Marketers Discuss Success Of Allstate's "Mayhem" Ad Campaign

Allstate initially created its popular “Mayhem” campaign for TV and videos, but was later able to successfully incorporate it into various social channels, including Facebook and Twitter. The insurer’s success with the campaign was the focus of a presentation titled, “Mayhem, Social Media and the Allstate Sugar Bowl: Breaking through the Clutter,” on Day 1 of the '15 Intersport Brand Engagement Summit. Leo Burnett Exec VP David Brot and Allstate VP/Integrated Marketing Communications Pamela Hollander laid out the rationale behind the campaign, which emphasizes the unavoidable nature of unpleasant surprises.

“Mayhem uses humor, both verbal and physical, to tap into life’s uncertainties without fear-mongering,” Hollander said. “Mayhem is there to create doubt and have you question if you are truly protected.” The concept has been the subject of numerous TV commercials, and even spawned a campaign directed at Allstate’s Hispanic consumers titled Envia Mala Suerte (Send Bad Luck).