The Super Bowl Spots That Got Inside Consumers Heads
Brain Activity Spiked for Coke, Bud Light, but Minds Were Nearly Numb to Drug Office
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- In one of the odder but potentially most revealing looks at Super Bowl ads to date, start-up "neuromedia" research firm Sands Research last week strapped caps with electrodes linked to electroencephalography machines on the noggins of about 20 test subjects in El Paso, Texas.
Watch All the Super Bowl Spots
From Bud to Pepsi to Victoria's Secret, They're All Here
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Did you miss one of the Super Bowl ads? Never fear, Ad Age has gathered them all up and presents them here for your viewing pleasure. From Anheuser-Busch's spot with Will Ferrell to Justin Timberlake's action-packed Pepsi spot and Coca Cola's "It's Mine," watch them all as often as you like.
Garfield: Madison Avenue Blows Big Game
On Their Biggest Day, Marketers and Agencies Field a Weak Team
And advertising people wonder why the public views them with contempt. The industry's annual showcase Sunday -- otherwise known as the Super Bowl -- featured commercials that peddled soft porn, sold soda pop as a drug, trivialized charitable causes, ridiculed ethnic Americans, terrified small children and contemplated running over a sissy with a car.
2008 Super Bowl Top 10 Most-Liked, Most-Recalled Spots
IAG Research Ad Ratings: Consumers Like NFL's 'Mr. Oboe' Ad Best
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- NFL's "Mr. Oboe" spot was the commercial most liked by viewers during Super Bowl XLII. See the full IAG lists of top-liked and top-recalled spots from this year's Super Bowl.
Monkeying With Agencies Doesn't Help CareerBuilder
Site's Super Bowl Spots Poll Even Worse in This Year's USA Today Ad Meter
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- A weak showing in last year's USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter got (or, depending on whom you believe, contributed to getting) CareerBuilder's agency, Cramer-Krasselt, fired. So, uh, does a significantly worse showing in this year's survey mean that the online job site's new agency, Wieden & Kennedy, ought to be worried?
Which Super Bowl Ads Are Still Getting Chatter?
Depends on Whom You Ask, but E-Trade, Pepsi, A-B, Audi, Doritos and GoDaddy Make the Cut
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Who scored the most popular Super Bowl ad this year? The research referees are still trying to make the call. If TiVo views are any indication, then a talking baby and Justin Timberlake were the most-watched stars in last night's Super Bowl ads. In the social-media space (blogs, community forums, social networks), the three marketers getting the most mentions the day after the game were Anheuser-Busch, Audi and GoDaddy, according to preliminary data from Cymfony, a unit of TNS Media Intelligence.
Super Bowl Breaks Ratings Records
97.5 Million Tuned in for Patriots vs. Giants
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- An average of 97.5 million people watched last night's Super Bowl. According to Fox, which aired the game, the number makes the riveting contest between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants the most-watched edition of the contest in terms of viewers.
The Super Bowl Ads Bob Garfield Didn't Like
Watch the Ad Age Ad Critic's Postgame Video Show
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Ad Age ad critic Bob Garfield disliked so many commercials in this year's Super Bowl that his report about them makes up his full seven-minute postgame video show. Looking beyond just creative quality or selling effectiveness, Garfield asks larger cultural questions about the TV spots. For instance, is it acceptable to use ad imagery likely to scare young children as Audi and CareerBuilder.com did in this year's Bowl? Is it right to turn cause marketing for AIDS or cancer cures into a hard sell for Dell or McDonald's products? Was the Victoria's Secret spot aimed at anything other than young males' fantasies? Was it appropriate for Pepsi to pitch its Diet Pepsi Max as if it were a drug rather than a soft drink? And was the joke that ended the Bridgestone tire commercial grounded in homophobia?
GoDaddy Super Bowl Spot Sets Web-Traffic Record
'Banned Ad' Strategy Results in 2 Million Hits to Site
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- What happens when you put Danica Patrick and a beaver in the same spot -- and then don't air it on the Super Bowl?
Brands Seem to Miss Goal at Super Bowl
Matt Creamer Finds Hot Parties but Lack of Cool Marketing at Big Event
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AdAge.com) -- It's the parties, thrown by everyone from Maxim to CAA to Sports Illustrated, that draw the heavy hitters, many of whom don't bother to go to the game. And the marketing -- well, let's just say it wasn't exactly the best that good ol' American salesmanship has to offer.
Whose Super Bowl Ads Scored Online?
Pepsi, CareerBuilder, Tide All Use Search Wisely After the Game
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Pepsi, CareerBuilder, GoDaddy, Tide, T-Mobile and Cars.com all scored big in the fourth-annual Super Bowl search report card, compiled by search-engine-marketing firm Reprise Media. The biggest losers: Disney, Zantac and Hershey -- along with the entertainment industry -- which had negligible connections between their game-day ads and online presences.
True Confessions of a Super Bowl Ad Virgin
Under Armour Exec Offers Play-by-Play Behind Bold Brand Buy
No Super Bowl spot this year had more riding on it than Under Armour's dark and intense 60-second spot that was set to air in the first quarter. Consider that the marketer's stock fell more than 35% -- obliterating more than $700 million in market capitalization -- after word leaked that the marketer was shelling out close to a third of its full-year 2006 ad budget for a single commercial to back its first foray into non-cleated footwear. While stock eventually regained most of the lost value, the evidence of what was at risk wasn't lost on Steve Battista, Under Armour's VP-brand, who recounts for Ad Age his experience as a first-time Super Bowl advertiser.
