The Allstate Corporation

The Allstate Corporation is an American insurance company, headquartered in Northfield Township, Illinois, near Northbrook since 1967. Founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., it was spun off in 1993 but still partially owned by Sears, until it became completely an independent company in June 1995. The company also has personal lines insurance operations in Canada.

Allstate is a large corporation, and with 2018 revenues of $39.8 billion it ranked 79th in the 2019 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. Its long-running advertising campaign, in use since 1950, asks, "Are you in good hands?", and the recognizable logo portrays a suburban-style dwelling cradled protectively in a pair of giant human hands.

History

In 1925, Sears held a national contest to decide the name of a new brand of car tires. After over two million name submissions, "Allstate" was chosen. The trademark was adopted the next year. The tires' success in the catalog and retail stores prompted Sears Chairman General Robert E. Wood to praise the Allstate tire's contribution to Sears' retail store success.

The idea for Allstate Insurance Company came during a bridge game on a commuter train in 1930, when insurance broker Carl L. Odell proposed to Wood, his neighbor, the idea of selling auto insurance by direct mail. The idea appealed to Wood, and he passed the proposal along to the Sears board of directors, which approved it. ''Allstate Insurance Company'', named after Sears’ tire brand, went into business on April 17, 1931, offering auto insurance by direct mail and through the Sears catalog. This was in line with one of the objectives of a company to sell automobile insurance in the same manner as Sears sold its merchandise.

Lessing J. Rosenwald was Allstate's first board chairman, and Odell was named vice president and secretary.

In 1933, at the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago, Allstate's Richard E. Roskam sold insurance at a booth in the Sears pavilion. In 1934, Allstate opened its first permanent sales office in a Chicago Sears store.

In 1941, only about a quarter of US drivers had auto liability insurance. This led to the state of New York passing a law which established the financial responsibility of drivers for damage or injuries resulting from auto mishaps. That law inspired legislation in other states, and by the mid-1950s nearly every state had some sort of financial responsibility law on its books.

In 1949 the Allstate Headquarters Building was completed at 3245 W. Arthington Street in Chicago as a part of the Sears, Roebuck and Company Complex. The mid-rise building is currently vacant (as of 2013) and in danger of demolition. The building is noted for its early post-war mid-rise construction. This location was vacated when the company relocated in the post-war years.

The company's "You're in Good Hands with Allstate" slogan was created in 1950 by Allstate's general sales manager Davis W. Ellis. At the end of the decade, it was used in the company's first network television advertising campaign, which featured actor Ed Reimers.

Allstate added products throughout the 1950s, including fire insurance in 1954 and homeowners and life insurance in 1957. Allstate began selling insurance to Canadians in 1953. Allstate Insurance Company of Canada was incorporated in 1964. (In 1952 and 1953, Sears also sold an automobile called Allstate.)

In 1967, the company's home office was moved from Skokie to Northbrook, Illinois. Allstate continued to sell additional types of insurance to customers throughout the decade, including worker's compensation insurance in 1964, surety bonds in 1966, inland-marine coverage in 1967 and a business package policy in 1969.

The brand itself expanded in the 1950s and 1960s and could be found on a variety of products like fire extinguishers and motor scooters. In 1952, an Allstate car was produced, but it was a flop; it was pulled from stores by 1953. The Allstate brand was eventually limited to insurance, tires, and car batteries by the late 1960s before becoming insurance-only in the mid-1970s. In 1991, the company went public before becoming completely independent in 1995.

In 1984, Neighborhood Office Agent program was introduced to make agents more accessible to customers.

In 1985, Allstate began to move agents out of Sears stores and locate agents in neighborhood offices. In June 1993, 19.8% of Allstate became public through a stock offering. Allstate became completely independent in June 1995, when Sears spun off the remaining 80% stake in the company, distributing 350.5 million shares of Allstate stock to its stockholders.

In 1993, Allstate went public when Sears sold 19.8% of the company. At the time, it was the largest IPO to date.

In 1996, their website www.allstate.com was launched.

