Daily Buzz 3-5-12
On the Set with The Most Interesting Man in the World
It’s an unusually warm January day in Los Angeles, and Jonathan Goldsmith looks pretty uncomfortable in a turtleneck, wool sweater, thick black pants and ski boots.
But when the cameras roll he is instantly cool, smiling and laughing as if he’s at a cocktail party – not a TV-commercial shoot in a back lot at Universal Studios. With only a thin cable for a harness, Mr. Goldsmith skids down a 15-foot-high wooden structure filled with fake snow to look like a ski jump. He nails it. “Like the wind,” he says at the bottom.
After all, when you are The Most Interesting Man in the World, everything comes easily. Or at least it looks as if it does.
In reality, Mr. Goldsmith’s stardom — and the rise of the Dos Equis beer brand he represents — did not come easily. Both are success stories decades in the making. Mr. Goldsmith, 73, a longtime journeyman actor but never a star, is now so big that Michael Jordan recently asked to have his picture taken with him. (www.adage.com)
Why a Falling ‘Idol’ Is Bad for Business on Madison Ave
“American Idol” is falling, and advertisers desperately need the giant to get back up.
Fox’s veteran talent show has been tops on TV for its past six seasons and traditionally commanded the highest price for a 30-second ad spot. But much like “Idol” judge Steven Tyler, the show is starting to show gray in its 11th season. As of Feb. 26, more viewers in advertisers’ coveted 18-to-49 demographic tuned into NBC’s “The Voice” (thanks to a post-Super Bowl launch), while 18-to-49 ratings for ABC’s “Modern Family” and CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” are approaching those of “Idol.”
Though still a force, “Idol” is no longer the highest-priced show on network TV — it now shares that title with “Sunday Night Football.” (www.adage.com)
Papa John’s Tries to Hold the Price of Its Pies
In the $30 billion pizza category, aggressive discounting and price promotion are a way of life. Except at Papa John’s.
The No. 3 pizza chain has been trying hard to hold the line on discounting, instead sticking with its long-held premium-products-at-premium-prices message. While leader Pizza Hut pushes its $10 Dinner Box (one medium one-topping pizza, five breadsticks and 10 cinnamon sticks), No. 2 Domino’s markets its new artisan pizzas for $7.99, and fourth-ranked Little Caesars continually offers $5 large carry-out pizzas, Papa John’s has largely resisted drastic discounts and mostly relied on milder deals, such as $11 large pizzas.
Its conundrum is faced by many marketers, especially in this economy: How do you gain share without relying on heavy discounting, a move that could harm long-term brand image?
Deep discounting “doesn’t build loyalty or consistency — it’s cheapening your product,” said David Hale, CEO of Good Eats, a fast-food consultancy. “The problem with discounting is that people will buy the products while the prices are down, but if they go back up, they’ll [hold off on buying] until prices come back down again.” (www.adage.com)
State Farm Finds Synergy With Sustainable Startup
For an engineering-class project at Harvard University, four students invented a soccer ball that converts play to energy that can generate light for communities that lack electricity.
Last year, creatives at U.S. Hispanic agency Alma came across a video of the Soccket ball and were intrigued.
“We knew we had to do something with this ball,” said Diego Yurkievich, Alma’s senior-VP and executive creative director. “We sent [the video] explaining how the ball works to everyone at the agency, to motivate their minds. We had it in our back pocket.”
The creative idea: an interactive platform for soccer fans around Alma client State Farm’s sponsorship of the Gold Cup, a Latin American soccer championship. (www.adage.com)
Diet Mtn Dew Steps Out From Shadow of Flagship Brand
The newly minted billion-dollar brand is officially out from under the flagship’s shadow, gaining a dedicated tagline, marketing manager and a boost in spending. And in a coup for Diet Mtn Dew, it has assumed sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Nascar car from Pepsi’s Amp brand. Not bad for a product that began life as a line extension.
“We hadn’t put a lot of resources behind [Diet Mtn Dew],” said Brett O’Brien, VP-marketing for Mtn Dew and flavored carbonated drinks. “It was something that you found and then you were in this exclusive club, because we didn’t talk about it much. As that exclusive club grew bigger and bigger, it became clear we had to put some dedicated resources against it.”
Founded in 1988, Diet Mtn Dew has had strong growth even as the carbonated-soft-drink category slowed in recent years. The brand, targeted at Gen X males, cracked the top 10 soda brands in 2005 with a 1.4% share of the total market, according to Beverage Digest. In 2010 it had a 2% share of the $74 billion category.
Full-year figures aren’t available yet for 2011, but Beverage Digest reports that, excluding fountain sales, Diet Mtn Dew’s volume was up 2%, while the overall category’s declined 0.5%. (www.adage.com)
Team Sprint’s First TV Spot Stars Durant
Kevin Durant wants you to quit stressing your smartphone bill, and just watch him play.
The Oklahoma City Thunder forward played spokesman for Sprint in a 30-second commercial rolled out during this past weekend’s NBA All Star Game (for which he won the MVP title), urging viewers to switch to the telecoms giant’s unlimited plan instead of blowing their data allocations on casual games and missing out on clips of his games. The spot is the first from “Team Sprint,” the new dedicated Publicis Groupe unit led by Digitas and Leo Burnett that snagged the telecom giant from Goodby Silverstein & Partners last year and began work on the account Feb. 1.
