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This past Sunday was a pretty big commercial day (and I guess there was some football in there, too) and I noticed quite a few brands teamed up to try and catch viewers’ attention. Co-branding works a lot of times as you can tell by the popularity of Haagen-Dazs’ Bailey’s Irish Cream ice cream or Betty Crocker’s brownie mix with Hershey’s chocolate syrup. But this Super Bowl there were a few interesting combination commercials that were unexpected, which may or may not be a good thing.
This year, GE worked with Budweiser to show how the turbines GE produces provide the power to make the beer and to keep it cold. It’s an interesting combination; not one you’d expect from either company. Another odd combination included Old Spice teaming up with both Charmin and Bounce. While you do see the Bounce Dyer Bar and Charmin Freshmates, Old Spice takes over the commercials saying “It’s so powerful it sells itself in other peoples’ commercials.” Interesting concepts but in all honesty, the Old Spice commercials scare me a little.
In my opinion, the best show of teamwork goes to OK Go and Chevy’s new Sonic, who produced a music video that was referenced in their Super Bowl commercial. In the 60 second spot, Chevy intrigues you with shots of “Sonic’s first music video” with OK Go along with “Sonic’s first skydive” and “Sonic’s first bungee”. I was most intrigued by the music video and checked out OK Go’s new video for their song “Needing/Getting” and have been obsessed ever since. The video took four days of filming, stunt driving lessons and over 1,100 custom-made instruments to make and it was all worth it. I’m intrigued to see how successful this was for Chevy’s newest product, but with over 9.5 million views on YouTube, it definitely gets the name out there.
Be sure to check out the Chevy Super Bowl ad and OK Go’s “Needing/Getting” video (below)!
A few months ago, Wildfire conducted an ROI survey of over 700 marketers across different industries all around the world to see how social media is used in their businesses and why. The below infographic shows how social media is used to grow brand awareness, increase communication with consumers, and how marketers use this information to determine the impact of social media on their business.
If you haven’t heard, AMC’s Mad Men will be returning in March. And with that triumphant and highly anticipated return will come many marketing opportunities for media outlets and consumer brands. Before it’s extended hiatus, the series had sparked a new wave of midcentury interior design trends and a specialty clothing line at a national outfitter. These retro fads grew to a crescendo just as the series dropped off the TV screen and out of fans and consumers lives. But never fear, Newsweek is aiming to get audiences revved up for the new season. The news magazine will celebrate the season 5 premiere with a Mad Men-inspired issue.
According to Tina Brown, editor of Newsweek and The Daily Beast, the magazine’s structure and design will pay homage to 1960s America but its content will remain culturally relevant, including a cover story on the series and a feature on the role of advertising in America’s culture. In addition, Newsweek has issued a call to clients and creative agencies for ’60s-inspired creative that has the look and feel of a vintage print ad but contains modern products and messages.
We’ll have to wait ’til March to see the final print product and for the season premiere of the show but until then we can dream about the output. What type of products or creative would you like to see in the Mad Men-inspired issue of <i.Newsweek? Which agencies or clients do you think will or should contribute to the issue?
I receive an iPad 2 as an early Christmas present this year. A lovely little gadget, my husband thought it would be an ideal present for a frequent traveler like myself. I would no longer need to dedicate space in my carry-on for the bulky novels, library books, and trashy magazines that accompany (and amuse) me on long plane rides. But what my husband intended as a considerate, thoughtful gift slowly began to put a wedge between us. The iPad 2 became a catch all for my “to do” and shopping lists. It tagged along with us on our weekly trips to Target and Whole Foods. Then it cozied up on the couch with us for our weekly episode of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” It sat with me in the kitchen while I cooked and it even came to bed with us one night. (I fell asleep playing “Plants Vs. Zombies.”) My lack of attention to daily chatter and life in general was first a frustration, then an annoyance, then an issue of jealousy for my husband. We turned the iPad 2 off and we talked. The iPad doesn’t come out to play as much now.
