Newest Farmers Insurance Commercial: Critters in the Road

Did you know...

There are over 1.5 million car accidents involving directly, or indirectly, deer every year, resulting in around $1.1 billion worth of vehicle damage.

Seems like a lot?  Consider this"

"In the 1980's the deer population was approximately 10 million. Today, there are more than 25 million. Losses due to deer and car encounters will only increase as the deer population continues to grow and urban habitats encroach upon rural environments." - SmartMotorist.com

Here's a preview of our newest commercial which will begin airing this week:

The Commercial stars J.K. Simmons as Professor Nathanial Burke explaining the hazards we all face when nature and development intersect.

Public Safety: The Pills Vs. Candy Test

"Don't Guess.  Be Sure." -  California Poison Control

1-800-222-1222

www.calpoison.org

"I'd feel so dumb if I called and nothing was wrong."

"Unless you're an expert, you can't possibly know everything
 about the things that  might hurt you or your family.
  What you CAN do is call the poison experts"

The Pills versus Candy:

 Click to Take the Test

Sure, you passed.  Now, will your children know the difference?

Kevin Tuckey and the Platinum Elite Group are committed to the safety of all the citizens of the communities we serve.  To protect your loved ones, take a moment to...

*  Add the Poison Action Line to your cell phone address book:  1-800-222-1222

* Go to the website and "order materials" in various languages.

We use an investigative and educational process to ascertain your current risk exposure and deliver to you through our 'Value Insurance Proposal' (VIP) the correct levels of coverage at the right price without compromising vital coverages. You need to protect your family and the assets you have spent a lifetime acquiring.

With Farmers Insurance & The Platinum Elite Group, there is a difference. Discover:

Why Platinum!

Excerpt from Blog Originally published on Why Platinum?


* The content of this blog is for informative purposes only. It does not reflect official standing of any agent, agency, or company mentioned on the blog. Nor is this blog necessarilly an endorsement. Please consult with your insurance, tax, or legal specialist before making any decisions. This blog is purely meant to spark the thought process.

Miami Foodie Escape Contest on Facebook: Another Farmers Insurance Trip

One lucky "foodie" will win airfare for 2, hotel accommodations for 2 nights in the heart of South Beach, and $500 spending cash. 

Our "escape" also includes a Food Network Magazine exclusive prize - a trip for 2 to attend the Food Network Magazine lounge in South Beach, Miami in February 2012.

You'll mix and mingle with popular Food Network Magazine talent while sampling some of Miami's amazing cuisine.

Log into Facebook, and then click HERE to enter Contest.

This is the third contest from Farmers Insurance driven by visiting Facebook, or a Facebook game.  Earlier in the year we saw a contest involving the Farmers Airship and FarmVille.  Later there was a trip to Las Vegas for those who entered through the Mafia Wars game.  

This trip to Miami is available to those who simply visit our Facebook page.  See link above.  It's in connection to Zynga's FaceBook game: Cafe World.

Good Luck, and Bon Appetite!

Tragic Last Words: "It's Paid For, I Don't Need Insurance"

"I don't need insurance, it's not worth much."

"Can I drop my insurance?  I paid the loan off."

"It's paid for, why would I insure it?"

In my career I've heard a few statements like these.

The answer is simple. If it was lost, stolen, or destroyed in a disaster like a wildfire or earthquake, could you afford to replace it out-of-pocket?

Whether it's paid for, or you owe on it outright, it's going to be costly to replace if it disappears.  

Regardless your economic level, your cars, your home, you business, all make up a large part of your assets.  Loss of them hurts financially, and emotionally.  The financing situation is irrelevant in the end. 

No one likes paying for insurance, until they have to make a claim.  Then it seems cheap in comparison.

Recently one of those random fires we're used to in Southern California started.  We usually identify them by which freeway it's closest to. We're a car culture so freeway closures are big. This one started off the 15 Freeway.

A man buys a ranch (and about 100 livestock) to be his retirement home and source of retirement income. It's paid for so it should be a great source of security and income the rest of his life.  

Then one hot (and probably windy) day a fire starts, the area's evacuated, and by the time he's allowed back in, it's all gone.   The ranch.  Most of the livestock.

Auto Insurance: Insuring Older Cars & Your Comp Coverage

Excerpt from a blog originally from Why Platinum?

"My car's paid for.  Why insure it?"

or, "It costs more than the car's worth?"

You have to have the liability coverage, but what about the rest?

In some cases Collision Coverage is expensive relative to the benefit of insuring an older car.  But what about the Comp Coverage?  People often drop both, but they are not attached.  Comp, sometimes called "other than collision", is often an inexpensive part of the policy.

Consider keeping the "comprehensive" coverage even if you drop the "collision."

Comp (Comprehensive) Coverage covers physical damage to your car from hazards such as (but not limited to):

• Fire
• Theft, Vandalism, & Riot
• Lightning 
• Hail
• Flood
• Earthquake
• Explosions
• Damage from Contact with an Animals
• Falling Objects like Trees and Branches

These are all risks that even great drivers face since they don't always involving the skill of the driver.  They happen to the car, often when not even moving.

