Groupon is "returning to the Super Bowl advertising line-up" for the first time "since its disastrous debut" as an advertiser in '11, according to Lewis Lazare of the CHICAGO BUSINESS JOURNAL. Groupon's '11 ad featured actor Timothy Hutton "talking about the people of Tibet and their problems while promoting a fish curry deal on Groupon." Many viewers "found the spot deeply offensive and politically incorrect." The company, under the leadership at the time of Founder & CEO Andrew Mason, was the "focus of a whole lot of ill-will." Mason has since departed, and Groupon apparently "felt emboldened to return to the NFL's title game once more." Sources were "reluctant to talk about the content of the new spot" except to say that it will "feature a celebrity from the entertainment world." Lazare noted the new spot will "mark the debut" of Groupon's ad agency of record O'Keefe Reinhard & Paul, Chicago, as a player in the Super Bowl (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/19). Groupon VP/North America Marketing Jon Wild said that the company will release the ad prior to Super Bowl LII, which will "allow the audience to interact with it." Groupon also has "plans for a big social push to support the spot" (ADWEEK.com, 12/19).
SEE HOW THEY STACK UP: AD AGE's Jeanine Poggi reported Pringles will "air its first Super Bowl ad to kick off its new 'Flavor Stacking' campaign." The 30-second spot will run during the first half of the game, though Pringles "did not reveal details of the spot" created by Grey Group, N.Y. A Pringles spokesperson said the focus will be on "celebrating fun and encouraging playful behavior" (ADAGE.com, 12/19).
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: The GLOBE & MAIL's Christine Dobby reports Canada's Federal Court of Appeal has "dismissed Bell Media's appeal of a regulatory edict that bars the company from substituting its own television feed and advertising for the U.S. signal during the Super Bowl." Bell has been fighting the ruling from the CRTC "for almost three years." The company has "complained bitterly about the policy" that prevents Bell from "running Canadian ads on U.S. stations that air in Canada." As a result, it said that the change in policy led to a 39% "decline in its audience for the game this year" and a drop of C$11M in advertising revenue (GLOBE & MAIL, 12/20).
