Insurance advertisements: funny vs. serious

Hi, I'm new to this site. I had joined in order to learn more about various insurance topics and was immediately impressed by the level of expertise and sheer size of the knowledge base here. It's nice to know that communities like this exist- I always prefer to get information from individuals, rather than books or dubious/one-sided websites, but one doesn't always have an insurance-expert friend on hand.

I work in advertising, and have witnessed recent changes in the ways insurance companies portray their services. It seems to me that most toed the "safety and reliability"/"what if?" lines until they began to branch out, creating humorous spots or viral videos that aren't immediately recognizable as ads, like the ones below for State Farm (I'm compelled to mention that, while my company did not create these videos, we are partially responsible for their seeding- so I do appreciate views :] )

Something's Missing- Ice Cream Truck (the funniest, in my opinion)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7hRsGR1icRQ

A playlist of all six-
http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=agoodneighbor&p=r

I'm curious to know if anyone else has noticed this transition, and to find out what members of this community think of insurance advertising--
as insurance professionals, do you welcome that kind of exposure for your field? have you ever encountered situations where information conveyed by an ad skewed the perceptions/expectations of potential clients?
as consumers, do you wish that insurance ads provided more concrete information? do you appreciate silly spots like the State Farm ads, but not let them affect your decisions? do you think anyone takes advertising seriously anymore?

Thanks for reading this far, and please respond! I'm truly interested in what you have to say.

Lila