Mayhem Makes for a Great Ad Campaign

Normally insurance ads do not catch my attention. As someone who doesn't pay for my own car insurance, they've always just been another commercial that stands between me and the TV show that I am watching. In the past, Allstate's commercials complete with their corny catch phrase "are you in good hands?", have been especially painful commercials to sit through.

However the new mayhem campaign that they have done has really caught my attention. The commercials feature a man  who calls himself "mayhem" and describes instances in which people get in various car accidents and need good car insurance.

Not only are the ads funny, they appeal to a very large audience. The pink SUV ad, which features a hit and run accident in a parking lot, is one that anyone can relate to. The one where mayhem plays a filthy rich executive  appeals especially to someone of a younger generation. Even the ad with the jogger made me laugh, and it is obviously aimed at male crowd.

Insurance commercials have never been interesting. They are usually just about companies promising the lowest prices and the best coverage. But Allstate has caught my attention. Catching the eye of college students who will soon be needing car insurance, is a very good thing for Allstate.

Mike's does Manly.

For years guys have had a hard time drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade. Due to its low alcohol content, it is generally viewed as a more "girly" beverage. With the new campaign Mike's has launched, it looks like they are trying to appeal to more men. The new ads feature a lemonade stand that is for adults. So far I've seen several ads in which two guys are selling Mike's at a house party, tailgate party, golf course, and a pool party. 

These two guys are using the fact that women enjoy Mike's to try to get men drink to Mike's. In one ad, the lemonade stand is at a pool party and the two guys are chatting in up with two women in bikinis. I'm not a guy but trying to imagine this ad through a man's eyes, I don't think that acting like a girl would necessarily attract them to me. 

I have to say though, Mike's has the right idea by advertising specifically to men. As the two lemonade sellers in the commercials admit, not many men have even ever tried Mike's Hard Lemonade. On the other hand some men are too macho to ever try a drink that is advertised as a "girly" drink.

Product Placement's Next Victim

As if we don't already see enough product placement within our favorite TV shows and movies, there is a new trend that exposes us to even more subtle advertisements. Music videos seem to be the latest victims to product placement. As someone who likes to keep up to date on all the latest music videos, I was disappointed to see that some of my favorite artists are giving in and adding products to their music videos. In Lady Gaga's video for her song "Telephone" I counted eight different products that made an appearance. 


3oh!3 is also one of the many artists that are catching on to this new trend. In their latest video for their song "Double Vision" the dating website "Plenty of Fish" was featured in the video. The popular dating website was also one of the many products featured in the Gaga video. Since most of these videos are targeted to a younger crowd, most likely between the ages of 15-25, I think it's unusual to be marketing online dating to this age group as most of us are not looking online for love.

Nonetheless, I feel that product placement is slowly taking over every aspect of our culture. When it comes to most things I am immune to it. But I do not appreciate that my favorite artists are selling out by putting sponsored products in their videos.