With the Super Bowl less than a week away, there is a "distinct lack of excitement surrounding this year’s commercial lineup" for the game, thanks in part to fewer advertisers "releasing teasers in advance of the most-watched TV event," according to Claire Atkinson of the N.Y. POST. Building buzz before the game "has been the go-to strategy for brands seeking to get the most bang for their buck," but this year, just a handful of marketers -- including Lexus, Dove Men+Care and Nationwide -- "are showing a little leg." Furthermore, at least among those "in the business of measuring pre-game buzz," the "handful of advance spots has generated little in the way of thrills." The top performer this year as of Thursday was "Victoria’s Secret with 743,000 views," whereas this time a year ago, Axe, Bud Light and Dannon "had generated around six million online views combined" (
N.Y. POST, 1/26).
TECH SECTOR: TODAY.com's Ben Popken reports former NBC "Today" anchors Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel "team up one more time in BMW's Super Bowl ad, and once again they're having trouble understanding fancy new technology." The ad "starts with a famous 1994 clip from TODAY where the two are faced with the task of trying to tell their viewers how to send an email to NBC." The anchors are "confused by the format of the email address and try to puzzle out the meaning of the 'at' symbol." In the Super Bowl spot, the two are "seated in BMW's new all-electric car built in a carbon neutral wind-powered factory," and as before, "they're a bit befuddled by the gizmo." Gumbel asks, "And it's built using wind, like from a wind mill?" Couric says, "Or a fan? Or a turbine? Or a fan...vine?" Gumbel then responds, "What is i3 anyway?" (
TODAY.com, 1/26). AD AGE's Jeanine Poggi noted Super Bowl advertisers like Anheuser-Busch, BMW and GoDaddy "are making NBC Universal's properties a key part of their marketing strategy, showing TV viewers Super Bowl ads early during 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' and the 'Today' show." NBC's "Today" this week "will preview commercials from BMW, GoDaddy, Snickers and Budweiser" (
ADAGE.com, 1/23).
CAR REC:
ADWEEK's Michael McCarthy notes NBC Sports is using actor Nick Offerman in a 60-second "mock music video ... urging Americans to 'get more NASCAR in your life.'" The ad "will air as the first spot after the final whistle in the game." NBC is "releasing just a 30-second teaser," called "Gut Check," in which Offerman "declares that only NASCAR can save 'soft' Americans from themselves." There also is an extended two-minute version of the ad, called "America Start Your Engines," which NBC will post on Wednesday. Offerman in the two-minute version "plays everything from a driver to an official breaking up a brawl to the guy waving the checkered flag," and he "hilariously raps about the 'bad-ass' appeal of NASCAR in Nanny State America." The ads were created by the net's "in-house unit," led by NBC Sports Group CMO John Miller, "with help from Hungry Man (and director Dave Laden)." NBC also is "planning a non-Offerman spot called 'Fan for Life' for Sunday's pre-game." All the spots "will air on NBC, NBCSN and other networks in the coming weeks" (
ADWEEK.com, 1/26). Offerman's fellow "Parks & Recreation" cast member
Aubrey Plaza is also featured in a Super Bowl campaign, as the lead voice for Newcastle's "Band of Brands" (
THE DAILY).
HOPING IT STICKS: In Minneapolis, David Phelps notes the estimated $4.5M that glue brand Loctite is paying for 30 seconds of broadcast time on NBC during the Super Bowl "dwarfed its previous advertising budgets for an entire year." Loctite Consumer Adhesives Marketing Dir Pierre Tannoux said, "This is where Loctite can get the level of engagement and conversation that it deserves." Fallon Chief Creative Officer Jeff Kling, whose Minneapolis-based ad firm handled the creative on the spot, said that he "feels no pressure" despite countless media outlets already "anticipating winners and losers in the advertising extravaganza" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/24).
