Increase In Auto, Real Estate Ads Shows Companies Signs Of Economy Strenghtening

While there will be “plenty of ads for the usual cheap thrills like beer, soda, snacks and movies, a surge of automobile ads and the first Super Bowl real estate ad in two decades indicate that advertisers are betting that the economy is strong enough for big-ticket purchases in 2012,” according to Carolyn Said of the S.F. CHRONICLE. S.F.- based ad agency Pereira & O'Dell Chief Creative Officer P.J. Pereira said, “When cars and real estate (companies) are advertising, it feels like a very good sign of recovery.” Lexus VP/Marketing & Dealer Development Brian Smith added, “We, like many of the automotive companies, are feeling much more bullish about this year and next year.” Said reported Century 21 is "sponsoring its first-ever Super Bowl ad,” which features Donald Trump, Pro Football HOFer Deion Sanders and Gold Medal-winning U.S. speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno. Century 21 CMO Bev Thorne: “It has been 21 years since any other real estate company advertised in the Super Bowl. We think this is a perfect time to signal our confidence in the dream of homeownership." Said noted advertisers “are offering sneak [peeks] online and even in movie theaters” instead of unveiling commercials during the game. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners co-Chair and Creative Dir Jeff Goodby said, “It used to be you'd guard ads carefully [in advance]. Some advertisers like Budweiser would have special private viewings of their Super Bowl ad; it was a titillating inside thing to get invited to. Now people see them on YouTube before the game." Said noted about “one-third of Super Bowl advertisers will offer a shortcut for viewers to visit them online without typing in a URL.” Their ads “will work with smart-phone app Shazam” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/29).

FIVE ON FIVE: Hyundai today announced it will launch five total ads around Sunday's game, including two pregame spots, one in a pre-kick time slot and two during the actual game broadcast. The two in-game ads, which were developed by Hyundai's in-house agency, Innocean Worldwide Americas, will highlight performance characteristics. "Cheetah," a 30-second spot slated for the first quarter, features a caged cheetah set to race a new Veloster Turbo on a long stretch of open road. "Think Fast," a 30-second spot set for the fourth quarter, introduces a character that will star in Hyundai's social media efforts named Bob (Hyundai). MARKETING DAILY's Karl Greenberg reports Hyundai previously has "tended to hammer home messages about vehicle durability and reliability," but the automaker is "doing more humorous creative this time." A 60-second pre-kick spot will feature a "slightly more offbeat approach than what it did in last year's game." The '11 ad featured "real employees at its Montgomery, Ala. assembly plant," and this year's commercial again will show "that facility and its people." However, this year they "are in an absurd elaboration of Hyundai's take on 'If at first you don't succeed'" (MARKETING DAILY, 1/30).