General Motors is putting TV's biggest spotlight on Chevrolet and Cadillac with its Super Bowl ad buy on Feb. 5. But the mileage it gets from the game-day juggernaut comprising ads before the game, four ads in the game, and two after may well come from how the ads are integrated with the automaker's digital and social-media programs prior to, on, and after Super Bowl Sunday. Joel Ewanick, global head of marketing for the automaker, tells Marketing Daily that a major play for Chevrolet on Feb. 5 is to spark Millennials' interest through ads for the Chevy Sonic car. One of Chevrolet's three spots in the game is focused on the car. That and a second in-game spot are the capstones on digital efforts over the past weeks and months. The second ad is the winner of a global crowd-sourcing creative competition, "Chevrolet Route 66" (ChevroletRoute66.MSN.com.) The third spot is all about Chevy trucks. The Sonic ad is a mosaic of video assets from the car's digital campaign aimed squarely at younger consumers -- who, if they aren't dreaming about base jumping, skydiving, X-games, and other extreme pursuits, are watching them on YouTube videos. The ad shows extreme stunts Chevy did with the car, such as strapping a parachute to it and rolling it out of an airplane; having it bungee-jump from a stack of shipping containers (consumers could go online and move it toward the precipice with keystrokes); having a famed skateboarder drive it up a ramp and corkscrew-flip it over a giant skateboard; and use it to play music. "We have basically taken all of the digital launch videos for Sonic over the last four or five months and put them into a TV spot. Millennials will love it; the research is off the charts," he says. Ewanick says the music element will be blown out as a separate campaign featuring the ersatz band "OK Go," which also appears in the spot. In the post-game broadcast, an ad for the Sonic plays on bugs getting caught in the car's grill as it drives along. But in this spot they are deliberately jumping on the grill to get a joy ride. Ewanick says post-game viewership is no small potatoes. "We expect between 20 and 25 million will watch." The company decided to focus on the Sonic and its Millennial target rather than, say, the new Malibu for the Super Bowl because 40% of all cars sold in the U.S. will be bought by Millennials in coming years, per Ewanick. "We need to start building a relationship with them now. They will be buying cars in other segments seven years from now. It's a major strategic decision for us. Yes, we had stuff as much or more pressing, but this is a more strategic, long-term strategy for us." Ewanick says the number of views of the 34 Chevrolet Route 66 finalist spots -- submitted by indie filmmakers around the world and curated by UK-based Mofilms -- hit the stratosphere after last Sunday night. That's because Chevrolet launched a TV ad for its "Chevy Game Time App" on the Sunday night NFC playoff game between the New York Giants and the San Francisco ’49ers. According to Ewanick, that "Chevy Game Time" TV spot is doing double duty, not only driving downloads of the app (through which Chevrolet will engage fans during the game and the day after with trivia questions and prizes, including the chance to win one of 20 cars), but also driving traffic to the Route 66 site itself, where consumers are stopping to watch the ads. "It's working beautifully," says Ewanick. "[On Wednesday], we got two million views of the [Route 66 winning spot] 'Happy Grad' alone," he says. "We got six million views of the all of the ads yesterday alone." To put it in perspective, from the launch on Dec. 22 up until Sunday, the Route 66 site had garnered something over 30 million views of the 34 finalist Mofilms-sourced Chevrolet ads. But by around Tuesday, per Ewanick, that number was up to 45 million. He says views are now at around the 51.6-million mark. "That's 10% in one day. The beauty of it is, they aren't going to Facebook and clicking out to go elsewhere. They are staying in the site for a good, long time -- in the 10-minute range." For Cadillac, the company has grabbed prime positioning in the game to introduce the Cadillac ATS to viewers. The car, which Cadillac unveiled in Detroit early this month, competes in a critical high-volume region of the luxury market that pits Cadillac for the first time directly against BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars. The ATS ad, at the two-minute warning point where viewership potential is at its highest, eschews humor for a straightforward performance play. The ad, "Green Hell," has the Cadillac ATS screaming around turns on the German Nürburgring test-drive circuit. "We are going to the heart of Germany, right on top of BMW," says Ewanick. The ad says that if people doubt the ATS performs as well as advertised, "tell them to go to Green Hell [the grass-flanked Nürburgring.]" "This car is strategically the most important in our history," says Ewanick, adding that the ATS effort will include a new web site featuring video content about the car's development and manufacturing. The campaign will roll out through the spring and into the Olympics. General Motors, a lead sponsor of the summer games, will promote Chevrolet for about 80% of the automaker's media commitment there. The automaker is also going on the offensive to promote the Chevy Volt gas/electric car. Most of the Volt effort is serious in tone and political in import. It includes an open letter from GM's CEO Dan Akerson in major papers this week and a new spot touting the car's virtues as a community builder and symbol of American technology know-how. But a post-game ad for the car takes a humorous turn, with aliens showing up in a guy's garage at night to steal his technology. The guy, it turns out, is used to these extraterrestrial intrusions. Says Ewanick: "We are going to be talking a lot in coming weeks about what the car means, in terms of innovation and technology to us, to the city, the state, and the country. We will talk about why the car is so safe, its features in the car, the fact that it earned the highest crash test rating you can get, and we'll just hammer it home over the next couple of weeks. We are explaining that this is the next logical step in electrification of the automobile.”
