There’s little that’s more American than a game of Monopoly, unless it’s a game of Monopoly and a bowl of popcorn. When the makers of Jolly Time popcorn (a family-owned brand that’s been around slightly longer than Monopoly) found out Hasbro would be retiring one of the famed playing pieces in honor of something new, they (and their agency, Haberman in Minneapolis) stepped up a social media and public relations campaign to get a piece representing the snack in the running as a replacement. “Why shouldn’t there be a popcorn piece? It’s played with popcorn by your side,” Nathan Rice, digital director and partner at Haberman, tells Marketing Daily. “We think it makes perfectly good sense because there is an association between popcorn and games that goes way back.” The effort began with a letter from Jolly Time CEO Garry Smith to Hasbro President and CEO Brian Goldner, noting popcorn and Monopoly have gone hand-in-hand with game night for generations. “Game night without Jolly Time Pop Corn is criminal—and you should go directly to jail for this callous mistake. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200,” Smith wrote in his letter, before going on to cite problems with the current pieces under consideration: cat (allergies), helicopter (war connotations), robot (inability to love), guitar (on-stage tantrums) and ring (materialism, though given the game is about accumulating wealth and property, it’s unclear how that’s a detriment). After sending the letter to Hasbro, the company and agency took the effort to social media, establishing an online petition to try to convince the company to add popcorn as a late piece entry. Blogger outreach conducted by Haberman generated more response. The effort worked: the petition garnered nearly 5,000 signatures, the brand added nearly 1,500 new fans in a short period of time, and conversation around the topic spiked. Plus, they got Hasbro’s attention. “Hey, Jolly Time Popcorn, while we love your petition, we love popcorn even more. We eat it by the wheelbarrow full,” read a message on the game’s Facebook page. The company also created an image of Rich Uncle Pennybags, Monopoly’s signature character, holding a popcorn box next to a wheelbarrow full of popcorn. “Hasbro picked up and responded in a nice way,” Rice says. “We still think there might be something coming from them. They sent the initial image. Then, they alluded to something else. We don’t think they’re done, but we don’t really know.” Regardless, the campaign has worked as a buzz-building opportunity, which helped the 98-year-old company remain relevant in the social media age. “Our goal was to generate some attraction and make the connection between family game night and fun with Jolly Time,” Rice says. “The important part for us is the buzz we’re getting and being part of the conversation.”
Darth Vader (probably) won't be in the Super Bowl this time around, but Volkswagen is bringing back a creative theme, or a least the feeling, from a 2012 ad, "Smiles." The salubrious sentiment from that fourth-quarter ad last year will come back in the second quarter of the Super Bowl this year. Actually, it’s online now in teaser form. “Sunny Side,” via Deutsch, L.A., reverses a tactic that a couple of automakers have used in the past: taking an act or artist who made it big on YouTube and putting them in an ad. Volkswagen, by contrast, is featuring actual clips from YouTube videos that are wildly popular simply because its "stars" -- a politician, a baseball manager, a woman who suffers from a nearly Harlequin-romantic love of cats -- erupt in rage, tears, and violent frustration. Think of the Winnebago guy, who, famously, melted down during a bolloxed attempt to make a promotional video. That clip, by the way, is in the spot. But then, those real people from the viral videos (not the Winnebago guy) show up in the second half of the spot, happy and dancing across a grassy field with mega-star Jimmy Cliff leading the way, playing pied piper with a reggae rendition of the Partridge Family hit, "C'mon Get Happy." Kevin Mayer, VP marketing at the Herndon, Va.-based Volkswagen of American, tells Marketing Daily that, like last year's "Smiles" ad, which came out during the caustic presidential campaign, the new ad is partly intended to be a tonic for the present rage-driven social mosaic of acts too awful to recount here. "Because of the success of 'Smiles,' it seemed like the natural thing to do this." Mayer points out that the teaser isn't a version of the actual creative for the Super Bowl as much as a hint at the direction those ads will take. As the teaser comes to a close, others join the crowd: a weatherman with a tattered umbrella torn to shreds by a hurricane, a little girl who threw a temper tantrum in a grocery store, for example. "We do have a vehicle in the ad, but it's really a brand message. We didn't want to do a Super Bowl ad for Volkswagen, but a Volkswagen commercial for the Super Bowl. We wanted to make sure that whatever we said connected to customers and served as an umbrella for the brand." Mayer says the campaign will be supported by a big digital effort, including a YouTube takeover, and free downloads (available now) on Volkswagen's social media sites and home page.
