Innholdsfortegnelse for February 1, 2016 i Adweek

Adweek|February 1, 2016

The ROFL Bowl

From teary-eyed dads to weighty PSAs to a now-infamous dead kid, last year’s Super Bowl ads struck a pretty somber tone. Judging by the early buzz around this year’s spots, however, Sunday’s game is shaping up to be a much more upbeat affair. Brands are enlisting the help of celebrities sure to tickle America’s funny bone, like Kevin Hart (Hyundai), Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen (Bud Light), Alec Baldwin (Amazon) and Key & Peele (Squarespace). You can expect things to get a little weird, too, thanks to Kia’s Christopher Walken-starring “Walken Closet,” the unlikely pairing of Jeff Goldblum and Lil Wayne for Apartments.com and, of course, Steven Tyler’s appearance for the always-quirky Skittles.…

1 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

SHOULD E-COMMERCE PLAY THE TV GAME?

Amazon, Apartments.com and online lender SoFi all announced their first Super Bowl ad buys last week, joining returning advertisers Esurance and website makers Wix and Squarespace. The moves shed light on an old industry debate: Is it smart to burn $5 million on a single TV spot instead of aggressively targeting Google and Bing users based on what they’re searching for at that moment? The question is “completely valid,” acknowledged Chris Paul, Squarespace vp of media and acquisitions, before pointing to the ever-increasing use of tablets and smartphones during TV viewing. “We’ve turned a digitally native analytics team toward our TV efforts and found that the second-screen approach can be real and valuable,” he said. A million viewers visited Squarespace’s microsite while its ad aired during last year’s game. Meanwhile,…

1 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

The Art of The Ambush

Like other advertisers, Volvo last year said no thanks to plunking down more than $4 million for a 30-second Super Bowl spot. But it didn’t sit on the sidelines. Rather, the automaker crashed the game via Twitter, unleashing “The Greatest Interception Ever,” a campaign that encouraged fans to tweet the hashtag #VolvoContest and enter a friend to win a Volvo XC60 during the airing of rival automakers’ spots. Created by Grey New York, the effort went viral, generating 55,000 tweets using the hashtag and scoring 114,000 mentions. Over the course of the game, Volvo trended globally on social media, while the promotion yielded a 70.7 percent year-over-year increase in XC60 sales in February 2015, Volvo said. The cost for all that? Not one media dollar, according to Grey. As the…

4 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Hoping For a Halo Effect

With the large, and usually record-setting, audience that tunes into the Super Bowl, the network fortunate enough to air it has a prime opportunity to showcase one of its top shows in the lead-out slot. However, despite the larger-than-usual audiences that tune in right after the game, few actually stick around in the subsequent weeks. In fact, the last three shows to get that plum spot saw slight audience decline from their pre-Super Bowl episode.…

1 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Content Plan

Stephen Colbert’s postgame Late Show represents only one piece of CBS’ 13-plus hours of Super Bowl Sunday programming, as the network looks to keep audiences glued to the screen throughout the day. CBS will air seven hours of pregame content starting at 11 a.m., leading up to a kick-off show at 6 p.m. and the game itself at 6:30. After Colbert comes local news, followed by The Late Late Show with James Corden, which ends the day’s programming. “There’s always a lot of pressure associated with the Super Bowl, but I think we’re ready for it,” says Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports and executive producer of Super Bowl 50 coverage. Last year, NBC’s Super Bowl telecast was the most-watched TV program ever, with 114.4 million viewers and a 49.7…

2 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

The Wilson Football

THE SEAL Among the 25 steps it takes to make a regulation football is the stamping of this seal. Wilson has furnished the NFL with its footballs since 1941. THE LEATHER Tanned and given a pebbled finish, football hides come from steers raised in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. In general, one cow is enough for 10 footballs. THE LACES Originally, they enclosed an inflated pig’s bladder (hence the term “pigskin”). Today, the laces mainly help the quarterback get a grip on the ball. Feeling pressured Americans never thought about the official air pressure of footballs (it’s 12.5-13.5 psi) until the 2015 AFC championship game, when allegations of underinflated footballs fell on Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady. The scandal known as “Deflategate” is still under appeal. On the Sunday night of the…