In the commercial, an indignant Durant takes aim at Doodle Jump—a casual game with kindergarten-style graphics where users play a green alien-like creature that has to bounce upwards from platform to platform ad infinitum. “But seriously, you chose to download Doodle Jump instead of streaming my shot?” he balks.
The focus on avoiding “data dilemmas”—the notion that Sprint users don’t have to sacrifice any element of the mobile experience for fear of racking up extra fees—marks new positioning for the brand’s unlimited data plan, and will be part of an ongoing campaign. (www.adweek.com)
Allstate Life Insurance Company To Become Title Sponsor
Allstate Insurance Company and US Road Sports & Entertainment Group today announced a multi-year deal for Allstate Life Insurance Company to become the title sponsor of the 13.1 Marathon Series, the nation’s fastest-growing half marathon series. The Series will now be called the Allstate Life Insurance 13.1 Marathon Series.
Through the collaboration, Allstate Insurance Company receives sponsorship exclusivity in the Life, Auto, Home and Financial Services categories. In addition to the Series entitlement, Allstate Life Insurance Company receives naming rights to each of the eight races, logo placement on all marketing materials, (including finishers’ medals) and on-site activation opportunities to provide entertainment and engage with runners and spectators at all races.
“The partnership with the 13.1 Marathon Series presents a unique opportunity for Allstate Life Insurance to reach the tens of thousands of passionate runners and their families in a positive and healthy environment,” said Don Civgin, president, Allstate Financial. “Running, whether casually or competitively, takes commitment. Allstate, through its life insurance products, is committed to giving people peace of mind and helping to protect their goals in life. We’re excited to team up with US Road Sports to make the Allstate Life InsuranceSM 13.1 Marathon Series the best race experience possible for participants and spectators.”
“I cannot think of a better partner for the 13.1 Marathon Series than Allstate Life Insurance Company. We are privileged to exist in an industry that enjoys an unparalleled level of dedication, a quality that pervades Allstate Life Insurance Company’s culture and products,” said Greg Laird, CEO, Managing Partner, and Founder of US Road Sports & Entertainment Group. “It is widely recognized that the 13.1 Marathon Series is the nation’s preeminent half marathon series, however, in my mind, this collaboration with Allstate Life Insurance Company removes all doubt that participation in one or all of the 13.1 events is a ‘must do’ for all runners. We cannot wait to work with Allstate Life Insurance Company to bring runners an even better race experience.” (www.sponsorship.com)
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation today announced a new marketing relationship with Lowe’s, the world’s second largest home improvement retailer, to be the Official Home Improvement Retailer and presenting sponsor of Opening Weekend at participating Six Flags parks across the nation.
As the official opening weekend sponsor, Lowe’s will be integrated into Six Flags’ marketing efforts on both the national and local levels this spring. Additional support will include social media outreach, radio promotions, and in-park giveaways.
“Our strategic alliance with Lowe’s is perfect as we prepare our parks for opening weekend events,” said David McKillips, senior vice president of corporate alliances at Six Flags. “We look forward to providing new, exciting benefits to our mutual customer base.”
“Six Flags has a national presence and its locations align well with several of Lowe’s top markets,” said David Geren, Lowe’s vice president of marketing. “Sponsoring their grand opening weekends presents a great opportunity for Lowe’s to engage with key consumers in these areas at an important time of year.” (www.sponsorship.com)
Altrient high-performance nutritional supplements extends its CrossFit involvement by becoming the title sponsor for “The Open” segment of the three-tier extreme fitness competition. The five-month CrossFit circuit, spanning the globe, begins with a qualifying round called “The Open” from February 22 through March 25. Altrient’s sponsorship of “The Open” covers March 7 through March 13. Individuals and teams scoring in the top sectors of their respective regions (top 60 men, 60 women and 30 teams) then advance to “The Regionals” from April 27 thru May 27 culminating with the World Championship, “The CrossFit Games,” July 13 – 15 in California.
Rising in popularity, CrossFit has registered approximately 60,000 individuals for the 2012 CrossFit Open, close to tripling the 2011 participants. For the next five weeks, CrossFit will release the “Workout of the Week” on Wednesday evenings at 5pm PST. Participants have until the following Sunday to perform the workout. To qualify, athletes have two options to validate their workout and scores: they can perform at an approved facility with a certified coach or they can videotape the workout and submit it on-line. Progress of all 2012 CrossFit Open participants is recorded on the official leader board at http://games.crossfit.com.
Altrient Spokesperson Cheryl Brost, who earned the title “7th Fittest Woman in the World” in the 2011 Reebok CrossFit World Games, will began her quest to better her 2011 win and attain the coveted top position this year. (www.sponsorship.com)
Ace Debuts First-Ever Paint Campaign
Ace Hardware is hoping to increase consumer awareness of its paint department.
“Find Your Soul Paint” is the Oak Brook, Ill.-based retailer’s first-ever fully integrated campaign dedicated entirely to paint.
