Over the past few years, Allstate has stuck to the effective mayhem commercials when the same guy goes around causing chaos to the people around him, but in this commercial Allstate took a different approach. When I first saw this commercial, I knew it was for an insurance company, but I didn't think it was an Allstate commercial since I was so used to seeing the mayhem commercials. This commercial brought out the message of how the world is a dangerous place, and yet we still continue to do the things we love, never worrying about the fear that can make our lives miserable. Then follows the Allstate logo saying that they also want good in the world.
It showcased many people taking different types of adventures, such as hiking through the woods, swimming in the oceans with sharks, and jumping off a cliff with a waterfall. We like the feeling of adventure since we like the feeling of escape. Escaping could bring many different feeling to people such as freedom, relaxation, or excitement, but these feelings are all pleasurable ones.
This beautifully crafted high concept ad was done in a way that makes it seem that we our the heroes of our own lives with a little help from Allstate. After seeing how we, as humans, don't let fear stop us from adventure, we get a feeling of invincibility and power, making us feel like we can do anything. It makes us feel inspired to start taking action now in order to truly live our lives, and all the dangers in life seem like nothing to us. That is what Allstate promises to do by helping us to overcome troubling obstacles to make us feel safe, which is a reptilian need we need to satisfy. We also start to get a sense of trust from Allstate since they state that they want good and happiness in the world like we do.
When I first saw this, I didn't notice the music since I was so focused on the message the commercial was trying to project, but when I watched it again, I found the music to be appropriate and effective. The music is very soft and faint at first, but as the commercial progresses the music becomes more prominent and stronger until it stops right before the little girl says, "Good." It's an uplifting, delicate, and happy piece that surprising becomes powerful once the beats being to be hit harder. Our hearts start to beat faster, since we are overcome with emotions, and we start to feel anxious about what's coming next until the music stops to highlight what we want to hear.
The word "good" itself is an example of ambiguity. When we first hear it, it goes along with what the little girl is narrating to finish her sentence of how we can't let fear stop us from making our lives good. That's one meaning of the word, but the second refers to Allstate itself. What exactly is good? Allstate itself. The fact that the music stopped right there helps the word to get stuck in our minds, and it's a thought we have in our mind. Then the Allstate logo shows up, and since that word is in our minds, we think that Allstate too is good since is wants to help us achieve this goal.
Overall, I thought this was an effective commercial because we forgot for a minute that the commercial is trying to sell us insurance, and instead, are given a beautiful and powerful message that many people connect to. Fear didn't stop us before, so why should it stop us now?
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