Allstate Ad Essay Essay Example

Allstate Ad Essay Essay Example Allstate Ad Essay Essay Allstate Ad Essay Essay 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 â€Å"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 â€Å"typical teenage girl† as he drives through a mall parking lot and receives a text from his â€Å"best friend forever† that leaves him â€Å"emotionally compromised. † Winters, driving a pink car, hits another parked car in the parking lot and then drives away, without dealing with the â€Å"mayhem† he’s just created. Finally, Allstate’s closing statement, â€Å"If you don’t have the right insurance coverage, you could be paying for this yourself. Are you in good hands? † abruptly ends the commercial. The ad is funny and witty at first, but once it’s over viewers are left questioning their own car insurance coverage- not just for themselves, but also for their children. With this ad, Allstate is specifically targeting parents by tapping into their desire for the safety of their children. Parents, the ad suggests, are ultimately responsible for their children’s mistakes, even when they are not present to make sure their children behave responsibly. Although it’s not at first apparent because the ad is obviously hilarious, Allstate uses subtle hints to get this message across. Allstate’s choice of actor, their concept of a teenage girl receiving a text message, and their closing question all tap into parents’ desire to keep their children safe. Student Name Mr. Hoyle English 211 Mm/dd/yyyy? Name 2 ? ? Dean Winters has starred in T. V. series such as â€Å"Oz† and â€Å"Rescue Me,† playing a more serious and dangerous character in both. These shows tend to be popular with an adult crowd, which makes it easier for parents to realize who he is and to make a connection between his role as â€Å"mayhem† and other similar roles he has played. In choosing Winters for the role of teenage â€Å"mayhem,† Allstate already has the viewer subconsciously worrying about how dangerous their own teenager’s â€Å"mayhem† really is. This then triggers the need to protect their children. The tone of any piece of writing or commercial sets up the viewer for what to expect from the piece, and Winters’ effortless monotone does just that. If this were not such a witty commercial, his deep and serious voice would send chills up anyone’s backalthough he’s talking in the dialect of a teenage girl, his voice remains his own. Were he to talk instead in a higher-pitched â€Å"teenage girl† voice, Allstate would not be able to get their message acrossthe idea that mayhem is unpredictable and dangerous. Although what he says is funny, it is how he says it that triggers a parent’s worry for their children. With the increasing numbers of cell phone usage related accidents, many companies are pushing to stop text messaging while driving. When Allstate shows â€Å"mayhem,† aka Dean Winters, text messaging and hitting another vehicle as a result, it again taps into a parent’s desire for their children’s safety. Recent safe driving laws have prohibited the use of cell phones while driving. However statistics show increasing numbers in cell phone usage related accidents. A recent study by a local attorney’s office states that, each year, 21% of fatal car accidents involving teenagers between 16 and 19 years old are the result of cell phone usage. This fact surely influenced Allstate to use text messaging, and the resulting state of â€Å"emotional Student Name Mr. 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 nto car accidents that are related to cell phone usage. Allstate chose a â€Å"teenage girl† to be the â€Å"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 â€Å"Are you in good hands? † which leaves viewers to worry that, with their current insurance provider, they might not be. With their new â€Å"mayhem† commercials, Allstate further expands this question, leaving viewers even more concerned when Winters says, â€Å"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 your children’s safety and direct it to worrying about whether you have adequate car insurance coverage. As a result, viewers are left questioning their coverage for their new and inexperienced teenage drivers. Allstate’s choice of actor, their â€Å"teenage† driver’s accident as a result of text messaging, and their final question to viewers all stir- up a parent’s desire to keep their children safe. One might wonder, when looking back years from now, if this would have contributed to the Student Name Mr. Hoyle English 211 Mm/dd/yyyy? Name 4 ? ? recession. Is it possible that everyone is now so overcome with the emotions involved in obtaining the perfect house or perfect car that we have not stopped to think what we are getting ourselves into? Insurance may not be a bank breaker, but if every advertiser is able to play on our fundamental desires to protect our children, we must question just how susceptible we are to buying every product advertised this way.