We interrupt the Ohio State-Bama college football playoff game to bring you Mayhem Sale, pop-up ecommerce at its finest. Items sold right out of Matt and Shannon’s home… while they’re in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.
But don’t worry… Matt and Shannon’s possessions weren’t really sold online by Mayhem, the fictitious Allstate spokesman. But moments after the first Mayhem Sale spot ran New Year’s night on ESPN during the Sugar Bowl, it appeared Allstate succeeded to break the internet.
Here’s a look at that first spot:
From the comfort of my couch, I used my iPad to check out the Mayhem Sale site. But, alas, it crashed when I clicked one of the ginormous “Buy It Now” buttons.
However, one tweeter claimed to have been able to make a purchase:
Here’s the proof for all those non-believers out there about the Mayhem Sale! #MayhemSale pic.twitter.com/nNirczJu68
— Alex Tender (@Lunaman156) January 2, 2015
But to the at-home viewer, Allstate’s Mayhem Sale was part entertainment, part DRTV, and all fun.
Although some people may have been upset that the campaign, well, wasn’t real…
Been in my cart since 11:08. I wasted hours of my life for these lies?! Whyyyy?!? #MayhemSale pic.twitter.com/xOjwyMT9If
— Amy Finnegan (@rxamylee) January 2, 2015
And that made some of us laugh…
My favorite thing about this are the people tweeting @Mayhem asking for order, logic and rules…for the #mayhemsale #missingthepoint
— Stephanie B. (@RiverCityGal) January 2, 2015
In fact, some took to Twitter to complain the highly-entertaining Ohio State-Alabama game (won 42-35 by Ohio State) got in the way of the Mayhem Sale ads.
Can’t believe I’m still awake, watching a football game I don’t care about…but I’m so entertained by the #MayhemSale !
— Theresa Ceniccola (@tceniccola) January 2, 2015
Really tired of this football game getting in the way of the #mayhemsale …..
— Melissa (@30plussome) January 2, 2015
What did I love about Mayhem Sale? Let’s start with the social media message: Don’t post that you’re on vacation, because your house will get broken into (although if you have homeowner’s insurance…). Then there’s the crude yet sophisticated ecommerce site, which I felt gave a better user experience than Amazon.com… until it crashed… multiple…. times. Which is a reminder to all you omnichannel retailers – make sure your site can handle Cyber Monday (or Mayhem Sale) traffic!
Mayhem Sale was brilliant. It was engaging. It kept people tuned in to a game that was… well, the game was tight, not like the Rose Bowl. Although some on Twitter thought Mayhem Sale was a big winner like Marcus Mariota, and others thought it failed in the end like Jameis Winston.
And congratulations to Leo Burnett and welikesmall on executing the Mayhem Sale campaign.
Here’s my Storify of how marketers responded to Allstate’s Mayhem Sale campaign: