Advertising is a very important aspect of the marketing industry.  Advertisements help portray products and ideas using methods of persuasion, comedy, and imagery. Having a common figure helps the audience recognize the commercial and product. In the Allstate commercials the "Mayhem" man helps sell the insurance company by playing different roles of people that represent characters of different situations. These commercials include a teenage girl driving recklessly through a parking lot, a "filthy rich executive," a transfer-student quarterback lost in the stadium, and a jogger along the side of the road. All of these characters are portrayed to be liable to occur at any given place at any given time. And because they are so different, the commercial can be aimed at a wide range of people that can each relate to one of the characters of "mayhem."


One of the main advertising techniques used in these commercial advertisements are the use of a common figure, which emphasizes ubiquity. Using this "mayhem man," the audience is able to associate the character with the product, or in this case the insurance company. The use of multiple scenarios helps different members of the audience relate to each of the different characters. The comedic nature of the commercials provides a means for "catching-your-eye." With this technique, viewers are more likely to stay tuned in to watch, and thus remember.