Please Don’t Destroy is ready for some good old-fashioned mayhem.
In a behind-the-scenes look at a new brand activation with Allstate that’s expected to air during Saturday Night Live, the show’s in-house comedy troupe (comprised of writers Ben Marshall, Martin Herlihy, and John Higgins) is seen filming what promises to be epic crossover.
The video shows Please Don’t Destroy having fun on set with the insurance company’s “Mayhem” character, who’s played by Dean Winters. The preview teases a “bunch of fun stunts,” which will apparently include the trio backing into parked cars over and over. (Movie magic: the clip show those cars being “pre-damaged” off-camera.)
“We’re so excited about this,” Higgins says. “Dean is so, so funny in this. The eighth-grader’s really funny in it. And uh, we’re okay.”
Allstate is one in a handful of cornerstone sponsors who have partnered with NBC for SNL’s milestone 50th season. At an Advertising Week New York panel in October, Mark Marshall, Chairman of Global Advertising & Partnerships at NBCUniversal, explained that, because they had so much interest from buyers, they were able to pick and choose brands that best aligned with SNL’s comedic style.
Dave Marsey, SVP of Media & Growth Marketing at Allstate, said that Winters’ Mayhem character “created the right environment and a construct so we wouldn’t be starting from scratch,” adding, “that’s what’s helped us as we take a big leap as a brand by being part of SNL 50.”
Please Don’t Destroy—who joined SNL at the start of Season 47 in 2021 and have contributed dozens of comedy shorts to the show—are no strangers to the world of spon-con. The comedy trio debuted a collab with Dunkin’ in June, followed by another promo in August. Additionally, Marshall (who’s set to guest star in Season 2 of Poker Face) appeared solo in an ad for Away luggage in July.