So, here’s one to mull: According to an extensive survey of more than 4,200 adults, every one of them bought some sort of consumer electronics device during the holiday season. That’s 100%. And not a “margin-of-error” 100%, either. A deep-dive into the survey results revealed that every one of the 4,200 people surveyed (from a representative demographic of the United States, median annual income of $50,000) answered in the affirmative when asked whether they had bought a consumer electronics device during their holiday shopping. “I was floored,” Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer at Market Force Information, which conducted the survey in January 2012, tells Marketing Daily. “It was a representative mix of consumers. It’s a representative sample [of demographics] and income levels. And every single one said they bought some kind of consumer electronics device.” Video games and gear and televisions and accessories led the purchases. Thirty-two percent of consumers said they purchased video games, gear and accessories, while 31% said they bought TVs, DVDs and other equipment. Smartphones and digital cameras were tied for the third-most-popular gifts, at 24%, while 23% of survey respondents bought a computer. Despite the hype, iPads were cited by only 21% of respondents, while Kindles were cited by 20%. “If we think about what the category has done over the last decade or 20 years, so many [devices] that didn’t exist before have become a must-have item and so many items have been incorporated into our daily routine,” Eden-Harris says. “They aren’t luxuries anymore; they’re must-haves.” When it came to making those purchases, people generally preferred to head to a brick-and-mortar retailer instead of making online purchases. Among those surveyed, 100% said they bought at least one device from a retail store, while only 35% said they made a purchase online. The reasons people preferred retail locations included the ability to walk out of a store with a purchase, in-store promotions, to avoid shipping costs and to get a personal demonstration of the device. When it comes to those in-store purchases, the sales associate plays a huge role in a consumer’s decision. According to the survey, more than three-quarters of shoppers said they were helped by a salesperson. Forty-four percent of them said they received a specific product recommendation from that salesperson, and 85% bought the product that was recommended. “It tells you how critically important … having a knowledgeable salesperson is,” Eden Harris says.
Coca- Cola’s flagship brand will air two animated spots featuring its iconic polar bear mascots for the first time during the Super Bowl -- plus another post-game spot on ESPN. But that’s the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. The big news is that the bears will be reacting to the game’s events (and the commercials) in real time via a live-stream running throughout the game, and simultaneously interacting with game- watchers on Facebook and Twitter. Coke marketing executives laid out the multifaceted integrated marketing strategy for the game in a press preview today. The core driver of the campaign’s strategy -- from Coke’s lead agency Wieden + Kennedy Portland, with support from digital agency 360i and other partners – is to capitalize on the “second-screen” phenomenon in order to “be everywhere that consumers are” and dominate the social media conversation. About 60% of the 100 million+ people watching the Super Bowl are expected to be online interacting with others, using their computers or mobile phones or devices. The creative concept: Two animated polar bears are watching the game together from the arctic. One is rooting for the New York Giants and the other for the New England Patriots, with each wearing a scarf bearing the colors of its chosen team. The bears’ live-stream reactions will be running throughout the game on CokePolarBowl.com, a microsite hosted on the campaign’s Facebook page. The live-stream will also be viewable on Twitter, ESPN.com and other favorite sports-enthusiast sites (paid placements integrated in windows on the sites, to let fans experience Coke’s stream without interfering with their viewing of the sites’ main content). Throughout the Coke live-stream, users will be able to share continuously generated video clips from the bears’ activities through Facebook or Twitter, to convey their emotions in multimedia format to their fellow team supporters or friendly foes. Wieden + Kennedy will be creating many of the bears’ live- stream responses (there are no audio bear “voices,” just animated physical responses) in real-time, in reaction to the game action and commercials. But many bear responses have been prepared in advance -- for example, one or another of the bears performing a victory dance or holding his head in his hands in response to his team’s triumphs or setbacks during the game, or covering the eyes of a cub if a racy commercial or Janet Jackson-like half-time moment occurs. At the same time, the campaign’s teams will be posting comments and responding to fans’ posts for the bears on the campaign’s Facebook and Twitter presences. The bears’ social posts will also encourage users to upload photos to be incorporated into Coke’s live-stream. More on the other components of the campaign:
Contrary to the widely held belief that banks have hit an all-time low in their approval ratings, more than half of consumers surveyed by TD Bank say they are committed to their bank. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds feel valued by them, according to the survey. Of those polled, 57% attribute helpful staff and personal service to feeling valued. Moreover, the majority of consumers cite positive customer service experiences as a principal reason for their commitment. When examining what is most important to consumers when it comes to choosing a checking account, the number one answer (about one-third of respondents) cited is no monthly fees. In addition, more than 40% of those polled say their bank demonstrates a commitment to them through no or low minimum balance requirements. Other key findings include: 48% of consumers surveyed say bank products and services are more valuable than telecommunications (i.e. mobile phone, internet, etc.). Although the majority of respondents stated that having no monthly checking, debit or transactions fees associated with accounts are the most important things to them, less than half said they would actually take the step to close an account associated with the same fees. The top ways that consumers say their bank shows its commitment: No monthly checking fees (or waived fees) (65%), easy online banking (65%), good customer service (64%), no statement fees (57%) and convenient bank locations (53%). The study was conducted among a nationally representative group of consumers who have a checking account/debit card from Jan. 12 to 16. The sample size of 1,010 has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%. The survey was hosted by global research company Angus Reid Public Opinion. The bank, which is based in both Cherry Hill, N.J. and Portland, Maine, has more than 7.4 million customers and more than 1,275 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida.
Whether the New England Patriots or the New York Giants come away from the Super Bowl with the trophy, the real winner of the big game is likely to be America’s supermarkets: A new poll from the Retail Advertising & Marketing Association (RAMA) says a record 173 million people expect to watch the game on Feb. 5, the most in its survey’s eight-year history. Spending is expected to reach $11 billion. And 63.6 million (27.1%) plan to attend a get-together -- up from last year’s 61.2 million -- while 35.9 million (15.3%) plan to throw a party, also up from the 34.9 million who said they would do so in 2011. The survey, conducted by BIGResearch, found that the typical game-watcher plans to spend $63.87 on related merchandise, apparel and snacks, up from $59.33 last year. And -- in good news for retailers -- at least 5.1 million intend to buy a new TV for the big day, compared to 4.5 million last year and the 3.6 million who said they would do so in 2010. “Hot on the heels of a solid holiday season, many retailers will look to meet consumer demand and expectations with big promotions on party essentials, including 3D televisions, team décor and apparel, and, of course, food and beverages,” the Washington, D.C.-based trade association, part of the National Retail Federation, says in its release. Feb. 5 is expected to be a huge day for restaurants as well. The National Restaurant Association is predicting that 48 million Americans will order takeout or delivery food from a restaurant while watching the game, and that 2 million are expected to view the game at a restaurant or bar. And while early odds may favor the Patriots, fans’ true allegiance lies with marketers: Nearly three-quarters of viewers in this year’s RAMA survey, which included more than 9,300 adults, say they see commercials as entertainment.
