Oxygen Tries for ‘Real Housewives’-Style Franchise

Oxygen swathed New York City’s Dream Hotel in yellow Wednesday night and touted a 50% increase in original programming as it worked to impress media buyers at its upfront presentation.

Outside the party, cheering women stood on an Oxygen van and blew down bubbles. On the hotel’s rooftop lounge, media buyers were served lemon spritzers as they watched performances from casts of “The Glee Project” and the network’s new reality dance show, “All The Right Moves.” (www.adage.com)

Would You Buy Your Next Flat-Screen From Ikea?

Ikea, king of flat-shipped particleboard, is getting into the TV business, with its just-announced Uppleva. Sick of building furniture to accommodate TVs and their unsightly cords, Ikea decided it will build the TV as well, integrated into a storage unit.

This new entrant into hyper-competitive TV business got some coverage on gadget blogs last week, and the demo video landed on the Viral Chart at No. 5, with 1.3 million views.

Also new, a two-minute from P&G combining a homage to motherhood and the Olympics and a Mazda spot that’s getting some heavy TV rotation. Tipp-Ex, German maker of correction fluid, is also back with its latest choose-your-own-ending campaign, which includes 40 different possible outcomes for a bear’s birthday party. (www.adweek.com)

Xerox brand shows how it innovates to simplify data streams—and the world

Once upon a time, photocopying a piece of paper was a big deal. But in 2012, the list of things we can accomplish with technology has become limitless, and in turn, completely overwhelming. The things that were supposed to make life easier are instead making it more complicated. Accordingly, the hot topic du jour isn’t just innovation, but simplification.

Xerox picks up on this trend with its new spot, “A World Made Simpler … by Xerox.” It opens with someone copying a drawing of a circle, which morphs into a lightbulb, which morphs into a CD, which morphs into a wall full of charts and pictures and text, which morphs into a wave, and on and on. (Xerox appears to be taking this “drowning in an ocean of data” metaphor quite literally.)

But Xerox wants you to know it doesn’t just create endless, clutter-causing replicas of documents. In fact, the company does everything from helping doctors virtually monitor patients to setting up call centers during natural disasters to making public transportation easier. To illustrate all these possibilities, the ad uses—what else?—hundreds of letter-size sheets of paper with images of all those things that tug at our heartstrings (babies, schoolchildren, grasped hands, a cozy home) and help you forget that you’re watching an ad for an enormous corporation. (www.adweek.com)

Quaker Oats And The NFL Kick Off New Sponsorship During The 2012 Draft

Today at the National Football League’s (NFL) PLAY 60 Youth Football Festival, The Quaker Oats Company, a division of PepsiCo, is kicking off its League sponsorship as the Official Hot Cereal Sponsor of the NFL. Quaker is serving a delicious and nourishing oatmeal breakfast at the two-day festival which helps kids learn healthy fitness and eating habits on and off the field.

At the event, 2012 NFL Draft prospect Andrew Luck will help motivate young athletes to be active and choose wholesome foods. “I make a hearty breakfast, like oatmeal, part of my morning routine to help me fuel up for the day. I’m happy to see the NFL and Quaker team up to help teach families about the powerful combination of good nutrition and physical fitness.”

According to experts, eating breakfast gives you a chance to start each day with a healthy and nutritious meal, laying the foundation for lifelong health benefits.(1) Throughout the relationship, Quaker and the NFL will team up in an effort to help families live healthier lifestyles through nourishing foods and physical activity, complementing the goals of NFL PLAY 60. As part of its commitment, Quaker will reach football fans and families through informative in-school and retail programming efforts aimed at raising awareness around the benefits of eating a whole grain breakfast.

“Powering up with wholesome foods and staying active are two key components that contribute to healthy living – athletes and families alike,” said Justin Lambeth, Chief Marketing Officer for Quaker Oats. “Quaker is honored to team up with the NFL and proud to serve Andrew Luck breakfast as he gears up for the Draft and shares healthy habits with kids at the NFL PLAY 60 Youth Football Festival.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Clean Coal Campaign Teams With NASCAR

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity today announced its first-ever sponsorship of a NASCAR team, JR Motorsports, the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Under the sponsorship, JR Motorsports cars will feature ACCCE logos, and members of the race team will be working with ACCCE to inform and educate Americans about the importance of coal and clean coal technology.

“Coal is America’s power, and we’re excited to be sponsoring one of America’s most successful sports teams,” said Evan Tracey, senior vice president for communications of ACCCE. “Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his team are one of the elite groups in racing and we’re proud to be partnering with them to continue to raise awareness of the importance of coal.”