In 1999, Allstate unveiled a new business model that created a single contract for exclusive, independent agents selling Allstate insurance. It also created a network of call centers. That same year, it signed a 10-year contract with the village of Rosemont, Illinois to acquire naming rights and renovate the Rosemont Horizon.

In 1999, Allstate purchased the personal lines division of CNA Financial and subsequently renamed it to Encompass Insurance Company which is written by independent insurance agents, as opposed to the direct writing that constitutes the core part of its business.

In 2003, actor Dennis Haysbert became Allstate's spokesman, using the tagline "That’s Allstate’s stand."

In 2010, actor Dean Winters became a part of Allstate's campaign "Mayhem" “personifying the pitfalls, like collisions and storm damage, that can befall drivers”.

In May 2011, Allstate announced that it was purchasing Esurance and rate-comparison site Answer Financial for approximately $1 billion. At the time, Esurance was selling policies in 30 states and was in the midst of a five-year growth period that saw them double the number of policies in force. Allstate, for its part, was losing policy holders to the three major online policy retailers: Esurance, Progressive, and GEICO.

In 2012 Allstate Solutions Private Limited (also called Allstate India) was inaugurated in Bangalore which is a technology and operations centre to provides software development and business process outsourcing services to its US parent. Allstate's Bangalore operation is focused on the areas of business intelligence, analytics, testing and mobility.

In January 2017, Allstate acquired SquareTrade, a consumer electronics and appliance protection plan provider. It was said that the acquisition cost approximately $1.4 billion from a group of shareholders.

In 2018, Allstate collaborated with Red Cross to distribute 1,000 disaster kits statewide in Hawaii. In 2019, Allstate donated $75,000 to the Red Cross and again partnered with the organization to distribute over 2,900 disaster kits in California.

In July 2020, Allstate announced to be acquiring National General Insurance for $4 billion. National General has about 42,300 independent agents.

Corporate leadership

The people in this section are members of corporate leadership.

CEOs

Since its IPO in 1993:
*Thomas J. Wilson (2007–present)
* Edward Liddy (1999–2006)
*Jerry D. Choate (1995–1999)
*Wayne E. Hedien (1993–1994)

Current leadership

*Thomas J. Wilson - Chairman, CEO, President, The Allstate Corporation
*Steven E. Shebik - Vice Chairman, The Allstate Corporation and CEO, Allstate Life Insurance Company
*Brian Bohaty - Executive VP, Corporate Business Transformation
*Don Civgin - President, Allstate Service Businesses
*John O'Donnell - President, Allstate West Territory, Allstate Personal Lines
*John Dugenske - Executive VP, Chief Investment and Strategy Officer, The Allstate Corporation and President, Allstate Investments
*Mary Jane Fortin - President, Allstate Financial
*Suren Gupta - Executive VP, Allstate Technology & Strategic Ventures
*Guy Hill - Executive VP, Product Integration & Management
*Susan Lees - Executive VP, General Counsel, Secretary
*Jess Merten - Executive VP and Chief Risk Officer, Allstate Insurance Company
*Julie Parsons - Executive VP, Product Operations
*David Prendergast - President, Allstate East Territory
*Mario Rizzo - Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer, The Allstate Corporation
*Ken Rosen - Executive VP and Chief Claims Officer
*Glenn Shapiro - President, Allstate Personal Lines
*Steven P. Sorenson Fian - Executive VP, Allstate Brand Operations

Advertising

"Good hands"

Allstate's slogan "You're in good hands" was created in the 1950s by Allstate Insurance Company's sales executive, Davis W. Ellis, based on a similar phrase he used to reassure his wife about a doctor caring for their child. It has been the slogan ever since 1950. Allstate also refer to themselves as the "Good Hands People".

In the 1960s and 1970s, TV, print and radio advertising featured Allstate's spokesman, Ed Reimers. Reimers was often shown making the cupped-hand gesture. For 22 years, he remained the spokesman.

A study in 2000 by Northwestern University's Medill Graduate Department of Integrated Marketing Communications found that the Allstate slogan "You're in good hands" ranked as the most recognizable in America.