If you have some downtime before game time Feb. 3, you may find yourself among nine million other viewers who are clicking over to Animal Planet’s flagship “Puppy Bowl,” where a mini-football field serves as a puppy play pen for a few delightful hours with a “half-time” break when kittens take the field. The annual event has aired on Animal Planet every Super Bowl Sunday since 2005, and this year, execs expect it to be a ratings coup for the network with returning and new advertisers excited to get their paws (and adorable wet noses) in on the action. Victoria Lowell, senior vice president of marketing and operations at Animal Planet, says, “‘Puppy Bowl’ is up 19% in ad revenue over last year, and new clients include GEICO and Universal/Despicable Me.” If you’re shocked to see advertisers who don’t sell pet supplies, you shouldn’t be. “Advertisers recognize ‘Puppy Bowl’'s broad appeal -- it is not just for pet companies,” says Lowell. “We have had huge growth in interest every year with new advertisers coming in and, importantly, advertisers who come in to the franchise never leave. “Our challenge is always to come up with new opportunities for new advertisers like GEICO sponsoring the stadium naming rights this year. In years past, we have added the Kitty Halftime sponsored by Bissell, the Icebreaker Timeout feature and Subaru integration in the show open.” Branding the event is also a fun challenge for the network. Executives are combining cuteness with traditional Super Bowl pomp and circumstance to lure in both new and veteran “Puppy Bowl” spectators. “Our key levers are Monday Night Football music, super slow mo shots juxtaposed with big action moments and glitzy 3-D graphics,” says Lowell. Cord cutters won’t be left out of the fun, either. Animal Planet has made sure that “Puppy Bowl” is accessible across a variety of platforms that will extend the fun past game day. Lowell says that “this year, more than ever, you will be able to enjoy the smorgasbord of cute through multiple platforms with exclusive online video, Meep the tweeting bird, and a live viewing application that lets you play along with the puppies.” But the branding effort goes beyond conjuring up images of sweet puppy breath and fat bellies. “Puppy Bowl” is, after all, a serious moneymaker for the network, and this year will serve as a launch pad for a new series. If you can’t wait until Feb. 3 to get your fill of puppy, Animal Planet has launched the Puppy Bowl Live Cam that’s streaming until game time.
Thirty-nine percent of American adults say that the ads are their favorite part of the Super Bowl, versus 28% who favor the game itself, according to a survey by market research company Lab42. The online survey was conducted among 500 adults (50/50 male/female split). The ad preference is more pronounced among women: 44% of women say they prefer ads to any other aspect of the game, while 41% of men prefer the game itself.In order not to miss ads, 38% of all respondents prefer to take bathroom breaks during the game; 23% prefer to take them during commercials. There’s been much debate as to whether Super Bowl ads are worth the investment. (The New York Times recently reported that agency executives estimate that advertisers paid an average of $3.7 million to $3.8 million for a 30-second spot this year, up from $3.5 million last year.) But Lab42 CEO Gauri Sharma argues that, “with 64% of respondents saying that half or more of their Super Bowl conversations the next day are about the commercials, it’s clear that consumers are not only paying attention to the commercials, but they are also engaged in a way that’s nearly impossible to replicate at any other time of the year.” More than one-third of respondents reported that they’ve shared a Super Bowl commercial via social media, and 69% said that they’ve re-watched a Bowl commercial online. In addition, 72% of respondents said they think that Super Bowl ads are funnier than standard commercials, 57% consider them more creative, and 21% perceive them as more memorable. "People Watching TV photo from Shutterstock"
Clothing queen Ann Taylor says it is bringing back actress Kate Hudson as the face of the brand, appearing in its spring and summer advertising campaigns. In addition, it says the actress will also develop a capsule collection for the chain, in conjunction with creative director Lisa Axelson. Available in May, the company says the collection will include dresses that draw on Hudson’s red carpet style. The spring 2013 ads were photographed by Norman Jean Roy at Milk Studios in Los Angeles, and are scheduled to break early next month, featuring Hudson in “vibrant colors, modern florals and graphic prints.” The retailer says it has also named Hudson to its ANNpower Advisory Council, and an initiative aimed at teaching leadership skills to young women called Vital Voices. "We are so proud to build on our existing partnership with Kate Hudson, someone that genuinely represents our continued commitment to celebrating women of substance and style," Kay Krill, President and CEO of parent ANN INC., says in its release. "She is a role model to young women." Earlier this year, the company announced the kickoff of this year’s search, with “Do you know a girl who wants to change the world?” signs in store windows. The goal is to identify 50 girls -- rising high school juniors and seniors -- and the selection process closed Jan. 21. Once chosen, the group will get leadership coaching from “prominent women leaders from around the world as well as a chance to turn their trailblazing ideas into real projects that will positively impact their home communities,” the company says. In addition, they will be invited to participate in a three-day leadership training forum in April. Grants are scheduled to be awarded in the fall, so winners will spend the school year completing their projects, with ongoing mentorship from Ann Taylor staff.
