For the first time since '85, PepsiCo "won't feature"
ads for its flagship brand during the Super Bowl, according
to Louise Kramer of AD AGE. PepsiCo, which spent about
$6.5M last year on five, 30-second Super Bowl spots, will
now focus on spending those funds "later in the year" during
the spring and summer seasons. PepsiCo has spent $3.2M for
two spots on this year's game -- one for Mountain Dew and
the other for its new Pepsi One. PepsiCo "won't gather
bottlers prior" to the Super Bowl as it usually does, but
will instead hold meetings in March (AD AGE, 1/11 issue).
GREAT FEET? BRANDWEEK's Terry Lefton reports that
first-time Super Bowl advertiser Just For Feet (JFF) will
"use its third-quarter spot as a promotional vehicle,
offering consumers a chance to win a Hummer if they can
identify a secret message within the spot." During the
league's championship games this weekend, JFF's 15-second
teasers will ask viewers to watch and "tape the Super Bowl
spot to glean the message, then enter to win" via an 800
number or the company's Web site (BRANDWEEK, 1/11 issue).
BROWARD REBUFFED? In Miami, Paul Brinkley-Rogers wrote
that the NFL has "practically left" Super Bowl co-sponsor
Broward County "out of the game" by focusing on Miami and
Miami Beach. On Superbowl.com, Broward County, which spent
$480,000 on the event, is not even mentioned as a game host.
NFL Dir of Int'l PR Pete Abitante said the omission of
Broward and Palm Beach counties was "not intended as a
slight," but that it "reflected the fact that when most
Americans think of traveling" to South FL, they think of
Miami Int'l Airport (MIAMI HERALD, 1/11).