Animals? 

Health & Home Safety: Tips for Clean Air

Breathe that clean, fresh air … In your home

Reprint from Farmers Insurance:



We live in an ocean of air, yet research shows that we’re not always breathing clean fresh air, particularly in our homes. In fact, air quality is often worse indoors than outside.¹

The main causes of outdoor air pollution are industrial and vehicular missions. Pets, hair, smoke and moisture all combine to pollute the air indoors. And, in addition to other negative effects on our health, air pollution can cause or exacerbate allergies and in many cases serious breathing disorders, including asthma.


Pollution solutions
Here are some tips that may help improve the air quality in your home:

• Source control — Typically, one of the more effective ways to improve indoor air quality is to eliminate individual sources of pollution or to reduce their emissions. For instance, if you smoke, do it outside; better yet, QUIT! If you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, be sure to operate it safely and maintain it properly. Brush and bathe your pets frequently and do it outdoors, if possible.
  
• Improve ventilation — Try to increase the amount of outdoor air coming indoors. Most home heating and cooling systems don’t bring fresh air into the house. Opening windows and doors, operating window or attic fans, or running a window air conditioner with the vent control open increases the outdoor ventilation rate. Bathroom or kitchen fans that exhaust outdoors remove contaminants from the room and increase the outdoor air ventilation rate.
  
• Clean the air — There are many types and sizes of air cleaners on the market, some more effective than others. For information on various air-cleaning devices and how they work, download a free copy of the EPA’s “Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home”.
  

Farmers Insurance: New Reality TV Star?

Weathering Disaster: Weather Channel Series To Profile Farmers Catastrophe Response

OK, maybe we won't be the next Kardashians or even the next "Pawn Stars", but the new series will definitely be entertaining and educational.  Using the drama of real life, viewers will learn how to be better prepared if a natural disaster strikes their hometown, and be assured that if it does, there will be someone there to help with the recover.

We all know that when natural disasters strike, no one in the industry responds as well as Farmers. An upcoming six-episode series on The Weather Channel will focus on Farmers’ catastrophe buses, as well as our responses to tornadoes, firestorms and hurricanes.


Click HERE for some trailers of the series. 

The series, Weathering Disaster, will focus on individual families affected by disasters, and show how Farmers helps them through the rebuilding process.

What’s more, numerous Farmers agents and claims team members were filmed as they helped customers through the recovery process. “One of our goals in partnering with The Weather Channel on this series was to showcase the real-life heroic efforts of the Farmers agents and catastrophe response employees who help our customers through the recovery process,” says Kristina Ferrin, advertising manager. 

“The Weather Channel is a perfect fit for Farmers, and, in addition to our original programs, we will also have various promotional elements and an advertising presence on The Weather Channel’s online and mobile sites.” Additional promotional components include a Weathering Disaster web page where visitors can view the episodes after they air, as well as "promercials" and vignettes shown on the channel.

The shows will air repeatedly throughout late September and October, with initial airings of each on Saturdays from September 17-October 22. Check your local listings for air times in your area.

Across The Waves: Celebrating The Asian Pacific Community

Excerpt from blog originally published on Why Platinum?

Agents of Farmers Insurance and The Platinum Elite Group are committed to the children of the communities they serve. With governmental budgetary constraints affecting schools, any help given to a teacher for his or her classroom can come in very handy.

One such area of support comes in the educational series of DVD's, readers, and lesson plans geared for all grade levels offered free to educators. Perfect for public or private schools, or home schoolers.

"Farmers free resources offer new and innovative tools for bringing lessons in democracy, diversity, history, the arts and literacy to your classroom. The programs and lesson plans will engage elementary school students and help them develop life-long curiosity and love of learning."

Fire safety and child identification programs are also available through your Platinum Elite Team Member. One such DVD is Across The Waves: Voices from the Asian-Pacific American Community.

To preview this and other programs in the series, go to GoFarmersEd.com.

"Across the Waves Brings together eight Asian Pacific American communities who share their struggles and triumphs in their own words. With all original interviews never before seen with stories that are fundamental to understanding the Asian-Pacific American community, Across the Waves provides insights and information not found in middle and high school history books. Narrated by Ming Na (E.R.) and Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy)."

The Japanese Community

The Korean Community

The Filipino Community

Other communities explored on the DVD include: Indian, Vietnamese, Hmong, Cambodian, and Chinese.

Newest Farmers Insurance Commercial: Gatorade Bath

Definitely a reason to celebrate.  The University of Farmers is named  #1.

Click HERE to learn other reasons why you should not only consider a career with Farmers Insurance, to do it as a member of the Platinum Elite Group.

The newest television commercial in the "University of Farmers" themed Farmers Insurance commercials is set to debut shortly.  Here it is now:

Click HERE to also watch it on our Platinum Elite YouTube Channel.

This newest live action commercial is next in the series starring J.K. Simmons (Spider-man, Juno, Law & Order) as Professor Nathaniel Burke, the mythical leader of our own University of Farmers.