Banks offered more cash incentives for new savings accounts in 2012, according to Mintel Comperemedia. Forty percent of all offers for a new savings account came with an incentive, compared to 32% in 2011 and 24% in 2010, according to new research from Mintel Comperemedia. Cash incentives have been driven by the large national and regional banks, with the majority of banks now offering anywhere from $25 to $250 to new customers. For the most part, recent direct mail offers tracked by Mintel Comperemedia illustrate key themes among savings account offers, with cash incentives among the most popular, said Susan Wolfe, vice president of financial services at Mintel Comperemedia. “However, banks are also offering rate bonuses or promising rates that are higher than the national average, especially for higher deposits,” she said. “Savings accounts haven’t been actively promoted over the past several years, likely due to low interest rates. That doesn’t mean, however, that the product has completely lost its appeal.” Acquisition direct mail for savings accounts plummeted in 2009, but then grew steadily to a new high in the fourth quarter of 2011, to reach an estimated 77 million mail pieces. Mail volumes showed signs of falling in 2012, but a strong fourth quarter brought a rebound, which resulted in a 10% increase in savings acquisition mail over 2010, according to Mintel. Those increased mail volumes in the fourth quarter created a much more competitive market, and a whopping 64% of all savings offers mailed to new customers had an incentive. Banks are seeking to attract more affluent customers by offering cash incentives for high saving deposits, Wolfe says. Those same customers might be searching for a safer alternative to the stock market, needing immediate liquidity, or looking for some of the additional customer benefits gained by expanding the relationship with the bank. This makes the savings account a desirable product. “To compete with the higher interest rates offered by online banks, traditional banks need to market savings accounts as a way to expand the relationship, and they need to focus on the additional value-added benefits and services the bank can provide,” she says. “Conversely, online banks should continue to focus on the higher interest rates they can provide, since they have a distinct advantage here.”
In Detroit this month, General Motors showed Buick's new compact crossover, the Encore and the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks. Cross-town competitor Ford has its hands full with just two brands. With GMC and Buick, General Motors has four. The automaker's head of marketing, Alan Batey, talks about where the two brands stand today vis à vis both Chevrolet and Cadillac, and competitive brands. Q: You've just shown the Encore, a crossover below the Enclave that opens up the brand to new buyers. Have you grown consideration for the brand? A: We are getting younger people, and more women. The upside opportunity is that Buick is a well known, distinct brand, and vehicles like the Verano [compact sedan] are bringing in a different customer, and so will the Encore, which hasn't been launched -- we aren't going to get our first vehicles until later this month. Our biggest challenge -- or opportunity -- is conquest. So, programs like Experience Buick, which is a 24-month lease with OnStar, maintenance and XM radio included, are giving us an opportunity to bring people into the brand. And they become our brand ambassadors. Q: Does Buick compete with Cadillac? A: Buick is a very different interpretation of luxury versus Cadillac, which is about dynamic styling and performance. Buick is a "human" kind of luxury -- a different positioning for a young audience, a family audience. Understated luxury for people who want to reward themselves. Q: Isn't the real challenge for Buick the higher end of the mass market rather than other luxury brands? A: We have four brands that we think can really cover the market in the U.S., maximizing our opportunity and scale. That is really what it's about. But we are conquesting from brands like Lexus, Acura, and -- to your point -- we are also taking people out of the mainstream as well: Honda, Toyota, Ford and also Chevrolet. Q: You just launched Both the 2014 GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks. Aren't Chevrolet and GMC on top of each other (and doesn't GMC limit Chevrolet's upside in trucks and SUVs)?A: First off, GMC is the best-positioned brand we ever had. "Professional Grade" really made sense and designers were really able to translate that into our product. In the past, if there was a criticism, it was that we didn't have enough differentiation [with Chevrolet]. I would tell you that the differentiation that we are bringing through the new full-size pickup trucks for example, is really going to give GMC even more substance. We have really pulled [Sierra and Silverado] apart: the use of of high-strength metals, aluminum, stitching of seats, the front end, features and benefits -- things that are standard on GMC you just can't get on Chevrolet.