3 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Siltanen & Partners

Specs Who (L. to r.) Partner and co-creative director Joe Hemp; CEO and CCO Rob Siltanen; and partner and president Tim Murphy What Full-service ad agency Where El Segundo, Calif. Two years after helping launch Apple’s 1997 “Here’s to the Crazy Ones” manifesto at TBWA\Chiat\ Day, Rob Siltanen founded Siltanen & Partners under the belief that his agency could do advertising better than anyone else. That motto has propelled the 50-person shop to create unforgettable work—including “Go Run Mr. Quiggly,” the most memorable Super Bowl spot from 2012, per Nielsen, for client Skechers. Over time, the spot featuring a French bulldog in running shoes helped increase Skechers’ stock price fivefold. “I’ve always been about putting the brands first and figuring out how to make them healthy, successful and distinctive in…

1 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

1995 Budweiser Frogs

FACT The campaign ran until 2000 when the frogs were replaced by lizards. On Jan. 29, 1995, during Super Bowl XXIX, defunct St. Louis-based D’Arcy Masisus Benton & Bowles introduced three animatronic frogs croaking “Bud-wei-ser.” Directed by Gore Verbinski, the 30-second spot was noticeably without Budweiser’s famous Clydesdales—the horses weren’t resonating with young viewers at the time, and the brewer needed a campaign that would connect with the next generation. The Budweiser frogs did that, and more. “Frogs” was so successful that a study released the following year found that children were more likely to recognize the Budweiser frogs than Smokey the Bear. The spot went on to be spoofed on The Simpsons and even landed in the Clio Hall of Fame.…

1 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Inside Taco Bell’s Playbook

‘Even in our highly fragmented media world, great storytelling remains the best way to break through.’Marisa Thalberg, CMO, Taco Bell Bio Hired by Taco Bell as chief engagement officer last May, Marisa Thalberg was promoted to CMO of the fast-food chain less than a month ago. Previously, she spent eight years overseeing digital and content marketing at Estée Lauder. STANDOUT SPOTS From a talking Chihuahua to seniors chowing down on “fourthmeal,” a sampling of the company’s best-known ads and teasers Taco Bell has created plenty of pregame buzz around its Super Bowl spot without revealing very much at all. The Yum! Brands fast-food chain teased its first appearance since 2013 with a cheeky Jan. 7 press release. While much of the text was comically redacted, we do know that a…

4 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Super Bowl Spots Lighten Up

What with all the bad news involving leading brands—from Volkswagen’s diesel-emissions scandal and Chipotle’s food-safety issues to FanDuel and DraftKings’ insider-trading blowup—it’s little wonder Americans have grown more cynical about marketing. Meanwhile, audiences continue to splinter, clients are asking their agencies to do more with less, and the price of a 30-second spot has hit the stratosphere (again). It all means that the stakes for Super Bowl-bound brands have never been higher. BBDO global CCO David Lubars said: “Either you’re not noticed, or you’re noticed for the wrong things. Going under the radar is a waste of $5 million.” Here, top creatives predict themes we’re likely to see as football’s biggest event celebrates its golden anniversary. SKIP THE SERMONIZING Consensus is that the tone this year will be lighter. “We’re…

3 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

OUT OF THE GAME

As the cost of Super Bowl ads continues to rise—rising 76 percent over the last decade, according to Kantar Media—more brands are looking for creative ways to score the audience without the price tag. SOCIAL MEDIA SWEEPSTAKES On a crowded night for marketing messages, Esurance got viewers’ attention with a sweepstakes via Twitter—passing what it saved from not advertising in the game to a lucky winner. FAKE SPOTS Controversial marketers PETA and Ashley Madison made headlines by pretending their ads were too racy and therefore banned from the game. REGIONAL AD BUY Among brands that employed the strategy last year were BuzzFeed, The Verge and Newcastle Brown Ale. The spots were also made available online.…

