercial comparing babies to cars, here they make the metaphor that insurance customers act like toddlers when they’re not the center of attention. Nationwide guarantees they treat their customers with the utmost recognition, separating their customer service from other insurance companies.
This is a claim that can’t be entirely backed up, though, as some customers may feel they’re receiving great treatment from their agents, while others may feel the opposite. According to the Nerd Wallet, the company has a customer satisfaction score of 80.5 out of 100.
#6 – Boulders Are Deductibles
This commercial from Nationwide uses an analogy comparing the company’s vanishing deductible to a shrinking boulder. If customers maintain clean driving records for years, they’ll receive a $100 discount from their deductible annually. This is a clear ad explaining a worthwhile policy.
It’s not the wittiest commercial and it doesn’t have big named actors endorsing the company, but it’s thorough, yet quick. Sometimes this is the best advertising an insurance company can do. And as usual, the commercial closes with Nationwide’s jingle so customers remember which company to associate the policies they learned about with.
After looking through these commercials, it becomes clear how certain methods of advertising may influence customers to look into purchasing insurance. Using jokes, celebrities, memorable songs, and creative metaphors are all tried and true advertising techniques, and Nationwide has a great set of commercials where these qualities are evident.