I was watching Rachel Maddow last night when the new-ish corporate commercial for Coke, called “Coming Together,” came on the screen. In fairness, I wanted to see how it played in the real world; I’d watched it earlier on You Tube, and it struck me as the short film equivalent of what the substitute teacher might show in 8th grade social studies (with help from the AV guy) if the class were misbehaving. Then I wondered if I actually was the one misbehaving, so this time I tried to sit up and pay attention. The next thing I knew it was 40 minutes later. I’m not kidding: two full minutes of super-calm droning of the kindliest, most reasonable female narrator in the universe, backed by the delightful tinkling of bells mixed with delicate strings, coupled with the sensory overload of seriously committee-tested, fair-and-balanced visuals knocked me right out. If you could bottle the spot, you’d have Coke Ambien. For starters, it’s trying way too hard to have it every which way, and trots out too much corporate blather and jibber-jabber. All that lawyer-approved disingenuousness shuts my circuits down. Most people watching would find it interesting to know that Coca-Cola owns over 600 brands, including teas, waters, sports drinks, health drinks, and the sweetener Truvia. I love the design of the tiny cans, and the big graphic calorie counts on the front labels of the sugared drinks. All good information. But you can’t have it both ways. Exactly how deeply concerned is citizen Coca-Cola about "playing an important role" in addressing obesity, when clearly it is also using this very same message to lobby voraciously on behalf of high-fructose-syrupy, supersized drinks (which Mayor Bloomberg of New York City is threatening to kill) and against higher soda taxes? This will take “continued effort from all of us,” says the announcer, evenly. But speak for yourself, lady. It’s a bit presumptuous to ask your customers to exert any effort in your direction. The root causes of obesity are so complicated, with so many possible angles (never mind Coke’s role in that epidemic), that my very astute colleague Larry Dobrow also addressed the problem this week. The announcer takes pains to point out “one common-sense fact”: that a calorie is a calorie, and they all count, no matter the source. But most nutritionists and scientists believe that the high-fructose corn syrup in soda sets off the body’s glycemic index in a different way than, say, broccoli does. (Not to mention the possible trouble with aspartame in the low- and no-calorie varieties.) Speaking of broccoli, however, “Coming Together” is the sensible, cruciferous vegetable of Coca-Cola’s anti-obesity campaign portfolio. A second spot attempts to be far more entertaining and lighthearted, showing how you can burn off the “140 happy calories” in a 12-ounce, full-fructose can or bottle of Coke. This is even more Orwellian. Using the Ingrid Michaelson song, “Be OK,” it shows that working your can off hardly means working your can off. It takes a mere “25 minutes of letting your dog be your GPS” (if you are an adorable, skinny, Zooey Deschanel type, wearing the perfect separates and laughing madly as your dog pulls you along the perfect metropolitan walkway.) Then it’s just “75 seconds of LOL” plus one victory dance at a bowling alley. If you’re like me, you sort of glaze over the 25 minutes of intense walking part, and think one round of a happy dance will knock them calories right out. Let’s get to the real ugliness. No one wants to address it publicly, but this issue is also a class issue dictated by the cheapness of high-fructose corn syrup. The weird economics of corn syrup rears its head in the supermarket, where two-liter bottles often cost less than the 12-ouncers, and certainly cost less than the graphically adorable, portion-controlled, eight-ounce cans. Thus, the 67.6-fluid-ounce version of Coca-Cola is the most reasonable choice for low-income communities. This doesn’t help in the ostensible message of drink less soda, as it is weighted against the working poor. (For more brain twisters, the New York chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. actually argued FOR Coca-Cola and the beverage industry at a hearing on banning supersized sugary drinks in State Supreme Court today in Manhattan, even though the obesity rate for African-Americans in NYC is higher than the city average. They said it would unfairly impact minority-owned small businesses.) So the unintended consequences are crazy. So what’s a disingenuous corporate citizen to do? Here’s my suggestion, based on the fact that last week, at the front desk of my apartment building, the doorman was standing guard over a case of Coke (in vintage eight-oz bottles!) The old kind, with the real sugar! Apparently, one of the tenants has it shipped to him by a relative from Mexico every month. I had a Pavlovian reaction to it: My mouth watered when I saw it. And as the other tenants passed by, I could see that they were also eyeing the sauce like liquid crack. So here’s your answer: Leave all the high-fructose corn syrup behind. Go back to pure sugar cane, and the (now-tiny) eight-ounce bottle. Sell it in liquor stores, or behind the counter at drugstores, like federally regulated extra-strength Claritin-D. Charge a ridiculous amount, like $5 a bottle. (That’s the equivalent of what it is in fancy hotels in Europe.) It then becomes an apertif, a dessert, or candy. Call it Coke Suave. Then, instead of turning mind-deadening, disingenuous legal cartwheels in advertising, all you have to say about Coke is that it’s “Delicious and Refreshing.” That’s the way the Real Thing was advertised in 1907, and it was a real sleeper.
