Mayhem & Genius: Allstate’s Digital Campaign Dominates College Bowl
Last Thursday, the Internet blew up during the Alabama-Ohio State Sugar Bowl game. Sponsor Allstate aired a series of ads about Matt and Shannon, an over-sharing couple who announced their out-of-town weekend plans via social media. Allstate’s Mayhem spokesperson, actor Dean Winters, reported that the couples’ home had been burglarized. Online buzz commenced.
The campaigned featured a website, mayhemsale.com, where folks could buy their stuff. All manner of stuff, including a car for $200.
Genius.
With over 18 million hits, the site crashed. More than a few times. But seriously, who cares? While the technical execution may have been less than stellar, it got people talking. Clicking. Buying. Sharing. It was a great marketing success, supported by social media, including video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E12EmE-UmGE
Mayhem’s Twitter followers increased by 24K during the game, and total Twitter impressions exceeded 40 million.
We loved it because it was educational (yo, don’t post your vacation plans online), hilarious (the crude, infomercial feel of the website) and controversial. What did you think?
If you enjoyed this post, read more by Sara.
Sara Fraser – VP Content Strategy
