In case you couldn’t tell the Super Bowl is an absolute marketing frenzy. Millions of advertising dollars are flying around, and brands are doing everything they can to connect with one of the largest captive television audiences known to man. The craziness kicks into full gear in the week leading up to the Big Game. Radio Row is jam-packed with celebrity endorsers and spokespeople pitching and plugging their brand(s). As the week winds down the excitement found on Radio Row dissipates and talk turns to Super Bowl commercials, which in years past have overshadowed the game itself. Luckily for us neither this year’s ads nor the game disappointed.
Just like in the game, we saw some giants return to advertising’s biggest stage and looked on as some up and coming stars raised their marketing profiles. Beyonce teamed up with Vizio for a Super Bowl spot, adding to her currents roster of partners that include Loreal, Pepsi and General Mills. LeBron James and Dwight Howard teamed up in McDonald’s “Nothing But Net” re-boot, which originally featured NBA legends Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. Boost Mobile did some re-booting of its own, bringing back the 1985 Bears for the “Boost Mobile Shuffle”, a spinoff on the iconic “Super Bowl Shuffle”. The spot featured NFL and marketing legend, Mike Ditka, and also gave some of his old teammates a chance to shine.
Family man Drew Brees celebrates the Super Bowl LXIV win with his family.
The night’s most underrated spot had to have been Kia’s first-ever Super Bowl ad, which featured a group of recognizable toys going on a wild road trip. The spot’s primary audience was clearly parents, but through some inspired casting decisions the ad was able to resonate with a broad range of consumers, even those without kids. Muno, the giant, red cyclops, is one of the main characters on the popular kids show Yo Gabba Gabba!, so he’s instantly recognizable to parents currently raising young children. But he also represents a subtle shout out to college age consumers, who, because the show often features indie bands, have become Yo Gabba Gabba! fans.
Our pleasant surprise award for Super Bowl Commercials goes to Doritos, who’s “House Rules” spot made us chuckle and wonder who the cute tot was showing his mom’s frisky suitor that he was boss. Doritos laid out big bucks for several Super Bowl spots and this one caught our eye, kudos for the character filled spot.
Social Media has become a key component of any marketing campaign. This might not have been true as recently as a year ago, but you can barely find a campaign that doesn’t, at the very least, feature a branded-Facebook page. The great thing about having branded Facebook pages is that they allow consumers to interact in an open forum with not only the brand, but with each other as well. These consumers can then spread the brand message through their own networks.
Check out the Facebook pages from the following campaigns that are activating in and around the Super Bowl:
Boost Mobile We praised them in yesterday’s blog for using a celebrity spokesperson to drum up interest in their “Boost Mobile Shuffle” Super Bowl ad, and today we’re praising them for their Facebook page. The brand has been updating the page frequently throughout Super Bowl week and providing consumers with exclusive content, articles and links as well.
Pepsi The soda giant is all over Miami this week. They eschewed traditional Super Bowl advertising this year, and are promoting their social entrepreneurship campaign, the Pepsi Refresh Project, using social media. Their Facebook page is truly something to behold, it allows consumers to submit their own ideas and vote on their favorite projects.
American Association of Orthodontists Social media is a wonderfully effective tool for non-profits, it’s a cost-efficient way of getting their message out. So we couldn’t be happier to see a non-profit embracing social media as a marketing tool. AAO hired Emmitt Smith as a spokesperson during this year’s Super Bowl and they were great about updating their Facebook page with Emmitt content-great to see them use a celeb and support the program so well through their social media outlets.
DiGiorno Their “You Bettis Believe” campaign is in full swing and they’ve been working hard to reach customers through their Facebook page. The “Bettis Believe” program has its own mini-pages where consumers can watch Jerome Bettis’ DiGiorno commercials and also sign up for the brand’s Draft Party Sweepstakes where one lucky person will get to win a trip to Las Vegas for a Draft Party with Jerome Bettis.