In the midst of the NFL playoffs, we’re seeing brands take advantage of top ad spots and pro-athlete action as teams gear up for the final showdown of the season -- Super Bowl XLVII. Fans across the country are making predictions about their teams and pulling out their favorite chip-and-dip combos to watch the final games with much anticipation and enthusiasm. With such a captive audience, advertising strategies from past sporting events offer a precedent for many digital events to come, both for their successes and failures (such as the NBC Olympic delays). Today’s consumers want to engage with brands beyond traditional advertising, and companies recognize this growing trend and hope to connect with their customers on a variety of device types. The Super Bowl is the high point of the football season and traditionally the most popular time for advertising. Here are six tips to help brands connect with NFL fans across the country. Be flexible and fast. Reacting quickly to plays in the game can have a significant positive impact on an advertisement.Targeting a user on a hyper-timely topic before competing brands have a chance to react is critical. During the 2012 Summer Olympics, for example, consumers were impressed with AT&T’s quick reaction to an event that happened only moments before a commercial for Samsung Galaxy. In the 30-second spot, a female swimmer watches Olympic swimmer Rebecca Soni break the world record for the 200-meter breast stroke, right after it happened in real-time. That moment when Rebecca Soni won gold in the 200-meter breast stroke is now associated with the Samsung Galaxy. That's powerful brand association. During the Super Bowl, campaigns need to be flexible to have more impact, and to do that, technology must be in place that allows for these rapid changes and dynamic optimization. Brands that are not prepared for traffic spikes will frustrate consumers with buffering issues. Engaging with consumers during major sporting events can produce favorable results for brands. It can also put strains on Web sites by quickly generating traffic spikes. Brands need to have the resources in place to accommodate the digital-minded consumer while reducing latency problems and downtime. Partnering with a third-party vendor can help to offload some of the strain and ensure that quality content is delivered dynamically and uninterrupted. Advertisers will connect with consumers where they are relative to location and device type. Mobile device users are accessing live content on their devices more and more, especially to stay current with their favorite sports teams when a TV might not be available. At a minimum, marketers need to serve ads relevant to consumers' geographies with location-based offers, making sure a Ravens fan doesn’t see an ad for Tom Brady promoting Uggs. With advancements in technology and capabilities, it's easier to drive more traffic to Web sites through mobile devices or the desktop. Brands can now more effectively target users and serve up content to any device. Relevant stories will make brands appear more real and uplifting. If you’re targeting consumers watching the NFL, you already know at least one thing they are interested in -- football. Live sporting events offer unique opportunities for brands to make their ads more relevant by capitalizing on the content that consumers are watching. Wouldn’t it make sense to air an ad with Tom Brady during a New England Patriots game, since you already know that it will pique the interest of most people watching? Sports media also offer a unique opportunity for brands to build on the excitement of a live event to connect with viewers’ everyday life. Ads will resonate well with consumers -- and more importantly, can inspire them if themes mirror the programming. Brands won’t forget to socialize. Brands will integrate and publicize their social presence during major media events. Call it the “socialization of the NFL,” or the media event du jour. Brands can also leverage traditional advertising to drive users to their mobile apps and social networks. We have seen companies like Bud Light do this already, and we’re sure to see much more of it during the Super Bowl. By placing calls to action on the big screen, you can drive consumer engagement on the second screen. Oh -- and don’t forget to target those Fantasy Football fans by optimizing your content for online delivery to any device. Social media, mobile technology and the accessibility of online video have all contributed to the changing advertising landscape. As content is increasingly consumed anytime and anywhere, and as real-time ads become a marketing priority, we will see many traditional brands and newcomers begin to leverage more digital channels through online streaming or mobile device strategies. What advertising trends are you expecting to see this Super Bowl season?