11240: State Farm Is There. Pam El Is Not.

From Advertising Age…

Pam El Departs State Farm

Marketing VP Oversaw Big Advertising Changes at Nation’s Largest Auto Insurer

By E.J. Schultz

Pam El has left State Farm after an 11-year run, including most recently serving as marketing VP. She has been replaced by Leif Roll, a 14-year veteran of the company’s marketing department, a spokeswoman confirmed.

Ms. El led the Bloomington, Ill.-based company through a branding makeover as the nation’s largest auto insurer fought off big-spending competitors such as Geico, Progressive and Allstate. She led the marketer’s first logo redesign in 60 years, while overseeing humor-filled ad campaigns in a move to keep the company relevant with younger consumers.

Last year Ad Age named Ms. El as one of the 100 most influential women in advertising, joining a list of other female power players, pioneers and innovators. State Farm ranks as the nation’s 55th-largest advertiser at $775.8 million in U.S. spending, according to the latest ranking from the Ad Age Data Center.

Ms. El joined State Farm in 2002 after stints at Martin Agency, US West and Terabeam.

Mr. Roll joined State Farm in 1999 as assistant VP-marketing and was promoted to VP-marketing in 2004. (Although that title sounds similar to his new position, he was outranked by Ms. El until he succeeded her.) Prior to joining State Farm, Mr. Roll spent 18 years in the banking industry, with stints at Mellon Financial Services, First Union Bank and Key Bank.

As Ms. El did, Mr. Roll will report to Christy Moberly, senior VP for agency and marketing and Rand Harbert, exec VP-chief agency sales and marketing officer.