Nationwide Insurance "is returning to the Super Bowl" for the first time since '07 after the company "became the official insurance sponsor of the NFL in August and signed a new deal" with Broncos QB Peyton Manning in May, according to Ashley Rodriguez of AD AGE. Nationwide "has not released any details on its media buy or its creative plans," nor has it indicated which agency "will handle the Super Bowl push." McKinney, Durham, N.C., "is Nationwide's lead creative agency." The insurer also "tapped Ogilvy & Mather earlier this year to handle" the Manning campaign. The company's "first foray into Super Bowl advertising" was in '06 with an ad featuring Fabio and the tagline, "Life Comes at You Fast." It "followed up" in '07 with a spot featuring Kevin Federline (ADAGE.com, 12/11). Meanwhile, Nationwide execs said that Manning "is proving his worth as a popular marketing personality." Nationwide Senior VP/Brand Marketing Jennifer Hanley said that in fact, the 30-second television spot in which Manning "sings about 'chicken parm' and that 'new car smell' to the tune of Nationwide's 'on your side' jingle is proving to be an historic one." Hanley: "From a paid-media perspective, it's one of our single most effective ads ever." She added the Manning spot is one of the "most talked about ads in the history of Nationwide" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/10).
BECAUSE WE CARE: ADWEEK's Lauren Johnson noted Unilever's Dove Men+Care "will make its second appearance in the upcoming" Super Bowl after its first campaign during the '10 edition with its "be comfortable in your own skin" campaign. The decision to run another ad in the '15 Super Bowl "stems from research backing up the brand's goal of challenging typical macho stereotypes in advertising." Dove Men+Care Dir of Marketing Jennifer Bremner "couldn't confirm the ad's length or creative content, or during which quarter of the game it will run, but she said the spot builds" on the '10 ad's theme. To "help orchestrate some of that content, Dove Men+Care is considering setting up a social media command center, much like Anheuser-Busch will do" (
ADWEEK.com, 12/10).