Volkswagen VW is going to debut their new commercial featuring Tracy Morgan during this year’s Super Bowl. The spot will be used to launch their new campaign which is bringing back the classic “punch buggy” game that bruised so many arms in our youth. To support the campaign they’ve “found” the creator of the punch buggy game and have him tweeting from @sluggypatterson. Volkswagen is also posting videos of Sluggy on their Facebook page. We’d be surprised if VW didn’t have a mini-page featuring Tracy and Sluggy up and running as soon as the commercial airs.
Check out the Facebook pages of some other brands (Miller Lite, AXE) who are doing work during the Super Bowl and while you’re there be sure to stop by the First Call Fan Page and tell us you think!
It’s Super Bowl Week, which means that hundreds of brands are touting new products and launching campaigns. With so many companies crowding the marketplace what can a brand do to stand out and get noticed? Here are five tips to separate your brand from the pack during Super Bowl Week:
1. Enlist a Celebrity… We know what you’re thinking, “Clearly, First Call is going to tell me to hire a celeb, that’s their business!” But the truth is, we live the celeb endorser space 24/7 and we see the direct benefits of having a celebrity tied to your campaign on a daily basis. Take Boost Mobile for example, they got a lot of love on ESPN Radio and on ESPN2 during Mike and Mike In The Morning on Thursday because they had NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl Champion and current San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary talking Super Bowl and Boost’s soon-to-be-aired Super Bowl commercial. ESPN Radio and ESPN2 re-aired his segment several times during the show because Singletary was such a good interview, which means bonus exposure and mentions for Boost.
2. Know Your Milestones… What do we mean by this? Well, you can’t just go and hire any celeb as your endorser, they have to be relevant. So who’s relevant at the Super Bowl? Well, this year it’s being played in Miami so the marketablilty of former Dolphins greats like Dan Marino and Don Shula goes up. Also, you should know that the upcoming NFL Hall of Fame class is named the day before the Super Bowl so any H.O.F. shoo-ins will make great spokespeople in and around Super Bowl Week– they’re already in town and the media wants to talk to them. This year’s sure bets for the H.O.F. are Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith. For those of you in Miami I’m sure you’ve Emmitt around town, he’s been doing PR and media for the National Pork Board and the American Association of Orthodontists. Super Bowl XLV is being played in Dallas so expect tons of deals with Cowboys legends next year. The 2011 Super Bowl will also mark the 20th Anniversary of one of the greatest Super Bowl games ever played, the (in)famous “Wide Right” game won by the New York Giants. We wouldn’t be surprised to see former quarterback Phil Simms and other Giants players popping up throughout Super Bowl Week next year.
3.Scheduling… It’s great to have a relevant celebrity endorser, but if they’re doing media and PR for multiple brands it can take away from your brand’s message. Some celebs are able to book endless interviews for multiple brands (even on back-to-back days), but brands need to be careful so they do not dilute messaging. If your spokesperson is plugging multiple brands, securing the first interview of the week can be a safe route to ensure your brand gets coverage and is not mistaken for another program.
4. Marketing for a Cause… One thing we’ve noticed during Super Bowl Week is how many brands have aligned themselves with causes or some kind of social responsibility initiative. It’s been truly amazing to see the brand messaging take a backseat to the cause messaging. One of the social responsibility campaigns that stood out to us was Miller High Life’s “Little Guys” campaign. Miller is giving small business owners around the country an opportunity to have their businesses and stories featured in ads during this year’s game.
5. Spread The Word… We’ve been saying this for a while now, but let us say it again, social media is a great marketing tool. It’s cheap, it’s quick and it’s highly effective. So be sure to enlist a celeb who has significant social media assets. This year Motorola reaped the benefits of Chad Ochocinco’s Twitter-addiction. Ochocinco and fellow NFL players Chris Cooley, Darnell Dockett and Ray Rice weren’t even playing in the year’s Super Bowl and yet they were the stars of Media Day. The four of them made up the OchoCinco News Network (OCNN), a Twitter news network. They were given press credentials and reported from Media Day, interviewing Saints and Colts players, posting stories to the OCNN website (which was powered by Motorola’s new phone Motoblur) and constantly updating their Twitter accounts. The program was a huge success and generated tremendous buzz, so look for OCNN correspondents at other upcoming events (think NBA All-Star game).