Over this summer and fall, ACCCE’s team will be traveling to races and participating in events with drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Cole Whitt. In addition, ACCCE’s logos will appear on the team’s cars.

ACCCE will have associate sponsorship placement on Whitt’s car starting this week at Richmond International Raceway and continuing through the remainder of the season. ACCCE will be an associate sponsor on Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s No. 5 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on May 5. (www.sponsorship.com)

Small Screens, Big Dollars

THE annual spring upfronts, when television peddles its wares to Madison Avenue, has a new twist ahead of the 2012-13 season: Media companies that specialize in online video and other digital delights are adding themselves to the lineup of presentations by broadcast and cable TV outlets.

Last week marked the start of what is being called the Digital Content NewFronts, as new and new-ish faces like AOL, Google (with sibling YouTube), Hulu, Microsoft, Vevo and Yahoo schedule events amid those being held by regular upfront participants like E!, MTV, Oxygen, Scripps Networks Interactive and Syfy.

The goal of the NewFronts, or new upfronts, is to encourage marketers and agencies to spend more money on digital ads, either by increasing budgets or shifting to online media some of the estimated $70 billion a year that is spent on television commercials. Ad spending for online video has been growing strongly, but still totals, by most estimates, less than $2 billion a year.

Initially, the point of having a NewFront was “to beat a drum for change,” Mark Beeching, worldwide chief creative and strategy officer at Digitas, a digital agency owned by the Publicis Groupe, said at the Digitas NewFront on Thursday. “Now, it’s servicing a need.” (www.nytimes.com)

Gen Y Darling Bonobos Goes Brick-and-Mortar

Bonobos, the cheeky online purveyor of khakis for young men who hate to shop, is jumping from virtual retail to physical. The company recently announced a partnership with Nordstrom, and is headed to Boston, to open its first Guideshop.

The company, which has gotten plenty of Internet mileage out of its promise to eliminate unsightly “Khaki Diaper Butt,” also plans to introduce a collection of golf clothing this fall, and says that the expansion moves are just a natural part it evolution.

“We’ve built the brand by having a great product, paying close attention to customer service, and using an irreverent tone to appeal to guys who don’t like to shop and aren’t into fashion,” Tracy Keim, VP/ integrated marketing, tells Marketing Daily. “The next step is to take that value proposition to a broader audience.”

Nordstrom makes “the perfect partner for Bonobos,” which claims to be the biggest brand of Internet clothing, “because we both have this intense focus on customer service. We know customers will get the same kind of treatment there that they get from the customer service ninjas on our site.” (www.mediapost.com)

Sauza Tequila ‘Fireman’ Video Heats Up YouTube

A new Sauza Tequila video that’s encouraging women to “Make It With a Fireman” is generating viral heat.

The video’s real point is to get women to make a margarita recipe featuring Sauza Blue Tequila, as demonstrated by a hunky “fireman.” (Actually, a hunky model playing a fireman, but the desired effect is the same.)

In the 10 days since its YouTube posting on April 16, the video has pulled an impressive 656,000 views, and 1,250 likes (to 17 dislikes).

Much of the two-minute video is devoted to the fireman gazing intently at the viewer as he riffs about what he does (while doffing his fireman’s coat to better reveal his T-shirt-clad, toned physique).

“Being a fireman is about more than just putting out blazes and giving kittens CPR,” he confides in a soulful yet suggestive voice. “Sometimes my duty demands that I fan the flames…like when a call comes in from a lady who needs immediate assistance. Maybe she needs help with a computer thing. Maybe she wants to go antiquing. Could be as simple as understanding that walking in heels is hard…or that reliving that summer in Paris is easy…” (He speaks the last phrase in French; an English subtitle is provided.) Or…“Maybe it’s ladies’ night in, and she wants a simple, delicious recipe for margaritas, with a twist.” (www.mediapost.com)
Scotts Miracle-Gro Greens Email Marketing Efforts

Email marketers are constantly looking for more efficient ways to collect email addresses near the point of retail. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. recruited its store reps to help.

The program has roots in a Scotts executive appreciating the lawn care company’s email marketing program. Working in the South, the marketing executive found that as more people signed up to receive messages -– which came under a “My Turf Tips” umbrella — sales increased.

Deciding to expand the email list, he approached Kip Edwardson, the company’s digital marketing lead, who oversees email marketing. Edwardson suggested multiple tactics, including advertising, to enlarge reach.

However, the executive overseeing Scotts South wanted to move closer to the aisles at Lowe’s or Home Depot. With the permission of retailers, an initiative was launched allowing the store reps to sign people up. (www.mediapost.com)