Callaway Golf is touting its 2012 product line with a new campaign that might be thought of as "extreme golf." Ads to air during CBS’ coverage of the Farmer’s Insurance Open promote the company’s line with stunts in Las Vegas meant to spotlight the power, accuracy and innovation of the new product line. The campaign, called "Epic Demo," is by Denver-based Factory Design Labs. One spot has PGA Tour pro Alvaro Quiros using Callaway's RAZR Fit Driver to fire a round 310 yards over the Bellagio fountain, complete with crowds along the Las Vegas strip. The company says forthcoming spots will feature Callaway golf-pro spokespeople like Phil Mickelson and Annika Sorenstam doing other similar shots from places like the rooftops of the Luxor and Excalibur, and the flames of the Mirage Volcano. The ad theme line is “Serious fun, serious performance.” The RAZR Fit ad will air Jan. 28 during the Famers Insurance Open telecast on CBS. A 60-second ad touts the Mirage HEX features Mickelson shooting from an elevated tee box at the edge of the Mirage Hotel’s pool. He sinks shots on two raised greens: one placed approximately 95 yards away, and another placed at 250 yards to showcase distance off the tee. The pool of the Mirage has a faux volcano that shoots fire. That provides another barrier as Michelson shoots for a floating green. Another minute-long ad, “Rooftop RAZR X,” which starts in February, touts Callaway's line of irons. Golf greens adorn the tops of the Luxor and Excalibur hotels, and helicopters are golf carts shuttling pros from one tee to the next. The campaign comprises national television, print and digital advertising, which will run from through March. The company says TV will run on networks like CBS, NBC, ESPN and the MLB Network. Print will run in the golf vertical, in books like Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, and SI Golf Plus. The company says online ads will adorn sites like PGA.com, GOLF.com, Yahoo! Golf, GolfChannel.com, GolfWRX.com, and danPatrick.com. A spokesperson for the brand says the campaign is larger than previous efforts by Callaway. "They have realigned and put more investment into the ads and marketing this year," he says. The campaign also involves "Callaway Creative Director" Justin Timberlake, who helped in pre- and post- production.
In its short history, the Internet has transformed the way brands reach and engage their customers. It has been the source of numerous innovations that have revolutionized the way we influence our audience and target our customers. Marketers have been at the forefront of this revolution. We only have to look at the impact of Facebook and Twitter on the marketing communications sector for examples of how innovative thinking using Internet technology can lead to the transformation of an entire industry. However, the majority of the change and innovation experienced within the online channel has been at the application layer through the likes of social media and e-commerce-focused tools. Beginning this month, a core component of Internet infrastructure (the Domain Name System) will undergo a dramatic change that will provide marketers with a unique method of making a statement of leadership, improve message recall and target consumers online like never before. It’s called a new Top-Level Domain, and will allow brands across the world to insert their brand or a generic term related to their category to the right of the dot -- creating an entire domain namespace like .com completely dedicated to their business. It will provide those who are willing to take the plunge with an opportunity to claim exclusive rights over this space. A .brand will define them in the competitive, cluttered online channel. The introduction of new Top-Level Domains, commonly referred to as “.brand” or “.anything”, has had little mainstream attention, and this has led to widespread criticism. Only recently, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) began a campaign publicly criticizing the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) over its decision to implement this program. The arguments the ANA have raised against the program are weak and have already been addressed, as ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom noted in his letter to the ANA last year. These new Top-Level Domains are a reality and they are coming -- whether or not you agree with ICANN’s decision. The time has come for marketers to develop a clear understanding of the opportunities and risks associated with this dramatic change to ensure they are able to build the appropriate strategy for their brand. What is .brand? Contrary to many opinions, .brand is not just another domain name. Securing your .brand will allow you to operate your own domain name registry at the root of the Internet, which will provide many new business and marketing opportunities never before seen in the corporate world. One of the many benefits to brand owners and marketers will be the ease of content access. Under .brand, we will see brands moving away from long, unwieldy and generic Web site addresses such as “www.americanexpress.com/potential” to a far more intuitive and easy-to-recall domain structure such as “potential.amex”. From a consumer perspective, content will be easier to navigate to in its truest form – via short, relevant and memorable domain names. If you’re still unsure of the many uses for .brand, imagine tigerwoods.nike, creditcards.hsbc and x5.bmw. In short, .brand will give marketers the opportunity to deliver relevant, targeted content to key audiences in a far more intuitive manner. Major global brands such as Canon, Hitachi, Motorola, Deloitte and UNICEF have already publicly announced their intentions to secure their .brand. Hundreds more are expected to keep their cards close to their chest to ensure that the platform for their long-term digital strategy is not disclosed at a crucial time. Why should we care? A .brand Top-Level Domain will provide trust, leadership, customer engagement and improved message recall in a way never seen before. It will allow direct connections between the customer and the brand experience in an environment that is completely controlled by the brand owner. What you do with .brand is completely up to you. For example, if Apple Inc was to secure .apple or .itunes, they could implement a customer retention program whereby each registered customer is provided with a branded online portal to access relevant content, purchases or updates related to their Apple account. There will also be huge improvements in online security and trust. Take the HSBC bank, for example -- a .brand will bring clarity and security to customers online with the simple message: ‘If it’s not .hsbc, it’s not us’. Truly global megabrands will also be interested in the fact that you can register your .brand in any script or language around the world. How do you secure a .brand? There is a limited time frame available to register your .brand new Top-Level Domain. ICANN's application window opened on January 12 and it will close on April 12, 2012. Those interested in applying will need to act quickly. The unfortunate reality for many marketers is that by the time they recognize the value of this program, it will be too late to do anything about it.