Logo

Allstate's original hands logo was designed by Theodore Conterio in the 1950s. The employees were told whoever could come up with the best logo would win $50. Theodore Conterio came up with the design based on the slogan, "You're in good hands," and won the $50 prize.

"Allstate's stand"

Beginning in 2003, as policy growth slowed, Allstate's television commercials used spokesman Dennis Haysbert. The ads were intended to carry the message that Allstate's service was superior to that from low-cost providers GEICO and Progressive. Haysbert appeared in more than 250 commercials between 2003 and 2016.

Mayhem

Mayhem was created by Leo Burnett Worldwide. Burnett pitched the character to Allstate as "Mr. Mayhem", comparing him to the character Mr. White from the 1992 film ''Reservoir Dogs'' played by Harvey Keitel.

Mayhem has been played by Dean Winters since the campaign was launched in April 2010. The character wears a black suit, white dress shirt, and black necktie and his face is usually bruised, scarred, or wearing a butterfly bandage.

The formula for almost every Mayhem commercial has been the same. To begin the commercial, Mayhem identifies the risk he is portraying. He gives context into the situation and hints at an impending disaster that he will cause, which then takes place. For instance, a 2015 ad features Mayhem playing a portable grill hastily loaded into a car before being fully extinguished, which leads to an explosion when the still-burning embers ignite an enormous bottle of lighter fluid. Once the disaster's end result is revealed, Mayhem warns that certain "cut-rate" policies lack coverage for the situation he has caused, advising the viewers to get their insurance policies through Allstate. Each commercial ends with Mayhem telling the viewers that by having Allstate, they will be "better protected from mayhem...like me." Damage to his clothing and injuries to his person carry over from one commercial to the next.

In some ads, Mayhem also has advised against going without roadside assistance. In separate advertisements, he described what could happen in the face of a catastrophe while driving; these consisted of having to stay in a creepy roadside motel overnight because one's car ran out of fuel, being forced to change a tire in a heavy downpour, being forced to stay at an awkward family gathering because one's car battery died, and potentially becoming a victim of crime due to a breakdown in the wrong neighborhood.

A series of ads in early 2018 featured Mayhem with a New Year's resolution to help keep people and property safe. He took the role of various pieces of safety equipment, such as a lightning rod mounted on a house's roof to protect it during storms or a flare placed to warn drivers of a roadside vehicle breakdown. However, less than a month into the new year, he broke his resolution and returned to his old habit of causing chaos and damage.

Allstate developed the campaign "Mayhem" and the character (Mayhem) in response to being ranked fourth in advertising spending behind GEICO, State Farm, and Progressive. Allstate had an existing campaign called "Our Stand" featuring Dennis Haysbert that targeted "older, more traditional customers", and the company sought to develop a campaign that would skew toward younger customers. Nina Abnee, executive vice president at Burnett, said "We wanted to kick Flo's ass." The campaign was first launched in mid-June 2010. The character was featured in TV and radio spots as well as on billboards and Internet banners. Some ads were adjusted to capture local details. By mid-2011, Allstate had won around 80 industry awards for the campaign.

There is a Hispanic version named La Mala Suerte (meaning Bad Luck) for the Spanish-speaking market portrayed by Alberto Mateo.

Recognition

''Advertising Age'' reported in February 2011 that Mayhem rose to third as most-recognized insurance advertising character, behind the GEICO gecko and Flo from Progressive Insurance. An online survey showed that the GEICO gecko and Flo were each tied to their respective companies over 90% of the time. For Mayhem, the ''Age'' said, "After the top two, the most-recognized ad description was Allstate, with 65% of consumers saying they knew the ad. When those same consumers were asked to associate it with a brand, 63% correctly matched Mayhem with Allstate. Overall, among the total sample, Mayhem clocked in with only 41% of respondents being able to link him to Allstate.