Past recent ads:  The X-Men  -   Dryer Fires  -  Distracted Driving  -  Cat Burglars & Home  -  Lobsters at Work (business insurance)  -  Expansion into Pennsylvania

See our Platinum Elite YouTube Channel for more ads.

The story behind the commercial:

Earlier in the year, Training magazine analyzed thousands of different companies and organizations by several criteria and named Farmers Insurance and it's "University of Farmers" as #1.

Excerpt from earlier blog:

Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, San Diego, CA.: Farmers proudly took first place at Training Magazine’s 11th-annual Training Top 125 contest.

As the leading business publication for learning and development professionals, Training ranks thousands of companies from around the world for their excellence in employer-sponsored training and development programs. See the above link for the complete list.

Being named No. 1 means beating out such powerhouses as Microsoft, Verizon, Bank of America, McDonald's, Best Buy, Intel, FedEx, the Loews Hotels, and the United States Navy.


end of excerpt.

"We Are Farmers!"

All of the members of the Platinum Elite Group study educational programs developed by the University of Farmers and at various stages attend the actual University of Farmers to learn to better serve their clients' needs.

In the end, its the quality of service and education your insurer gives you, the customer, that really differentiates one insurance company from another.  Call an agent below and discover the difference.

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month: Los Angeles Lakers' Lamar Odom

"Today, 30 percent of US households have no life insurance, according to the industry research group LIMRA. " - source: Life Foundation.

September is Life Awareness Month. Starting in August, Public Service Announcements featuring Lamar Odom (LA Lakers, Khloe & Lamar) will begin airing on television.

Click HERE to read the original press release announcing Odom's selection. To see a "making of" video / interview, see below.

When a loved one dies, the difference between having life insurance and not having it is vast for the ones who are left behind.   Keeping versus losing the home.  Staying in school versus changing schools when the family needs to move.  Maintaining hobbies and activities. Paying off debts. Raising the kids versus working 2 jobs.  Having time to mourn before money concerns overshadow the real loss.  

When Lamar's mother died, he was able to stay at his school.  This had to have had an impact on his basketball development, and his future career.  Read his story next.

Reprint from The Insider - June 17, 2011

"The Insider"'s Christina McLarty met up with Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom at a Catholic school in Los Angeles on June 15, 2011 to talk about his new PSA for the Life Foundation (on facebook) and "baby making."

"It's going well," Lamar answered when asked about his efforts to procreate with his wife Khloe Kardashian. At the moment, Lamar is already a father of three, which is important to the NBA champion who stated that he wanted to "leave behind a legacy" for his children.

The Life Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people make smart insurance decisions to safeguard their families' financial futures.

Lamar grew up understanding the importance of life insurance when his mother passed away from colon cancer when he was 12. Because of her life insurance policy, Lamar says he was able to continue his Catholic school education.

He is now reaching out to people to inform them of the benefits of life insurance through a PSA for the Life Foundation.

In the interview, Lamar also talks about his show with Khloe, "Khloe & Lamar."

Check out the video for more of Lamar's interview with Christina.

end of article

Past Spokesmen for Life Awareness Month have included Actor and Musician Donnie Wahlberg in 2008.  Click HERE for his video.

In 2007, it was Comedian Molly Shannon (Saturday Night Live).

In 2009, it was Actor Chris Noth (Sex and the City).

Past blogs on life: Single Parents

Families with Special Needs Children

Bristish Royal Marine spends a message with his life insurance

Advanced LUTCF Training for Platinum Elite Team Members

The Farmers Insurance agents who make up the Platinum Elite Group whole-heartedly believe in the importance of life insurance in a family's over-all financial plan, and sometimes sadly know the effects when life insurance is missing from the program.

We've had auto insurance clients die who didn't see the need to get life insurance.  Was the car really more important that their family's well-being?  It was insured for more that the people were.

There are a lot of types of life insurance out there, with various features.  Consult with a member of the Platinum Elite Group, like the ones below, to explore, with no obligations, your options.

Always make sure your auto, fire (home, condo, & renters), earthquake, flood, umbrella, and life insurances all properly work together to protect your home, your business, your family, your future.

"We Are Farmers!"

The Platinum Elite Team:

Susanne Romo - Chula Vista & Kearny Mesa  (license #: 0720743) - (858) 751-0956

Araceli De La Torre - Kearny Mesa (license #: 0G17321) - (858) 751-0956

Kevin Tuckey - Mission Valley (license #: 0B72553) - (858) 751-1357

Tony Gutierrez - La Jolla (license #: 0A87116) - (858) 751-0956

3675 Ruffin Rd.

Suite 220
San Diego, CA  92123

We use an investigative and educational process to ascertain your current risk exposure and deliver to you through our 'Value Insurance Proposal' (VIP) the correct levels of coverage at the right price without compromising vital coverages. You need to protect your family and the assets you have spent a lifetime acquiring.

With the Platinum Elite Group, there is a difference.  Discover:

Why Platinum!

* The content of this blog is for informative purposes only. It does not reflect official standing of any agent, agency, or company mentioned on the blog. Nor is this blog necessarily an endorsement. Please consult with your insurance, tax, or legal specialist before making any decisions. This blog is purely meant to spark the thought process.