Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Fall 2015
Imagine if any and all the bad things that could happen to a person were personified by a
sly, dangerous man. That man is Mayhem and hes the backbone of one of the most iconic
advertisements of the insurance industry, coming in third place just after Progressives Flo and
Geicos Gecko (Pollack, 2011). He represents every possible material fear that could face
someone with a car or a house. Allstates famous Mayhem ad campaign utilizes different
persuasion tactics successfully. Ethos, logos, folk theory, narrative evidence, Yale and Rational-
Functional approaches, as well as other persuasion tactics will be discussed and analyzed. These
persuasion methods help make the Mayhem campaign successful. The advertisements present
a worldview of chaos versus order, which deserves praise for its effectiveness, but is shaky as an
implication.
According to the company website, Allstate Insurance first offered insurance services
after Sears saw insurance as a way to broaden its customer base (Allstate, 2015). It financed its
first insurance company on April 17 , 1931. One month later, a tool and die maker from Aurora,
th
Illinois became the first policyholder for his 1930 Studebaker. In 1934, the company opened its
first sales location in a Chicago Sears store, but didnt hire any full-time claim adjustors until
1937. As time goes on, Allstate.com said it started to become a trend setting in the industry. In
1939, the website shared that their company started to change the insurance industry by offering
auto rates based on age, mileage, and use of car. As business was growing, more insurance
agents were joining the Allstate team. Women were even trained to sell as men left for the
military. By the end of the 1940s, Allstate had over 708,763 policyholders and more than 2800
employees. During the 1950s, the famous, Youre in Good Hands with Allstate became their
slogan, and it remains reassuring to their policyholders to this day. The decade brought
partnerships with nonprofit organizations and high school driver's education programs. The
60s brought even more change, according to the company website. Allstate started offering
loans, refinancing opportunities and mutual funds. The website goes on to share that a research
and planning center was created to help figure out the markets and customer expectations which
helps Allstate continue to grow year after year. In 1995, Sears sold its shares of Allstate to
shareholders, making Allstate a publicly traded company. In 2000, customers could purchase
insurance on the internet, along with over the phone or in person. During this decade, Allstate
Life becomes Allstate Financial to depict all types of services it provide. Allstate continues to
The past progress has paved the road for Allstate. Leo Burnett, an advertising agency,
helped Allstate create a character to reach out to its target audience. This character was named
Mayhem and his job was to create just that: mayhem or chaos in everyones everyday lives. This
particular campaign has earned Allstate eighty different industry awards (Johnson, 2011).
Different scenarios have been added to the campaign since 2011 such as one about dryer lint,
large espressos, texting teenage girls, and blind spots (Nudd, 2013).
The first advertisement features Dean Winters standing over a dyer while pulling an
enormous amount of lint out of the filter. Winters, also known as the Mayhem man, has pieces
of lint on his black business suit, and he is clearly struggling to remove the massive pieces of lint
from the filter. In the advertisement he says, I'm dryer lint. I might smell like spring breeze, but
I will burn your house down. Find out what else I am at Allstates Mayhem. Winters attempts
to display that if excess lint is left in the filter, the highly flammable substance may easily catch
everywhere, and to ensure that all the viewers have good coverage and protection, such as
Allstate.
The second advertisement is an example of an unfortunately sad and realistic scenario.
Similar to the campaigns other advertisements, Dean Winters is featured. He is driving a sleek
black sedan in a downtown area of a big city. He narrates the beginning by saying, Im a filthy
rich executive. I hear the market is down a million points. Out of surprise, he simply spills,
his coffee on his lap, and is forced to slam on the break. He mentions that whoever hit him may
not be able to cover the costs of his $90,000 car. Then he advisers the viewers to get Allstate in
order to be better protected from Mayhem, like himself. This advertisement carries the valuable
message that insurance may be the only thing preventing one from financial catastrophe when
The next spot opens with a pink Dodge Durango driving through a movie theatre parking
lot. Mayhem is texting while driving and says that he is a teenage girl. He then describes how
his BFF just kissed a boy that Mayhem likes. He then slams his pink Durango into a parked car
completely destroying the parked cars fender. Mayhem then pulls away using the excuse that he
doesnt care about the other car because of the drama that is going on between friends. Mayhem
then says that if you have another insurance company other than Allstate, you could be stuck
paying the cost of the repair. The advertisement ends with a spokesperson asking their trademark
The last advertisement shows a middle-aged woman driving in her jeep with Mayhem on
the outside of the car. He says that he is the blind spot and his job is to hide big things. He
then leans into the mirror to tell the woman that it is ok to change lanes when there is a big
pickup truck right in her blind spot. She hits the truck while changing lanes and spins out on the
highway. Mayhem then says that with cut-rate insurance you could be paying the cost of the
accident yourself. He then hops down from that car and puts himself on another cars blind spot.
