Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett led the Allstate creative account for more than six decades, a relationship that birthed memorable taglines and campaigns such as Dennis Haysbert’s “You’re in good hands” and havoc-wreaking character Mayhem. It is unclear if the agency will continue to work with the insurance giant in any capacity following the appointment of Droga5. A spokesperson for Leo Burnett did not immediately return a request for comment.
This decision marks another win for Droga5, which also picked up the advertising account for Maserati this week. These wins come after Equinox, another Droga5 client, confirmed that it had temporarily halted payments to its agencies and vendors due to the financial impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on its business.
In recent years, Allstate has diversified its agency roster beyond Leo Burnett to include 72andSunny, even as it grows its own creative capabilities. Last year, the insurer began beefing up its in-house agency with the hire of David Hernandez from Ogilvy as its first chief creative officer. Elizabeth Brady, Allstate’s chief marketing officer who joined the company in 2018, came from Kohler, which has its own robust internal agency.
As recently as 2018, Allstate was still calling Leo Burnett its agency of record. However, last year, Brady said that the brand works with a lot of agencies on a project basis, and was no longer using the agency-of-record label to describe its relationships.
For example, Allstate’s recent work with Tina Fey and Mayhem, who is acted by Dean Winters, was created by the insurer’s internal agency and 72andSunny.
During the pandemic, Allstate has not been quiet. With many customers on lockdown and no longer driving the cars, the brand is one of many issuing refunds on auto insurance premiums. A recent spot starring Allstate CEO Tom Wilson from his home explained the new policy.
