Here's a different way to sell insurance.
On New Year's Day, Allstate blitzed TV and Twitter with #mayhemsale, a one-day campaign that featured the insurer's antihero spokesman Mayhem selling items he procured from other people's houses.
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"I'm kind of a social media nerd," he explained. "I'm also kind of a burglar."
When he saw people posting updates that showed them watching football games from remote locations, he "broke in" and put their belongings up for sale:
I’m a social media savvy burglar. I’m selling everything these people own while they’re out. Buy now. #MayhemSalehttps://t.co/KJacMuncx4— Mayhem (@Mayhem) January 2, 2015
Allstate created more than half a dozen QVC-style ads featuring Mayhem (actor Dean Winters) who sold smoke detectors, TVs, weed trimmers and toasters, among other items. The company even set up a website for the effort, warning consumers of the dangers of oversharing on social media.
Let's hope that people got the message, because all sales are final.
The car is sold. The sale is over. Thank you all for shopping/oversharing #MayhemSale. Until next time…— Mayhem (@Mayhem) January 2, 2015