This year, as I’ve listened to folks from all walks of life, I’ve picked up on a theme about technology and relationships. Many of my girlfriends feel they can’t connect with their husbands because their husbands are so busy connecting with their phones. I’ve also heard rumors of banning cell phones and texting from the family dinner table. Focus group participants talk about feeling too connected to technology but not connected enough emotionally. It seems people struggle to use technology to build or even make better those intimate moments of human connection. So when Microsoft’s “Keep Shopping” commercial popped up on a DVR’d episode of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” I paid attention. The commercial features a dad shopping for grocery’s using Microsoft OneNote (an organizational tool that comes with Office 2010) to buy groceries. He’s accessing the program on his phone, his kids are accessing it from their home PC. After he picks up the usual eggs, milk, etc. more curious items pop up on the list like coconuts, candy, and soda. Dad realizes his kids are masterminding the list. Laughter ensues and then this messages flashes on the screen,”It’s a great time to be a family.”
Here, Microsoft is using warm fuzzies and funnies to illustrate how technology can connect families and even enhance their relationship through increased communication. But is this a reality or a marketing ploy? Turns out, Microsoft conducted research to add some proof to the pudding. According to a survey conducted through Impulse Research, 64% of surveyed parents age 22-40 said technology brings their families closer. It’s even more important to younger parents (age 22-30) with 74% reporting the same.
Microsoft takes its lead from this report and is now committed to a whole “how to” campaign for connecting families through technology. To look at their bullet list of how to connect over the holidays and get advice on”…how to take advantage of all technology has to offer and help ensure screens don’t become a barrier to connecting,” click here. To tell me what you think about Microsoft’s overall campaign, the “Keep Shopping” commercial, or whether you think technology is a tool for distraction or relationship enhancement, head to the comments.
Data visualization has been a hot topic lately, so when I stumbled across this great tongue-in-cheek infographic by Grip Limited about the roles within an advertising agency I couldn’t help but share. This post goes out to all of our agency partners, W5 wouldn’t be the same without you.
This year at the Association of National Advertisers convention, Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook decided to be bold with her sales pitch. Her message: Facebook shouldn’t be the only thing marketers do online or in marketing. It should just be part of everything they do. In the AdAge article, Sandberg’s Quietly Audacious Pitch to ANA: Put a Little Facebook in Everything You Do, they quote her saying, “For Facebook, not only is overall sharing doubling every year via “Zuckerberg’s Law,” but the number of daily fan page “likes” also has doubled in the past year to 100 million daily.” Though she has a point and proved it with case studies showing the success of American Express and Huggies, I don’t really agree with her that it should be the strategy for everyone.
There are some brands that should definitely be on Facebook. I have liked pages for companies like my favorite brands of ice cream and shoes. However, my main goal is to get discounts or enter contests. I’m all about free shoes, not that I ever win. Because of this, I understand Ms. Sandberg’s point of view. However, there are some types of companies I don’t want to “like” on Facebook. I don’t want to “like” life insurance companies, pharmaceutical makers, or financial planners on Facebook. There are certain industries that should remain serious and in my opinion, having a page on Facebook cheapens the value of their brand. I also want at least some of my life private and “liking” something personal such as who I go to about my 401K to pop up on all of my friends’ newfeeds. I also think that the number of likes a company has is not necessarily a good measure of success. I know many people who have “liked” a brand on Facebook in order to write on their wall about how much they hate them. In this case, being on Facebook is hurting your brand by making everyone aware of all of the problems people have had.
I completely agree that Facebook is a great way to highlight a brand when it is appropriate. I’ve seen many successful campaigns use Facebook as a platform but it should not be part of a strategy for every brand. In my opinion, Ms. Sandberg’s statements should be taken into consideration, but keep in mind that she is the COO of Facebook and it was a sales pitch.
Read the full AdAge artile here.
