Mini USA To Run Star-Studded Super Bowl Ad; A-B Decreases Ad Time Again
Mini USA is "readying a 30-second commercial for its Mini Clubman" to run during Super Bowl 50 starring six celebrities: tennis player Serena Williams, retired soccer player Abby Wambach, Baseball HOFer Randy Johnson, skateboarder Tony Hawk, rapper T-Pain and actor Harvey Keitel, according to Michael McCarthy of the N.Y. TIMES. All have "some history with the brand." Mini Brand Communications Department Head Tom Noble said, "Either they’ve driven in the car in the past, own the cars currently or have some sort of relationship." The commercial, which was conceived by California-based Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, will "mark the beginning of a six-month brand campaign centered on the theme: 'Defy Labels.'" Mini over the coming weeks will "roll out a series of online videos in which the endorsers will speak about disregarding the labels others have put on them" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/18).
BEER HERE: In St. Louis, Lisa Brown reported A-B "bought three minutes of airtime during the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, including the first spot immediately following kickoff." The brewer last year "bought 3 ½ minutes of airtime." A-B brand Shock Top is "making its debut in the big game, and Michelob Ultra is returning after a six-year absence." A-B said that as in past years, several of its Super Bowl ads will be "shared on social media in the days leading up to the game" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/15). AD AGE's E.J. Schultz noted A-B in '14 "used 240 seconds, so this is the second straight year the brewer's ad time has shrunk." As usual, the brewer "has exclusive category rights in the game." Bud Light will "get one single ad this year, and it is expected to be used to break a new campaign" from Wieden + Kennedy. Anomaly -- which is Budweiser's global agency of record -- will "handle the Bud and Shock Top ads." Ultra's ad is "being handled by the brand's lead agency, FCB Chicago, which won the business a year ago" (ADAGE.com, 1/15).
BANG FOR THE BUCK: In Chicago, Robert Channick wrote the digital pregame for many advertisers is "about to begin with a barrage of online teaser videos culminating in the full commercial reveal before the big game." With ads running at a reported $5M per 30-second spot -- the "most expensive airtime in TV history -- marketers are increasingly relying on digital platforms and promotions to get their money's worth." Building anticipation and buzz online has "become as important to advertisers as the game itself." Coming up with a spot that "has people talking the day after at the water cooler and on social media is the goal." Northwestern Univ. marketing professor Tim Calkins said, "It used to be you just had to worry about creating a great piece of advertising. Now you have to create great advertising, but you also need to put together an entire integrated marketing campaign around the advertising."
SAFETY FIRST: Calkins also "expects companies to avoid controversial themes in light of the fallout from last year's Nationwide ad, where a child talked about all the things he would miss because he died in an accident, prompting the insurance company to post a response to the 'fierce conversation' started by its Super Bowl ad." Calkins: "Companies are going to try to be very safe this year. All of the Super Bowl advertisers are very aware of what happened to Nationwide last year, and that's going to have an impact on what we see this year" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/16). NBCNEWS.com's Martha White cited industry observers as saying that advertisers during Super Bowl 50 are "expected to play it safe and stress positive or uplifting themes this year." Univ. of Detroit Mercy marketing professor Michael Bernacchi "agreed that the negative response to several of last year's Super Bowl ads will be fresh in advertisers' minds." He said, "I expect joviality, optimism -- I expect comedic ads, I expect lightheartedness" (NBCNEWS.com, 1/17).