The advertisement ends with their spokesperson asking their trademark question Are you in
Looking at what make the advertisements persuasive and memorable to its viewers, ethos
builds credibility for each of the spots. As described by Frymier and Nadler, ethos is defined as
the nature of the credibility of the source (2013). Mayhem builds the credibility by the language
he speaks. He speaks on a level that is easily understood by the general public and does not use
many large words to confused the viewer. The language is important to build credibility because
if the viewers do not understand what is being said, then the whole advertisement is worthless.
The viewer, who ultimately is the consumer, will not be able to listen and understand why
Logos, which is the nature of the argument and structure of the message (Frymier &
Nadler, 2013), is clear in the advertisements. All the advertisements have the same structure
within them. Each start off saying what scenario Mayhem has created within the advertisement
and the negative effects of that certain scenario. For example, in the dryer link commercial, Im
dryer lint. I smell like a spring breeze, but Ill burn your house down. The argument is
described, then the negative effect of burning ones house down is addressed with the solution of
getting Allstate at the end. The conversational tone that Mayhem creates helps lead the viewer
through the advertisement to understand the problem and lead to the solution.
Folk Theory is based around experience and knowledge through personal development
(Frymier & Nadler, 2013). Allstate uses folk theory to their advantage because of the different
scenarios in which Mayhem is present. He is inserted into everyday situations which people
experience but may not necessarily give that much thought. Insurance is not the first thing on
everyones mind because people normally cannot foresee damages happening. However, when
Mayhem is present, it triggers a thought in the viewers mind that something in the advertisement
can actually happen to them in real life. Allstate creates a sense of worry by depicting peoples
Pathos, otherwise known as the emotional appeals of the message (Frymier & Nadler,
2013), is present in this campaign through the character, Mayhem. Particularly in the Pink SUV
Teenager Driver advertisement, he does a great job explaining the emotions. My bff Becky
texts me saying she just kissed Johnny. Well, thats a problem, because I like Johnny. Instantly
there is hostility in the tone of his voice which sets the mood for the whole advertisement.
Now, Im emotionally compromising...OMG. Beckys not even hot! Swerving over the
parking lot and hitting a car reinforces the unstable emotional state Mayhem is in. The
advertisement does a good job persuading the audience to get better insurance with Allstate with
Among the most powerful appeals are emotionally driven. The Mayhem advertisements
use humor as well as fear. According to Frymier and Nadler, an emotional appeal relies on
emotion to be persuasive (2013). Humor is present, but it is not over bearing. We laugh at
mayhems personification as a man, at the irony involved in such gruesome accidents. But
humor is present when the type of mayhem is characterized as something clearly different from
the actor. When he refers to himself as a teenage girl upset about a boy she likes kissing her
friend. It is humorous because he is clearly not a teenage girl. Fear tends to be much more
powerful, and is used more effectively but these advertisements than humor is. A moderate fear
appeal, rather than using too much or too little, is usually most effective (Frymier & Nadler,
2013). The fears presented in the advertisements are all real things that could happen to anybody.
Fires from dryer lint, car accidents, etc. These things can and do happen to people every day, so
that in some ways intensifies the fear than would be present if it talked about freak occurrences.
But the damage from such events can be minimized with the right car insurance, the ads reassure
us. That is what makes fear most effective, when a clear way to mitigate that fear and risks
involved, is presented.
A peripheral cue is one that involves little elaboration, or thinking. According to Frymier
and Nadler, peripheral cues help a viewer decide quickly on a message without putting much
thought into it (2013). A drawback of this, however, is that the impressions they leave last a
short period of time. One of the peripheral cues related to persuasion is that physical
attractiveness. Peripheral cues are those that the viewer does not think rationally about and are
on a short term basis. The actor who portrays Mayhem in the advertisements is conventionally
handsome, wearing a suit and having a bit of stubble. His name, Mayhem, adds danger, and
even though the viewer can rationally see that Mayhem is to be avoided, there is that element of
danger that is attractive or arousing. Another peripheral cue is that of rewards and punishments.
any way to pay for it, and they implicitly offer the reward of peace of mind if viewers do
The Yale approach is a classic theory of persuasion that is displayed in the Allstate
commercials. The Yale approach theorized that persuasion is made up of four components:
attention, comprehension, acceptance, and retention (Frymier & Nadler, 2013). The Allstate
commercials in the Mayhem campaign begin with a usual scenario that almost anyone can relate
to. These situations such as removing dryer lint, spilling espresso, and driving with a blind spot.