Feel free to share your program’s success stories with us here. And keep these tips in mind when planning programs for Super Bowl XLV.
Normally a Super Bowl advertising giant, Pepsi has made a decision to forego a coveted TV spot during this weekend’s big game and, instead, enhance its philanthropic efforts with a new campaign. Launched yesterday, The Pepsi Refresh Project isan ongoing cause-marketing campaign that will donate $20 million dollars to worthy individuals, non-profits, and business aiming to have a positive impact on the community.
The campaign will fund projects in six categories including Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education. Each month, up to 1,000 participants will be able to upload submissions to the program’s website and visitors will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite, with project grants ranging from $5,000 to $250,000.
Joining in on Pepsi’s Refresh Project are some of Hollywood’s most well-known names, as well as a few NFL greats:
Demi Moore (@mrskutscher) - already campaigning hard for her role in January’s Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge,Moore is aiming to earn a $250,000 grant for GEMS - Girls Educational & Mentoring Services. The grant would provide support to outreach workers who help women who have experienced sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking integrate back into society as healthy, safe, productive individuals.
Kevin Bacon - in friendly competition with Moore, the recent Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild winner is campaigning to give thousands of people a SixDegrees.org $20 Good Card - a gift card for charity - which they can use to support their favorite cause.
Drew Brees (@drewbrees) - this New Orleans Saints quarterback is hoping for a big win during this month’s NFLRefresh Project. Brees is campaigning for a grant to help in the fight against cancer by renovating rooms at The American Cancer Society Patrick F. Taylor Lodge - a New Orleans based establishment that provides housing accommodations and lots of hope for cancer patients and caregivers.
Mark Sanchez (@Mark_Sanchez)- reaching out to his 88,000 followers on twitter, the New York Jets quarterback is rallying to bring awareness to early signs of juvenile diabetes. If Sanchez comes out on top, his grant will go towards the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to create educational programs that will help lead to early detection and prompt treatments.
DeMarcus Ware - theDallas Cowboys linebacker is bringing his protective instincts off the football field with his campaign to provide a safe environment for abused, abandoned and neglected children by supporting Jonathan’s Place. This “home-style” emergency shelter can help these children by providing them with better medical care, counseling, clothing, food and shelter.
This month’s winners are scheduled to be announced on Monday, March 1st, 2010 and with the program’s charitable focus, the Refresh Project has gained interest from media and celebs alike.
Take a look at Lee Hawkins and Suzanne Vranica’s article “McDonald’s Bets LeBron James Won’t Be a Tiger” in today’s Wall Street Journal. It gives a nice look at McDonald’s recent signing of LeBron as a brand ambassador. The relationship will officially kick off during a pregame Super Bowl spot.
LeBron James and McDonald’s new partnership will kick off with a pregame Super Bowl spot.
The article featured thoughts from First Call as well (below). Enjoy…
David Schwab, vice president and managing director of Octagon First Call, a celebrity-marketing arm of Interpublic, says that refusing major corporations a greater say in morals clauses “has become a deal breaker.” He adds that the James deal is “good for the business.”
As Hollywood honors the best in music at the Grammy Awards this weekend, some of the most marketable attendees will be utilizing various forms of social media, including Twitter and Facebook, to provide fans with an inside look at what is happening backstage when the cameras aren’t rolling. Nominees that routinely tweet and post updates on their Facebook page reach a huge, diverse audience, and those with the greatest social media presence are especially appealing to companies, as celebrities lend credibility to a product when they mention it or use it themselves. Some of the more established stars with a significant following on Twitter include:
Katy Perry (@katyperry): The Best Female Pop Vocal Performance nominee was recently announced as a brand ambassador for Proactive facewash. She also recently tweeted about her love of Crunk!!! Energy Drink, which is already associated with stars like Lil Jon and Pitbull. Perry’s shout out about the drink will likely increase the buzz surrounding the brand.
Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13): The country singer regularly tweets about different happenings relating to her concert tours, recording new music, and other general observations, and with over 2.4 million followers, she is an appealing option for any company hoping to reach a broad demographic. She recently announced her newest partnership with Sony at this year’s CES and has already appeared in ads for L.E.I. and got milk? and was named the Venus Embrace Goddess of Summer during 2008.
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance nominee John Legend (@johnlegend) has performed with a diverse array of musicians ranging from India.Arie to Amy Winehouse, and with over 1.7 million followers, he will definitely be one to keep an eye on during Sunday night’s show. Legend made an appearance at CES on behalf of Sony and he was once a spokesperson for Bailey’s Irish Cream-appearing in their commercials while the brand sponsored his concert tours.
Other nominees to follow on Twitter Sunday night include Lady Gaga (@ladygaga), Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake), Pink (@Pink), Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) and Jason Mraz (@jason_mraz). Each star will provide an additional platform for entertainment apart from the Grammy’s itself and bolster their marketability through the buzz created from their tweets.
Mario Batali was one of the many celebrities to make an appearance for Sprint during the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month. He prepared food during the launch of their Overdrive router. Other celebs who made appearances on behalf of Sprint include Frank Caliendo and Brooke Shields. Diamond Crystal Salt tapped Alton Brown to serve as the host of the brand’s new interactive website, www.salt101.com. The brand hopes to engage consumers by providing them with culinary advice and make salt fun and entertaining through their website. Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis has teamed up with Target to launch an exclusive line of cookware and specialty food. The chef will also become a spokeswoman for the retailer’s groceries and develop cooking tips for consumers that will emphasize the store’s own brands. The “Giada De Laurentiis for Target” line will hit stores this month. Meanwhile, McCormick has paired up with Kevan Vetter, Richard Blais and Rachal Rappaport to host a webcast highlighting the Top 10 flavor combinations and food trends that will alter the way we eat in 2010.
You Are What You Wear
Megan Fox is the latest star to model Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans. The ads will be unveiled on billboards in major fashion metropolises in February. Halston Heritage has teamed up with Sarah Jessica Parker to design an affordable clothing line. The Sex and the City star will serve in a creative role for the fashion brand. Reality TV stars and sisters Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian are designing a line of clothing for Bebe. The collection, called Kardashian by Bebe, will debut at New York City Fashion Week February 16. Eva Longoria Parker is the latest celebrity to design her own fragrance. The scent, Eva by Eva Longoria, will be distributed by Falic Fashion Group and appear in over 1,000 stores worldwide in April. Jones New York is the latest brand to partner with Jessica Simpson, who will design a line of jeanswear that will debut in July. In hopes of re-creating Mark Wahlberg’s iconic Calvin Klein Underwear campaign, the brand has signed Twilight star Kellen Lutz to star in billboard and magazine ads nationwide. Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has replaced David Beckham as the latest Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans model. The ads featuring Ronaldo will debut in February. Ivanka Trump will add to her portfolio and design a line of footwear for Marc Fisher Footwear. Women’s clothing brand Arden B. announced Marie Digby as the newest face of their line. The ads featuring Digby, best known for her acoustic version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” debuted in December in magazines and stores nationwide. Fellow singer Lisa Loeb, known for her prominent glasses, has partnered with Classique Eyewear to create an eyewear line called “The LL Collection.” MTV host Alexa Chung has teamed up with Madewell to design a fall line of clothing ranging from bomber jackets to polka dot dresses. Alexa will star in the campaign’s ads when the collection hits stores in late August.
With over 20 million viewers twice a week, American Idol continues to draw in viewers season after season. All of this media attention makes the stars of American Idol more appealing to brands hoping to reach a broad demographic. Judge Kara DioGuardi is the latest American Idol face to cash in on the show’s popularity: Folgers has asked DioGuardi to help select the winner of their “Best Part of Waking Up” jingle contest. They are looking for a new version of their classic jingle and DioGuardi will be choosing the winner at a live judging event in New York City.
