Our buddy, our good pal, Mayhem. He is played by Dean Winters, an actor for Allstate Home Insurance commercials. He is the embodiment of Mayhem, and in each commercial, he represents a rather common, but often forgettable event/person that can cause damage to our your home. He’s been a cat, an aspiring beauty blogger, a bad cleaning lady, overly confident dog walker, and everyone’s favorite, a teenage girl.
The opening line is always ” I’m a ______” and the commercial ends with “keep yourself protected from mayhem … like me” Truly iconic. Every commercial is a surreal comedy, with violent, dry, and deadpan humor, with a grown man acting out these absurd skits. For the teenage girl commercial in particular, there was a wonderfully done balance of some accuracy to teenage girl speech/thoughts, but also a detached commentary on how absurd it is. A masterpiece, truly. The common phrases and hilarity burns the commercial, and the company Allstate, into our minds. I feel like we as humans also just adore characters in general, with their dynamic nature. In a similar way, we love Flo from Progressive. These characters gain a life of their own and gain a “fanbase,” but unlike celebrities, they are inherently bound to the companies they represent.
No matter the absurdity, however, there rings a deep kernel of truth in everything. What if some unforeseen event really does dame our homes or cars? It’s a constant fear that we often choose to conveniently forget. And so, overall, Allstate really does succeed. It reminds us consumers of these fears/wants, and then Allstate is here to say “we can offer you these services.” Well done, for sure. And its cut its own place into the culture of people my age.
I find it interesting the amount of ads insurance companies have now. Whether it is AllState, Progressive, Geico, or other companies. Some of these ads are definitely humorous, but the amount of insurance commercials on TV are mind boggling. Are people switching between different insurance companies? Are these ads changing consumer behavior?
These commercials definitely make fears ring true as they share scenarios with an ending that is a fear with withhold out of convenience. Although they are over the top, I agree they share a truth behind in something that can realistically happen, therefore we should prepare for. I do wonder, however, how effective their commercials are in increasing the number of people that receive insurance with them rather than some other company.
I liked your comparison of Dean Winters on Mayhem commercials to Flo from Progressive. Although they are fictional characters, they become attached to the product and create a fanbase unique from real-life celebrities. I know people who even played Flo from Progressive for Halloween one year!
I love these ads! I also find it interesting how Mayhem is such a character now. When I see his ads pop up, you immediately know it is an Allstate ad and I honestly find myself always watching them when they pop up. Their commercials really are effective and I think especially because of the iconic Mayhem character.