T-Mobile in a "surprise move" on Friday announced that the mobile phone company has bought three 30-second ads during Super Bowl XLVIII, and former NFLer Tim Tebow "will star in two" of the spots, according to Laura Petrecca of USA TODAY. Tebow in the ads "takes a comic turn" by taking on "wild, zany roles, all poking fun at the fact he doesn't have a National Football League contract -- and at cell-phone providers that require contracts." He is allowed to "take on gigs such as an obstetrician, a bull rider and a rock star." The third T-Mobile ad "has no actors" and instead features all text and "encourages consumers to break ties with their current carrier and join T-Mobile, which doesn't require contracts" (
USATODAY.com, 1/31). The Tebow ads will run in the second and third quarters, while the text ad will air in the fourth quarter. T-Mobile also is "running two spots during the pre-game" (
ADAGE.com, 1/31). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Suzanne Vranica reports T-Mobile "didn't even publicly disclose -- until now -- that it is advertising in the game" (
WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/31). One of the Tebow ads was aired Friday on ABC's "GMA," which Tebow was co-hosting. Co-host Robin Roberts said, "Hollywood is calling." Tebow said there was nothing he would not do for the spots because "you try to change it up a little bit, go outside of your comfort zone and show a different side" (
"GMA," ABC, 1/31).
BUILDING BLOX: ADWEEK’s David Griner reports GoldieBlox, a S.F.-based company that “creates engineering-themed games designed for girls,” has won Intuit’s “fan-voting contest to receive a free 30-second ad” in Sunday’s game. GoldieBlox beat out three other finalists to win the “Intuit Small Business Big Game” contest. The company was an “early front runner in the contest,” but its momentum was slowed when its “massively popular viral video was accused of using the Beastie Boys’ ‘Girls’ without permission.” The Rube Goldberg-inspired clip used in the contest will be replaced with a “new spot from agency RPA [that] will be unveiled during the third quarter” (ADWEEK.com, 1/31).
HEINZ PLAYS CATCH-UP: ADWEEK's Tim Nudd wrote Heinz Ketchup "walks the line between humorous and heartfelt" in its first Super Bowl ad in 16 years. The spot via Cramer-Krasselt, Chicago, is "heavy on images of feel-good Americana, as police officers, campers, bridesmaids and tailgaters hum the tune to 'If You're Happy and You Know It' -- punctuating each line not by clapping hands but by slapping the bottom of their ketchup bottles, trying to get the ketchup out." The ad "features several comic moments -- including one in which a hot-dog vendor appears to end up in a full-body cast after spilling ketchup on some mobsters" (ADWEEK.com, 1/30). Pittsburgh-based ad firm Elias/Savion Exec VP/Strategic & Creative Development Dan McCarthy said that the spot "is effective in promoting the Heinz brand in a positive, family-oriented way." Heinz North America CMO Jason West said the company is returning to the Super Bowl to "make sure that we're investing in our iconic Heinz brand" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 1/31).
TECH SUPPORT: In N.Y., Stuart Elliott writes while ad execs have not "figured out a surefire formula for Super Bowl success, some participants in the annual ad bowl may have more reason to be nervous than others." First-time Super Bowl advertiser WeatherTech is "pitching perhaps the most prosaic products ever proffered in a Super Bowl spot: car accessories like floor mats and cargo liners." WeatherTech CEO David MacNeil said, "I looked at some of the other spots. They’re very creative. Our spot will resonate, I believe, because it has a message near and dear to many, the core need in our country to create more jobs." MacNeil said that his commercial "will promote how the company is 'supporting American manufacturing' ... and act as a rebuttal to the naysayers who insisted, as the commercial is titled, 'You can’t do that'" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/31).
SPIDER SENSES: In L.A., McIntyre & Clark note a new teaser released Thursday for "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" is "designed to tout the movie's upcoming Super Bowl spot." The film "has Spidey battling multiple villains," including actor Jamie Foxx' Electro and Paul Giamatti's Rhino. In the brief clip, Spider-Man is "glimpsed unleashing some of his shocking powers, while Spidey flies through the sky and leaps onto the streets" of N.Y. (
LATIMES.com, 1/30). Ad Age Editor Abbey Klaassen said of advertisers releasing teasers ahead of the Super Bowl, "I think the Super Bowl is probably the only time of year when we actually see that. But when you're spending $4 million for 30 seconds of air time, you want to make sure everyone's perked up and paying attention when your spot comes up" (
"CBS This Morning," CBS, 1/30).
MARKETERS WEIGH IN: Frito-Lay North America CMO Ann Mukherjee and Pepsi Beverages North America CMO Simon Lowden on Thursday appeared together on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street," with Mukherjee noting, "Even before the Super Bowl has aired, we've already had 27 million views of our ads. We've already had a Super Bowl before the Super Bowl. It's so much fun." Lowden said people cannot just "think about advertising on the game on its own anymore" without an online component. He said the "marriage between" the Super Bowl ad and its online campaign "is important." Mukherjee: "You need that anchor, you need that stage, you need that buildup" ("Squawk on the Street," CNBC, 1/30).
POLITICIANS GET IN ON ACT: POLITICO's Emily Schultheis notes Florida businessman Curt Clawson, who is running on the Republican ticket in Florida for a vacant seat in the U.S. House, is "out with a sports-themed ad that will run during the Super Bowl" in his district. The ad featuring former Purdue Univ. basketball coach Gene Keady is a "six-figure buy, and will run once during the pre-game, twice during the game and once during halftime" (POLITICO.com, 1/31). Meanwhile, in Louisville, James Carroll reported U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell has "purchased ads in Kentucky to air on Fox stations in Louisville and Lexington" during the Super Bowl (COURIER-JOURNAL.com, 1/30).