Other American Idol judges, contestants and even host Ryan Seacrest have appeared in a slew of ads since the hit show first aired in June of 2002:
Judge Randy Jacksonappeared in a series of Oreo ads in 2005 and 2006, with his likeness appearing on cookie packages to promote their search for a new “Oreo & Milk” jingle through a national search. He also produced his own line of eyewear, called Randy Jackson Eyewear, in 2007.
Known for his blunt comments about contestants’ performances, Simon Cowell has showed his softer side through a series of PETA ads, reminding pet owners to “Get Your Pets Spayed or Neutered” in 2008, and appearing in a PETA anti-fur ad in 2009.
Host Ryan Seacrest continues to serve as the face of many products. When the show first started growing in popularity, he appeared in a Cingular (now AT&T) commercial. He was more recently featured in the Crest Scope Outlast commercials.
Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson has partnered with numerous companies since she was named the first American Idol. She has been featured in advertisements for Candies Footwear, ProActiv, Acuvue, got milk?, and VitaminWater, paving the way for future American Idol winners to team up with brands.
American Idol’s fourth winner, Carrie Underwood, has also raked in endorsement deals. After her win in 2005, country music’s sweetheart signed with Sketchers and followed in Kelly Clarkson’s footsteps by appearing in a VitaminWater ad. Lending her voice to Hershey’s, she sang an updated version of their classic jingle in 2005 and has most recently been seen in the Nintendo DS commercials.
With this season’s Idol just beginning, it will be interesting to see which contestants emerge from the pack as potential stars and end up with deals of their own.
With Super Bowl XLIV less than two weeks away, the hype surrounding the athletes is palpable. Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning is unquestionably one of the most marketable NFL athletes of all time, but will receive even more media attention during the next couple of weeks. As expected, his current marketing partners (Wheaties, DirecTV, Gatorade, MasterCard and Oreo) will be leveraging the media buzz around Manning and the game in the next two weeks. Manning’s storyline is even more unique this year, as Peyton’s father Archie was a former New Orleans Saint. Brand’s such as BankPlus and NFL Ticket have utilized the family’s storyline in previous commercials.
New Orleans Saints QB, Drew Brees, will also receive much attention in the coming weeks. If the Saints win, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another brand attached to Brees’ current list of marketing deals that includes Pampers, Spark Energy Drink and fantasy football destination The National Football Post. And the Saints’ Reggie Bush has crossover marketing appeal, as he is also known as pop star Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend. Check out his current Red Bull endorsement. Carl’s Jr. will be smart to utilize their partnership with Kim Kardashian surrounding the game as well.
In reaction to the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti, George Clooney, MTV networks and over 100 other celebrities including Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Alicia Keys are teaming up to raise awareness and money for suffering victims after this tragic event. Hope For Haiti, a nationwide telethon, will be broadcasted on over a dozen networks tonight.
In the wake of such a tragedy celebrities join together lending their voices to the cause. The A-list celebs scheduled to appear range from the cast of Twilight (appealing to kids and teens) to Sting and Bruce Springsteen (for a more mature audience). Though large telethons such as this can take up to a year to prepare, Clooney has pulled Hope For Haiti together in just 8 days.
Telethons and benefit events are not new to the business. The first was the United Cerebral Palsy telethon, used to bring attention and awareness to the disease. More recently, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, a concert to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina which raised $30 million for the American Red Cross and Salvation Army. Volunteers who manned the phones included Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, and Jennifer Anniston.
In a crisis, celebrities are able to donate large sums of money themselves, but they can also a.) break through the media clutter and raise awareness b.) lend credibility to the cause c.) make an appeal to their established fan base. And the celebrity can also benefit from the feel-good PR… Tiger Woods, reportedly gave $3 million to Wyclef Yele Haiti relief fund, providing him with a much needed break from the public scrutiny he has been under the past month.
These same principles (above) can basically be applied to a brand/product (not just a cause). Much like a cause, using a celeb for a branded program can help raise awareness, lend credibility and ultimately appeal directly to the celebrity’s fans.