1 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Rob Schwartz

Specs Current gig CEO of TBWA\Chiat\Day New York Previous gig Global creative president, TBWA Worldwide Twitter: @Schwartzie14 Age 50 Will the Super Bowl always be advertising’s crown jewel? This is the last stand of nonfragmented media moments when we have the world watching. Awards shows are done. Between the Oscars and Grammys, there’s a little bit [of influence], but the Super Bowl remains the biggest in terms of scale. Yet, of the 50-some spots that will run during the Super Bowl, we will only end up talking about three to five of them. How far ahead of time does your team begin working on Super Bowl campaigns? If the game is January 28th, then the planning [for next year’s campaign] starts on the 29th. The first step is postmortem, and…

3 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

50 YEARS OF THE GAME

During the first Super Bowl a half-century ago, Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi threw a fit when the second-half kickoff had to be done over. The reason? NBC held off returning to the game until after it aired a commercial for Winston cigarettes. It was an embarrassing moment but also a harbinger of things to come, as the game would become the single most important event in advertising. Today, marketers are writing checks north of $5 million for 30 seconds of airtime. The game continues to command ever loftier rates because no other event brings so many Americans together. (NBC’s airing of last year’s matchup drew an average audience of 114.4 million viewers, making it the most watched telecast in U.S. history.) As the Super Bowl is a window…

1 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Print Magazines Work: We Guarantee It

How confident are magazine publishers that print has a significant role in multi-platform brand campaigns? They’re now guaranteeing that advertising in print magazines will increase an advertiser’s brand sales and provide a positive ROI. Recently, MPA—The Association of Magazine Media instituted the Print Magazine Sales Guarantee, the first time in media that an industry is doing this. We sat down with MPA’s new president and CEO Linda Thomas Brooks to get the lowdown behind the bold move. This is a daring initiative for a media industry? Why did you do it? There’s a lot of noise in the advertising and media space and we wanted to do something bold that would get noticed. Over the years, we’ve been able to show that magazine audiences are growing and that print is…

3 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Wieden + Kennedy

Wieden + Kennedy knows Super Bowl ads. In the agency’s 34-year history, it has worked with 15 clients to create Big Game-worthy spots. On Sunday, W+K will air its 50th Super Bowl commercial—though it’s hard to determine which ad comes in at No. 50 as the agency is producing for both Bud Light and Turbo Tax. Although W+K boasts eight locations around the globe, it’s most famous for its original office in Portland, Ore., which houses 600 employees and about 30 dogs. But the agency’s size doesn’t detract from the intimate and welcoming vibe of the space. “Dan [Wieden] and David [Kennedy] really envisioned W+K as a physical space first and a company second,” said W+K Portland ecd Mark Fitzloff. “A place where people could come do the best work…

2 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

THE NEXT OREO MOMENT

While Twitter will likely remain marketers’ go-to platform to build Super Bowl social buzz, Snapchat, Facebook, Google and Instagram are all hustling this year to grab a greater share of ad dollars. In the past two years, marketers have devoted serious effort trying to replicate Oreo’s “Dunk in the Dark” 2013 viral hit, but this year could be a game changer—and they may find their Oreo moment elsewhere. For one, Snapchat is a hot commodity on Madison Avenue, while Google and Facebook have more robust ad offerings. “If you want more bang for your buck, Twitter is a safe place—but if you want to be highlighted for doing something novel and unique, Snapchat’s really your opportunity to stand out,” said Meghan McCormick, social strategy director at Deutsch New York. Here’s…

3 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

BRANDSTAND

When the 68,500 ticket holders for Super Bowl 50 flood into Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, they’ll be moving about in one of the most thoroughly branded environments in the sporting world. In addition to the Levi’s name on the outside of the structure (a deal worth a cool $220 million), the stadium is stuffed with sponsored amenities—from the Pepsi Fan Deck to the Safeway tailgate area. In all, the San Francisco 49ers inked 16 decade-long deals worth a cumulative half-billion dollars with sponsors “who wanted to establish brand equity inside of our game-day experience,” according to the team’s chief revenue officer Ethan Casson. And when that game day happens to be the Super Bowl, all of these brands can expect “a significant uptick in exposure,” said 49ers senior manager of…

