2. AD ANALYSIS 2
Ad Analysis
Ads are a great way for companies to reach their audience, whether it is promoting a new
product or to gain new consumers. There is a lot of thought that goes into making an ad. What
type of audience is the message directed to? What type of background should the ad have? Will
music be of any benefit in getting our message across? I had the opportunity to research an ad
done by Allstate and found some interesting tactics used by the company in order to promote
their cut-rate insurance plans. The Allstate “GPS Commercial: Mayhem” uses a celebrity
speaker, a simple message, and dramatization of bad events to associate their insurance plans
with the audience’s need for protection.
The most popular way to promote a product or brand is to employ a well-known celebrity
to endorse it. Most companies will use a celebrity to promote a product so that it is more
memorable to their target audience. Many of these celebrities have a large following, which
generally garners more attention and attracts more consumers (Celebrity Connect n.d.). Matt
Rosenau (2012) stated that ads that play on ethos also uses celebrity endorsements in order to
enforce their credibility. By using this tactic, the company can attract the following of the
celebrity speaker and enforce their credibility with the public. When writing an ad, it is important
that the company provide their audience with the correct information. Allstate’s ad utilized
celebrity Dean Winters as their speaker and it helped with their reach and credibility to their
audience.
Another good tactic is to keep the ad’s message short and to the point. Simple ideas are
the most powerful and enduring brands in the world (Adamson, 2006, p. Foreword xiii). If there
is too much information given to the audience all at once, the main message might fall upon deaf
ears. It is never a good idea to overload your audience with unnecessary information, especially
3. AD ANALYSIS 3
since many people get bored if the message goes for too long. Allen Adamson (2006) states that
the most powerful brands stand for something different and relevant, but more importantly it’s
made simple for us to understand (p. Foreword xii). Allstate kept its ad to a short thirty seconds
and showed within the allotted period how their insurance could give you some piece of mind in
the case of an accident. Allstate’s ad had no music and just used their celebrity speaker as the
focus of the ad. The celebrity, Dean Winters gets the driver into an accident within the first ten
seconds of the ad then proclaims that life happens and their cut-rate insurance can ensure
protection in the case of an accident. Simple gets the message across to an audience without
them losing interest.
Dramatization of bad events is a good way to get the audience to engage more
emotionally to an ad. Allstate’s “GPS Commercial: Mayhem” utilized this by showing Dean
Winters as a GPS who hasn’t been updated in a while and purposely causes the driver to crash
into several vehicles. The driver gets out of the vehicle, upset at what has just happened. The
driver was not prepared for an accident to happen. Well, Allstate can help their audience by
providing an insurance that will cover the costs and save you from unnecessary drama. A writer
by the name of Jeanne Preisler (2013) states that if she were to poll 20 people, she would
probably find 20 different ways in calming someone down in a state of trauma. That is because
what works for someone, might not work another (p.1). Allstate wants to make sure that their
insurance plan is an option for everyone to have in the case of an accident. Allstate plays on the
need of the people to be protected in order to promote their product and it definitely works well
in their favor.
The celebrity speaker, simplicity and the dramatization of the Allstate “GPS Commercial:
Mayhem” ad associates their product to their audience’s need for protection. The need for
4. AD ANALYSIS 4
protection among all consumers is very strong. If an ad can properly appeal to their audience’s
emotions and desperation, they will get a quick and favorable response to their ad. Allstate was
able to produce a short and simple ad that was able to play on their audience’s needs and that is
why their ad worked so well for them.
5. AD ANALYSIS 5
Reference
Adamson, A. (2006). BrandSimple [Google books]. Retrieved from
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=7mrgCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq
=why+do+ads+keep+it+simple%3F&ots=yfXHgZTMme&sig=tJLqC3-
P5cdpYMfq2DiTZPRwY4I#v=onepage&q=why%20do%20ads%20keep%20it%20simpl
e%3F&f=false
Allstate Insurance (2012, May 31). GPS Commercial: Allstate Mayhem [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4h0Qvc6_MfQ
Celebrities In Advertising (2016). Retrieved from https://www.celebrityconnected.net/celebrity-
endorsement-ads/
Preisler, J. (2013, May). Being Safe vs Feeling Safe [Blog Post]. Retrieved from
http://fosteringperspectives.org/fpv17n2/psychological-safety.html
Rosenau, M. (2012, March 12). Pathos, Logos and Ethos in Advertising [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BpTb2RjbMn4
