A new campaign from France from Allianz Insurance introduces the character of "Mr. Unexpected," a guy who plays havoc with your life by causing accidents big and small to happen.

In the first spot, by Ogilvy Paris, he first manages to spill a guy's ice cream on the ground. Then, while he's off buying a replacement, he takes the handbrake off in his smart convertible car, causing it to roll back towards a cliff and crash.

Another spot sees him causing problems in a family home, from mustard spillage to messing with a robot toy and finally crashing a weather vane through a glass roof.

The campaign reminds us of Allstate ads in the U.S, in which accidental happenings are personified as "Mayhem." However, this Mr. Unexpected's laconic, offbeat style and melancholic smile are unmistakably French -- looks he might have wandered in from an arthouse movie.

On June 7, Allianz will also launch an engagement campaign on Twitter inviting users to share their own unexpected encounters and outcomes (the mother-in-law arriving unexpectedly; a meeting called at the last minute; a missed haircut; a delayed train, etc.). and to tweet their story at hashtag #CaitPasPrevu. Allianz will offer some of the tweeters a solution to their dilemma.