Entry #5 - Mayhem

MAYHEM

We all know the familiar slogan; "Protect yourself, from mayhem...like me." Odds are you even have a favorite "Mayhem Moment" or, at the very least, have gotten a chuckle or three out of one of the famous Allstate commercials. But why are they so effective? Why do we remember them? Is it only the comedy? If so, why are these particular ads so funny? Well, let's take a moment together and break down one of these ads and examine exactly why these ads are so potent.

The ad starts with the image of a social media post that reads "New Orleans, Baby!" and shows a couple in front of what looks like an out of focus backdrop of a sports stadium of some sort. The couple are also seen wearing sports jerseys, so we can assume this ad is targeted at sports fans. "I'm kind of a social media nerd. I'm also kind of a burglar." the actor who portrays Mayhem says. The camera now shows Mayhem sitting on a couch in a destroyed apartment. The knocked over lamp, the open fridge in the background, and the out of place instrument on the couch all give us the impression that someone--or something--has been in the house and destroyed it. Anyone familiar with these Allstate ads surely have an idea of the who... (looking at you, Mayhem.)

Mayhem then goes on to explain that the couple who lives at the home he is at posted on social media that they would be away from home, so he took it upon himself to turn "su casa" into "mi casa". The ad now shows Mayhem taking what looks like a spare key from a container and throwing it to the side, only to bust open a window to unlock the door. The image is very clear for the viewer now...Mayhem is a burglar who is robbing the couple we saw in the social media post. 

The spokesman continues to explain that posting personal information on the internet could lead to the viewer becoming a victim, instead of the fictitious couple we saw earlier. Now Allstate is using fear as a way to drive home the importance of insurance. The site of the destroyed house, the "burglar" rummaging through the couple's personal belongings, and the door to their home being left wide open are all "triggers" to drive home the emotion of fear. A lot of people would not buy insurance if they weren't afraid of being robbed and fear is sometimes necessary to force us to take precautions we previously might not have taken.

The ad finishes with Mayhem throwing a TV out of the window as the door sits wide open. He then exits with a bag of what we are to assume are belongings from the couple's house that he just robbed, finished by Mayhem telling us to get Allstate insurance to protect ourselves from mayhem, like him. 

Allstate uses fear and comedy to channel the viewers emotions and capture our attention while driving home the necessity of protection and insurance in Americans' hectic and turbulent lives. The destroyed house, the social media post, the items being stolen, are all conscious decisions by Allstate to scare the viewer. On the other hand, the irony and comedy of a "social media nerd" burglar, who had a key but decided to still break in, and who could have left out of the front door but smashed a window and left out of that, instead entertain the viewer and help alleviate the stress of the fear caused by the serious message behind the ad.