1 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Six Ways Brands Can Draft Modern Fans

Specs Claim to fame Mike Sundet, svp and director of sports and entertainment at Momentum Worldwide, is a sports junkie, four-time Ironman and music enthusiast. Base St. Louis Twitter @msundet On the eve of Super Bowl 50, the biggest global sports and media event of the year, I have good news and bad news. First the good news: Our recent global We Know Sports Fans study of 2,000-plus sports fans across the U.K., U.S., Japan, Spain and Brazil reveals 86 percent would welcome more sponsorship in sports experiences. Now the bad: 80 percent said that sponsors never consider fans when activating, and only 17 percent believe brands are interested in them. While fans are willing to start a dialogue, brands aren’t doing enough to truly connect by building memorable platforms…

4 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Colbert’s Big Catch

CBS should have no problem drawing at least 110 million viewers to its Super Bowl 50 broadcast on Feb. 7, but the network has even grander ambitions for what could turn out to be a record-breaking audience. For the first time, the network has given over its coveted post-Super Bowl slot not to one of its prime-time series, but to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the biggest spotlight ever for a late-night broadcast. It’s a huge vote of confidence in—and an even bigger opportunity for—Colbert, who has accomplished nearly everything that CBS hoped for since he left Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, on which he satirized conservative hosts like Bill O’Reilly for nine years, to take over for David Letterman, who retired last May. Since launching in September, The…

10 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

AMY SCHUMER, SINGING SHEEP AND KUNG FU PANDA: 10 SUPER BOWL SPOTS TO WATCH

Once again, the anticipation around ads in the Super Bowl rivals that of the game itself—and brands are looking to capitalize on that excitement by rolling out their spots, or at least teasers, early. Already, several commercials—including Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen for Bud Light, Marilyn Monroe for Snickers and Wix’s tie-in with the forthcoming film Kung Fu Panda 3—have people talking. Despite the record $5 million price tag, brands are lining up to be part of the event for the first time—among them, Amazon, LG Electronics and Apartments.com. Advertisers like Snickers and Kia that had big hits last year are betting that lightning will strike a second time. And as always, celebrities will have a starring role. Aside from Schumer and Rogen, this year’s lineup includes Alec Baldwin and…

5 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Picture Perfect

LG Ultra Short Throw LED Home Theater Projector $1,400 Until recently, anyone looking to ditch their big-screen TV for a high-tech projector required plenty of space—not to mention a complicated ceiling mount—for proper installation. But that’s not the case anymore thanks to a new generation of projectors like LG’s recently released “Ultra Short Throw” model. When placed just 15 inches away from a wall or screen, the pint-size device delivers an impressive 100 inches of HD 1080p quality picture. With built-in Wi-Fi and LG’s Smart TV software, it can stream directly from services like Netflix and Amazon, while its HDMI hookup lets you connect to your gaming console or laptop. And did we mention it makes a great viewing companion for the Super Bowl? Buy it: bestbuy.com RECLINE Kick Back…

2 min

Adweek|February 1, 2016

Tracy Wolfson

Specs Age 40 Claim to fame Lead reporter for the NFL on CBS and NCAA basketball, as well as Super Bowl 50 sideline reporter Base New York Twitter @tracywolfson What’s the first information you consume in the morning? I wait until I get my three boys off to school before I consume any information. But the first thing I consume is definitely the sports pages. Then I look on Twitter, see what’s trending, and depending on the game I’m focusing on that week, I start searching for those teams and save those articles for further reading. How does social media play into your sideline reporting? It’s extremely, extremely useful in what I do. I follow all the beat reporters from every team that I cover, whether they’re in the NFL…

3 min