In researching for the campaign, Ace discovered that most consumers want and need“validation and guidance” in the color selection process. Consumers have come to believe that “do it yourself” means “do it alone.” Ace recognizes that the color selection journey is a very personal process — an expression of its customers’ own unique style.
The “Find Your Soul Paint” campaign features colors from Ace’s new paint brand — Clark+Kensington — a premium line of paint and primer in one, offered in both interior and exterior formulas, available exclusively at Ace. The paint line features 120 new colors. (www.mediapost.com)
Disney Ties ‘Brave’ To Scotland Tourism
Walt Disney is partnering with VisitScotland for a £7 million global marketing campaign to promote Scottish tourism around the international release of the Disney film “Brave,” an animated feature set in the Scottish highlands.
It is first time Disney has teamed up with a country’s tourism board, to this scale, around the launch of one its movies. The movie, by the studio’s Pixar division, will be released first in the UK. Promotional activity includes TV and movie deals across the UK, North America and Europe, which will be bolstered by digital marketing and experiential activity.
Mike Cantlay, chairman at VisitScotland, said the movie will be shown in 70 countries across the world, “and will give us the opportunity to convert cinema goers into visitors in the biggest campaign VisitScotland has ever launched.” (www.mediapost.com)
Cartier Creates Fantastical Film
The jeweler Cartier is launching a global campaign centering on a short but very elaborate film done in CGI in which a jeweled panther comes to life. The film, called “L’Odyssée de Cartier” is meant to be a concentrated, fantastical 3.5-minute view of the band’s 165-year history.
The film was shot in Prague, Spain, the Dolomites, and Paris, where the panthers were filmed at the Cartier store at 13 Rue de la Paix, and also includes CGI recreations of locations in Russia, China, and India.
The commercial is viewable on Cartier’s Facebook page, soon on a dedicated site, and will make its television debut this Sunday. (www.mediapost.com)
Tiger Beer Brewer Backs Street Football
Street Football is big. No, it’s not football with a pig skin played on Broadway, but soccer played perhaps on the Royal Trunk Road or in South America or Europe. And it’s not big in the U.S., which is why you haven’t (probably) heard of it. Still the events bring thousands of spectators, judging from ESPN shots of crowds watching the major tournaments.
But the amateur-level sport is big in Asia, which is why Asia Pacific Breweries (APB), which makes Tiger beer — which you also may not have heard of if you don’t have frequent flier miles to Asia or don’t frequent Thai restaurants — is a big backer, and sponsor of a huge tournament this month.
Tiger Street Football is a global tournament comprising 5-on-5 matches on asphalt on what Tiger describes as an oval pitch. The tournament, which is in Thailand starting March 9, will bring in amateur teams from Asia, South America and Europe (but not Brooklyn, alas), who will compete, leading to the world-title Thailand National Finals this month. The games will be aired on ESPN’s Asia channel.
APB is supporting the event with its first Pacific Rim ad campaign via London-based production company and design studio Brand New School (BNS) under the aegis of AOR Iris Singapore. The campaign creative depicts a pair of players going one-on-one on an urban street, with computer graphics making the two seem to stream ribbons and shards of color as they play. While voiceover has the players talking about the aggressiveness, speed and talent needed to play the game, the players skid into walls, do street-running style leaps off of building flanks and charge around corners. (www.mediapost.com)
Gilt Picks Your Next Discount Amount Based On Your Klout Score
Flash sales website Gilt Groupe this week will dish out discounts solely determined by its members’ Klout scores, with rollbacks as high as 100% off apparel and home decor.
Gilt has partnered with Klout — which measures a social media user’s online influence from 0 to 100 on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Foursquare — to offer the unique discount on Klout’s Perks platform. (www.mashable.com)
Chevrolet Turns A Dealership Into “Must See TV”
Office humor has long been a staple of both TV commercials and the sitcoms those commercials support. A new Chevy campaign combines all three elements into a new brand content initiative with a familiar feel.
Chevrolet’s latest dealership campaign, “Under the Blue Arch,” is based on a series of ads with an overtly sitcom-like feel. The ads, created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, take place at a car dealership notable only for a lack of customers and its resemblance to every car dealership you’ve ever been inside. The absence of customers isn’t a slight on the product, however, but rather a way for viewers to see the Chevrolet employees interact with each other in a dead-on spoof of the modern workplace sitcom. On the surface, “Under the Blue Arch” is more or less indistinguishable from any new TV show. It’s just distributed online in one- to three-minute bursts.
Taking the form of a sitcom might not be a natural fit for every ad, but the idea of a car dealership using that format makes a certain kind of sense. “The most simple and repeatable way to say everything the sales team wanted to communicate was through a standard setting of a Chevy dealership, with a consistent cast of characters,” says Ralph Watson, executive creative director at GSP Detroit. “Over time, they will become familiar and this format allows the one thing that is new each time to be the star.” He adds, “People are so savvy about what is and isn’t an ad, and also when they are being talked down to or being invited to be entertained more. So part of the fun of this is the inside joke of it.” (www.fastcocreate.com)
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