Allstate Ad Essay

Words: 1057
Pages: 5

Student Name Mr. Hoyle English 211 Mm/dd/yyyy
 


Name 1 
 


Emotional Appeal Advertising In the recent series of ads from Allstate insurance, Dean Winters, an actor notorious for

playing dangerous roles in movies and TV series, plays the a version of “mayhem.” Allstate is notorious for their commercials showing accidents involving multiple vehicles, but with this new series of commercials they choose a fresh approach. Although he’s dressed like a man, and sports a bandage over his black eye, Dean Winters portrays a “typical teenage girl” as he drives through a mall parking lot and receives a text from his “best friend forever” that leaves him “emotionally compromised.” Winters, driving a pink car, hits another parked car in the

Hoyle English 211 Mm/dd/yyyy


Name 3 
 


compromise” it elicits, as the cause of this parking lot fender bender. Most adults know better than to text and drive, but many parents are rightfully concerned that their teenage driver might not be so safety-conscious. From the same study: teen drivers are four times more likely than adults to get into car accidents that are related to cell phone usage. Allstate chose a “teenage girl” to be the “mayhem” because of this increased likelihood. They tap into a parent’s concern versus a teenager’s concern for an adult for two reasons: parents provide insurance for their children, and because there is more of an impact this way. Parents are not only concerned about their teenage driver text messaging and driving, but also about the possibility of an accident and what coverage they have for their family. By showing the worst-case scenario of a teenage driver’s experience, Allstate stirs up worry for one’s children. Allstate is known to end their commercials with the famous question “Are you in good hands?” which leaves viewers to worry that, with their current insurance provider, they might not be. With their new “mayhem” commercials, Allstate further expands this question, leaving viewers even more concerned when Winters says, “And if you don’t have the right insurance coverage, you could be paying for this yourself.” They take the worry that was focused on