Toyota VP/Marketing Jack Hollis said the company is "definitely" buying commercial time during Fox' broadcast of Super Bowl XLVIII, as the company will highlight the new Toyota Highlander with a 60-second spot, according to McCarthy & Poggi of AD AGE. Hollis said that actress Kaley Cuoco "could appear again" in the ad. However, the company is "still working out its Super Bowl creative strategy" with lead agency Saatchi & Saatchi, L.A. Toyota "will take on a long list of car makers also advertising during the Big Game" including Chevrolet, Audi, Jaguar, Hyundai and Kia (ADAGE.com, 12/17). THE MOTLEY FOOL's Brandy Betz wrote advertisers "know the Super Bowl provides a captive audience that's paying far greater attention to ad breaks than a normal television audience," but companies "still need to pull out all the stops to make the ad memorable beyond game week." E-Trade's decision not to return as a Super Bowl advertiser plus GM's decision to return "shows that companies carefully consider whether the high pricetag will pay off." The "best returns on investment include memorable ads with a social networking strategy that will carry the message beyond the big game" (FOOL.com, 12/17).
FACEBOOK TO MAKE A PLAY? In N.Y., Claire Atkinson reports Facebook may be "looking to cash in on the Super Bowl with its new auto-play video advertising." The new ad format is set to launch in a test phase tomorrow, though agencies "say Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 2, was blacked out from future schedules." Mediacom Global Head of Digital Media Investment Vik Kathuria said that Madison Avenue "is thrilled with the development and expects Twitter will be close behind with something similar" (N.Y. POST, 12/18).
