Mayhem is coming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFhM945dXok
For years Allstate had straight forward commercials.  They would talk about the insurance rates, and Allstate's benefits programs for safe drivers.  They were informative, but not very entertaining.  However, all that has changed.

Recently Allstate has changed their commercials dramatically.  No longer are they informational, but instead they entertain.  Recently Allstate has launched commercials featuring a man who is referred to as "Mayhem."  In these commercials Mayhem is doing many different things that all end with the same result: crashing or damaging a car.  In the specific commercial I watched, Mayhem was a satellite dish that fell off the roof and landed on a car.

The message in these commercials is simple, accidents happen all the time and you need to be covered by Allstate to avoid paying for these accidents yourself.  These commercials are entertaining and funny.  Yet what I find interesting is that with these new "Mayhem" commercials Allstate has shifted their target demographic.

It seems that with their new commercials Allstate is targeting a younger demographic, probably around 18-24 year olds.  This shift in demographic reflects the fact that Allstate's commercials are no longer informational, but instead humorous.

I find the shift in demographic to be an interesting strategy.  Allstate is taking a chance by targeting younger people who are not yet ready to buy insurance, but by targeting them now Allstate hopes that when they are ready to buy insurance they buy Allstate.

I find this to be a very good commercial.  The use of humor helps Allstate stick out in the mind of the consumer, against other insurance ads which tend to be more mundane.  Overall, I think Allstate's sales will go up as a result of this new ad campaign.