The Super Bowl takes place on Sunday, with 30-second spots costing $3.5 million. Sanity questions aside, it's a monster marketing event. Each Friday before the game, we'll bring you the latest Super Bowl-related headlines from MediaPost publications, linked to the full stories: The New York Giants Boost Digital Feb. 2, 2012, 5:15 p.m. Marketing Daily Celebrity Ads Get Big Views Online Feb. 3, 2012, 5:35 a.m. MediaDailyNews 'Battleship' Super Bowl Ad Pushes Ticket Sales Feb. 2, 2012, 3:49 p.m. Online Media Daily Super Bowl XLVI Ads Get Counted In Real-Time Feb. 2, 2012, 5:53 p.m. Around the Net In Brand Marketing Bridgestone's Phil Pacsi Talks Sports Feb. 2, 2012, 9:56 a.m. Around the Net In Brand Marketing TV Critic On Early Super Bowl Ads Feb. 2, 2012, 9:56 a.m. Marketing Daily Bud, Bud Light Headline A-B's Super Bowl Lineup Feb. 2, 2012, 12:01 a.m. Marketing Daily Leo Burnett Chief Strategy Officer Chats About Bowl Feb. 1, 2012, 4:46 p.m. Marketing Daily Kraft's BelVita Launch Kicks Off With Pre-Bowl Spot Feb. 1, 2012, 2:04 p.m. MediaDailyNews A-B Uses Super Bowl To Pitch Bud Light Platinum Feb. 1, 2012, 4:29 p.m. Online Media Daily Mobile Use To Soar During Super Bowl Feb. 1, 2012, 3:11 p.m. Out to Launch Out to Launch -- Super Bowl Ads; Day 4 Feb. 2, 2012, 4:12 p.m. Marketing Daily Pepsi Brings Amaro, Elton John, Philbin To Bowl Jan. 31, 2012, 4:28 p.m. Marketing Daily Toyota Has 'Camry Effect' On Super Bowl Feb. 1, 2012, 4 a.m. Marketing Daily Leno, Seinfeld Want Acura's NSX Jan. 31, 2012, 4:19 p.m. Marketing Daily Samsung Uses Super Bowl For Galaxy Note Jan. 31, 2012, 10:09 a.m. MediaDailyNews Hulu's Super Bowl Ad: Searching For Mushy TV Brains Jan. 31, 2012, 9:21 p.m. MoBlog Verizon Packages Super Bowl Stream In App Pack Feb. 1, 2012, 12:50 p.m. Online Media Daily Subway Sponsors Hype Around Super Bowl App Jan. 31, 2012, 3:52 p.m. Out to Launch Out to Launch -- Super Bowl Ads; Day 3 Feb. 1, 2012, 4:34 p.m. Marketing Daily Century 21 Preps For Super Bowl Jan. 30, 2012, 6:16 p.m. Marketing Daily Sonic, CR-V To Shine In Bowl Jan. 30, 2012, 12:16 p.m. MediaDailyNews Super Bowl Ads Score $4M Jan. 30, 2012, 12:40 p.m. Out to Launch Out to Launch -- Super Bowl Ads; Day 2 Jan. 31, 2012, 11:31 a.m. Marketing Daily Hyundai To Entertain In Super Bowl Jan. 30, 2012, 4 a.m. Marketing Daily Countdown To The Super Bowl Jan. 30, 2012, 8 a.m. Out to Launch Out to Launch -- Super Bowl Ads; Day 1 Jan. 30, 2012, 3:31 p.m. Around the Net In Media From 'Top Chef' To 'Jimmy Fallon," NBCU Promotes The Heck Out Of Super Bowl Jan. 27, 2012, 3:38 p.m.