Social media

In January 2011, Allstate released ''The Lines'', a multi-episode TV drama web series starring actors Teresa Cesario, Kyle Sandgate-Blix, Jackson Schultz, Bridgette Pechman, Chase Maser, and Corey Doyle cast as High-School seniors. The series, filmed in the style of a television drama, depicts the cast in common situations facing teens with respect to driving (Texting while driving in particular). The series appears aimed at promoting interest and support in favor of responsible teen driving and road safety in general. Allstate and other large corporations are attracted to the rapid growth of social media for use in their advertising campaigns.

Organization

Allstate Corporation owns and operates 19 companies around the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and India.

Based in San Francisco, California:
* Esurance, Inc.

Based in Northbrook, Illinois:
* Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company
* Allstate Insurance Company
* Allstate Indemnity Company
* Allstate Life Insurance Company
* Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company
* Encompass Insurance Company

Based in Bridgewater, New Jersey:
* Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company
* Allstate New Jersey Property and Casualty Insurance Company

Based in Hauppauge, New York:
* Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York

Based in St. Petersburg, Florida:
* Castle Key Insurance Company
* Castle Key Indemnity Company

Based in Irving, Texas:
* Allstate County Mutual Insurance Company
* Allstate Texas Lloyd's

Based in Jacksonville, Florida:
* American Heritage Life Insurance Company

Based in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom:
*Allstate Northern Ireland (ANI)

Based in Markham, Ontario:
* Allstate Insurance Company of Canada

Based in Bangalore, India:
*Allstate Solutions Private Limited

Based in Pune, India:
*Allstate Solutions Private Limited

Sponsorship

Allstate Arena

Allstate holds naming rights to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, near the company's headquarters.

College football

Allstate sponsors branded field goal nets at over 67 colleges and universities. For each field goal and extra point kicked, Allstate donates into collegiate general scholarship funds. To date, those donations exceed $2.9 million. Allstate also sponsors branded nets during field goals and extra points at over 20 college bowl games, including the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the BCS National Championship Game.

Additionally, Allstate is a partner of the Southeastern Conference and its 20 sports, including football.

Sugar Bowl

Since 2007, Allstate has been the title sponsor of the Sugar Bowl, one of the four games that make up the Bowl Championship Series. The game is played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which is also the home of the New Orleans Saints. Allstate is also a sponsor of the New Orleans Saints.

The 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was played on January 9, 2012, and broadcast on ESPN.

Allstate Wrigleyville Classic

The Northwestern Wildcats and the Illinois Fighting Illini played a collegiate football game at Wrigley Field on November 20, 2010. It was the first football game at Wrigley Field since 1970 and the first collegiate football game at Wrigley Field since 1938 when DePaul University played its regular games at Wrigley. Allstate title sponsored this game.

Allstate AFCA Good Works Team

Allstate advertises through the American Football Coaches Association "Good Works Team" in which local Allstate agents surprise players with trophies in key Allstate marketing regions.

Soccer

In 2007, Allstate became a sponsor of the Mexico National Team, and in 2011 partnered with Major League Soccer and the United States Soccer Federation.

NASCAR

Allstate was a sponsor of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard from 2005-2009 – the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in late summer. Driver Kasey Kahne was featured in advertisements.

Products available

Allstate is the largest publicly traded property casualty insurance company in the US.

Products include

Personal umbrella, comprehensive personal liability, recreational vehicle, off-road vehicle, motor club, loan protection and flood protection.

Wealth transfer

Estate planning products, business succession planning products, fixed survivorship life, and variable survivorship life family protection insurance, term life, universal life, variable universal life, long-term care and supplemental health.

Financial products

Asset management and accumulation, life insurance and retirement

Environmental record

Allstate has a Sustainability Leadership Team composed of officers and senior staff from all areas of the company. The team focuses on sustainability efforts from a company-wide perspective — including environmental initiatives that embed “green” programs and processes throughout their operations.