Additionally, because of the common nature of these occurrences, it is easy for the audience to
understand the likelihood of it happening again. Towards the middle of each advertisement,
Dean Winters narrates how this can happen to anyone, which forces the audience to answer the
question, Are you in good hands? The Yale approach is present as the audience is forced not
only comprehend and understand the message but to also accept and retain when thinking about
product or service. According to Woodward and Denton, Rational motives include comfort,
Car insurance is a practical need that protects cars, homes, people, in the event of an emergency
and serves as a safety net. In many cases it is even a legal requirement. So the need for
insurance is deeply held norm in modern society that is becoming more and more pervasive. It is
service that fairly new, but has recently become a necessity for modern life.
These tactics share a common goal of misleading the audiences attention to something other
than the central issue (Frymier & Nadler, 2013). Although many propaganda tactics are visible
in Allstates Mayhem advertisements, three are easily depicted; this or nothing, plain folk, and
name-calling. First, this or nothing is visible as a technique. It calls for the audience to take
immediate action before it is too late. For example, in one advertisement Dean Winters portrays
himself as dryer lint, and suggests to the audience to switch to Allstate before he burns your
house down. Additionally, plain folk is a technique used as the commercials are targeted towards
the average home and car owner. The targeted audience is unspecific, as it calls for immediate
action from those with insurance. Lastly, name calling is present as Dean Winters suggests to
drop, cut rate insurance. The phrase offers a negative label without justification or proof in the
insurance which helps the overall campaign succeed. The advertisements make no mention of
price or the benefit of Allstate Insurance compared to other insurance companies, or specifically
why its insurance is better. This is refreshing for the viewer because they are not bombarded
with information in a short time period. The campaign effectively presents a thin line between
chaos and order with different emotional appeals such as fear and humor. The world is a
frightening place, the advertisements imply, and the only thing that could protect the viewer is
by the everyday person. He is constantly at the back door and Allstate provides the most
complete answer to him based on the persuasion tactics included in the advertisements. Overall,
the campaign is very successful which can be enforced with the industry awards that it has
received. It creates a memorable personality to attach to tragedy that retains an element of the
humorous.
Since 1931, Allstate insurance has been making its impact on both the insurance industry
and the world of advertising. Allstate set the standard by offering auto rates based on age,
mileage and use of car, which has allowed the company to dominate the market. Through use of
many persuasion techniques, the advertisements featured in Allstates Mayhem campaign are
some of the most popular and easily recognizable insurance advertisements in history. The use
of ethos, logos, folk theory and narrative evidence as well as the Yale and rational-functional
approach contribute to a successful and memorable advertising campaign. The persuasive nature
of this campaign illustrates to its audience that Allstate can and will protect them in this chaotic
and catastrophic world. Through the proper use of persuasion, all are aware that Youre in
Allstate: Making History For Over 80 Years. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from
https://www.allstate.com/about/history-timeline.aspx
Frymier, Ann Bainbridge., and Marjorie Keeshan Nadler. "Chapter 4." Persuasion: Integrating
Theory, Research, and Practice. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Pub., 2013. 67. Print.
Johnson, Steve. (2011, June 01). Inside look at new Allstate Mayhem man. Chicago Tribune.
Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-06-
01/entertainment/ct-live-0602-allstate-mayhem-ads-20110601_1_allstate-s-mayhem-ads-
leo-burnett
Nudd, T. (2013, January 22). The Spot: 'Mayhem' Forever. Retrieved December 9, 2015, from
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/spot-mayhem-forever-146681
Pollack, Judenn. (2011, February 21). In the Insurance Ad War, Consumers Ask Whos Who?
Advertising Age. Retrieved December 9, 2015, from
http://adage.com/article/news/insurance-ad-war-consumers/148994/
Woodward, Gary C. Denton, Robert E. Jr. (2009) Persuasion and Influence in American Life (6th
ed.) Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.