GM Global CMO Tim Mahoney this week said that Chevrolet "won't advertise" during Super Bowl XLIX next month "due to timing of its vehicle launches," according to Melissa Burden of the DETROIT NEWS. Chevy "aired two, 60-second ads" during Super Bowl XLVIII last year. Mahoney said that Chevy will "have presence in and around" this year's game, but "not in the game itself." Burden noted Chevy will award the game's MVP a new Colorado pickup. GM's Buick, GMC and Cadillac brands also "don't plan to advertise" during the game. Acura Senior VP & GM Mike Accavitti said that the brand, which has advertised in past Super Bowls, also "will sit on the sidelines this year" (DETROIT NEWS, 1/13). AD AGE's Jeanine Poggi noted GM is the latest automaker "passing on the Big Game this year." Other recent Super Bowl auto advertisers -- including Lincoln, Jaguar and Honda -- "are all out." For some automakers, the reason behind the decision is "simply the timing of new car launches" (ADAGE.com, 1/13).
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GoDaddy execs hope the new Super Bowl ad
will hit an emotional chord with viewers
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AND THEY CALL IT PUPPY LOVE: USA TODAY's Bruce Horovitz notes A-B and GoDaddy both will "feature golden retriever puppies as stars" in their upcoming Super Bowl ads. What is more, both spots are "about lost puppies." Golden Gate Univ. professor Kit Yarrow said, "When it comes to Super Bowl advertising, the only thing more powerful than an ample bosom is a puppy." Horovitz notes last year's Ad Meter winner "was an A-B commercial featuring a puppy that befriends a Clydesdale." That same puppy "returns this year, but this time the puppy is lost, and the famous Budweiser Clydesdales try to find it." Meanwhile, GoDaddy's Super Bowl spot, "Journey Home," still "includes an appearance" by NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, but it will "focus on the puppy and GoDaddy's bid to help small-business owners." GoDaddy CMO Barb Rechterman: "We know that puppies hit an emotional chord with people. Puppies garner more news media coverage. And we want to get the spot watched" (USA TODAY, 1/14).
CHEESE HEAD: In Milwaukee, Nancy Stohs notes as part of the campaign web development company Wix.com is producing to accompany its debut Super Bowl ad, it is promoting Favre & Carve, a fictitious business that features former NFLer Brett Favre "selling Wisconsin cheeses and Southern specialty meats." Favre appears in a new commercial "dressed in butcher garb and sporting a wide smile." The campaign also includes Emmitt Smith's Double Deuce Club, a "country dancing school and hangout;" Terrell Owens' T.O's Humble Pies; Franco Harris' Immaculate Receptions, casting him "as a celebrity wedding planner;" and Larry Allen' All Pro Tow -- a "towing service powered only by muscles" (
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/13).
COST CONSCIOUS: AD AGE's Ashley Rodriguez noted Wisconsin-based American Family Insurance will make its "third Super Bowl appearance this year with a 30-second regional ad buy." The insurer "considered making its first national buy" this year, but decided to stay with a local approach "because of the flexibility and cost-savings." The spot "will run in 70 markets," including Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Atlanta and parts of the Midwest. The company will air a 60-second version of the spot in some markets to "give customers a deeper look at the brand." In others, where people are already familiar with the company, it will "push a shorter spot" (ADAGE.com, 1/13).