Criticism

In July 2008, the American Association for Justice ranked Allstate No. 1 among nation's worst insurers. This ranking was given because: “While Allstate publicly touts its ‘good hands’ approach, it has instead privately instructed its agents to employ a ‘boxing gloves’ strategy against its policyholders,” said American Association for Justice CEO Jon Haber. Allstate criticized the report, with a spokesman noting that "The personal injury lawyers behind this report provide no support for their statements other than decade old recycled allegations that have been shown to be without merit in courts of law."

In 2009, Allstate successfully fought to obtain Federal government TARP fund eligibility only to decline it once they obtained eligibility.

Auto insurance claims

An investigative report in February 2007 by CNN found that major car insurance companies, like Allstate, are increasingly fighting auto insurance claims from those who incurred injuries by their insured members.In some cases, Allstate proposed settlement amounts as small as $50, asking claimants to "take it or leave it". The investigative report found that insurance companies often make it so expensive and time-consuming to go to court to get full settlement amounts, that it would not be worth the victims time. The claims handled in the matter were very minor collision type losses that did not result in any ($0) damage to the car, and therefore was the insurance company protecting its assets and the premium paying public money, by keeping rates as low as possible. In 2010 Allstate commanded 18% of the auto insurance market in the United States.

Homeowners claims

The PBS television program ''Now'', in conjunction with ''Bloomberg Markets'' magazine, did an exposé regarding Allstate and other major insurers' homeowners insurance policies.

Catastrophe exposure management

Allstate has stated intentions of reducing its exposure in hurricane-prone Florida. In November 2006, the company did not renew 120,000 policies that were expiring at that time. Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet passed a 90-day emergency order to temporarily prevent insurance companies from not renewing policies.

On February 20, 2007, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty clarified the order, stating that insurance companies can nonrenew policies if they satisfy certain conditions, including filing new, lower rates with the state and give customers 100 days’ notice.

''From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves''

''From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves'' is a non-fiction work on the company written by David Berardinelli, Michael Freeman, and Aaron DeShaw with a foreword by Eugene R. Anderson. The book relates profit-boosting strategies that consulting firm McKinsey & Company presented to Allstate to maximize profits and diminish the amount of money sent to clients who put in a claim. McKinsey specializes in redesigning product delivery systems for Fortune 100 companies (including controversial clients such as Enron) to maximize profits. McKinsey's recommendation to Allstate, according to Berardinelli, was to low-ball claims so that desperate customers in dire straits would be more likely to accept a settlement offer while Allstate continued to make a profit and collect interest on the insurance payment. Allstate would offer its "good hands" in the way of a low-ball claim and, if the customer did not accept, to get out "boxing gloves." According to a 2006 review in ''Business Week'' magazine, Allstate responded to Berardinelli's allegations by claiming that Berardinelli's allegations were "unfounded and unproven." Legal decisions on the issues outlined in the book have led to varied outcomes in court. According to the ''Business Week'' article, "Courts and regulators in a number of states, including New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, have forced Allstate to halt or change its practice of handing out a controversial 'Do I Need an Attorney?' form to people involved in accidents." On the other hand, the article also states that seven court rulings had rejected attacks on the practice. While many of the cost-reduction strategies McKinsey recommended at Allstate remain in place, some were ended by legal and regulatory challenges.

Use of Colossus

Many criticisms leveled against Allstate (and other insurers), including Barardinelli's book, involved the use of a software program called "Colossus" to process claims. In 2010, Allstate paid a $10 million fine to settle a lawsuit brought by 41 states concerning inconsistencies in the manner in which Colossus was used. It also agreed to standardize its use of the software. However, “it is important to note that we found no systemic underpayment of bodily injury claims,” New York Insurance Superintendent James J. Wrynn said in a press release.

See also

* SEC Community Service Team
*Laureus Sport for Good Award
* Allstate Arena
* List of United States insurance companies
* Allstate Northern Ireland

References

External links

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Sears Holdings
Insurance companies of the United States
Life insurance companies of the United States
Insurance companies based in Illinois
Companies based in Cook County, Illinois
Financial services companies established in 1931
American companies established in 1931
1931 establishments in Illinois
Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Auto insurance in the United States
Corporate spin-offs
1993 initial public offerings
Property insurance companies