Did You Hear the One About the 2-Second Spot?
Weatherproof PR Ploy Pays as Press Duped by Phantom Commercial
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Super Bowl media stunts take many forms, but a sham press release from the Weatherproof Garment Co. will go down as one of the tackier and more effective ways to get some attention around the Super Bowl. And unlike, say, GoDaddy, with its annual attempt to create controversy by getting its ads banned, the outerwear company didn't have to pony up several million dollars for the buzz -- it just hired a publicist, Ronn Torossian.
Who's Buying What in Super Bowl XLII
A Rundown of Marketers and Their Spots in the Big Game
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- On Feb. 3, Fox will air the National Football League's Super Bowl XLII. The Bowl has always been a major TV event. Last year, 93.2 million viewers tuned in to the game, which aired on CBS, and marketers paid as much as $2.6 million for a 30-second spot. This year, Fox has gotten some marketers to pay as much as $2.7 million to $3 million per 30 seconds to appear in the game. Below is a list of marketers who will be running ads this year.
Do the Chicken Dance for KFC? NFL Doesn't Think So
'Hot Wings' Promo Could Fall Flat If No NFL Players Participate
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- KFC Corp. has cooked up a tasty bit of ambush marketing for the Super Bowl, but what if the players turn out to be too chicken to play along?
Don't Flush Your Ad Down the Super Bowl
Unless Your Spot Has Fundamental Cognitive Elements, No One Will Recall Your Brand
If you're not Bud, don't bother. You might make a cool ad, a memorable ad, an ad beloved by all who behold it, but unless you've incorporated some very fundamental cognitive elements, your ad for the biggest stage in the advertising world most likely will be attributed to Bud.
Brands Use the Bowl to Broaden Their Appeal
Marketers That Normally Target Narrow Audiences Aim for Both Genders
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- With niche cable channels, websites and social networks sprouting up regularly, advertisers can target their consumers with more precision than ever before. But that strategy doesn't necessarily play when 93 million viewers -- Nielsen's measurement of last year's audience -- are making their eyes available for ads all at the same time.
Advertisers Score With Any Place in Game
Patriots' Pursuit of Record Ensures Eyeballs for the Fourth Quarter
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- The New England Patriots and the New York Giants are from two top-five markets, and their storylines are compelling enough to hold an audience's attention whether the game is close or not, according to marketers and ad buyers.
White House Takes New Tack in Drug War
Super Bowl Spot Cautions Against Prescription-Drug Abuse by Teens
WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) -- The White House drug office will use its first Super Bowl spot in four years to caution that the biggest teen drug danger could be the legal medicines stored in parents' medicine chests.
Why Bridgestone Has Three Ads for Two Bowl Slots
First Spots in Big Game Feature Richard Simmons, Alice Cooper
DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- Bridgestone Firestone North America was so impressed with three ideas pitched by its agency, the Richards Group, for the Super Bowl that it produced all three, even though it had bought only two 30-second slots during the game.
Under Armour Stock Starts to Rebound
Share Price Plunged 35% After Company Bought First Super Bowl Spot
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Shares of Under Armour are recovering today after last week's plunge following news that the athletic-apparel company bought its first Super Bowl ad -- a purchase estimated to amount to one-third of its total media budget.
Outnumbered Bud Tests Best for A-B
Brewer Likely to Back Brand With Only One of Its Super Bowl Spots
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- While six of the game-high seven spots in Anheuser-Busch's 2008 Super Bowl lineup are dedicated to Bud Light, the Budweiser brand's lone 60-second spot may score the biggest points with viewers if A-B's extensive pre-game testing is any indication, said Bob Lachky, the brewer's exec VP-global industry development.
Unilever Roils Agency Giants, Punts Bowl Spot to Boutique
BrandThinkTank Quarterbacked Sunsilk Global Campaign; Design Agency Desgrippes Gobe Gets Call for Big Game
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- Unilever's Super Bowl ad for Sunsilk, which breaks during the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, may signal time's almost up for the traditional agency model, too.
Pepsi Hopes to Make Killing With Monster Promo
Huge Inflatable Character Will Star in the Soft-Drink Giant's Biggest Stuff Push
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In the first of several marketing initiatives, Pepsi's 60-foot inflatable Gift Monster will make its way through Manhattan, making a dozen stops before reaching Times Square today. At each stop, a crew will give away Pepsi Stuff points and merchandise. The monster and its crew will then head south to make an appearance at the Super Bowl.
Bud Light Steals A-B's Ad Thunder at Super Bowl
Top Seller Gets Seven of Nine Spots -- an Estimated $18 Million of Brewer's Buy
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Anheuser-Busch plans to devote at least seven of its nine Super Bowl spots to Bud Light -- believed to be the most ads ever placed behind a single brand in the big game.
Why Hyundai Didn't Forfeit Spots
Less-Than-Impressive Creative Kept Carmaker Waffling Before Bowl
DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- Hyundai Motor North America ended its Hamlet-like indecision last week, saying it will use the ad time it has bought for the Super Bowl.
Nationwide on Sideline for Super Bowl
Insurer Opts for Nascar Sponsorship Instead
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- Despite back-to-back Super Bowl spots, with Kevin Federline in 2007 and Fabio in 2006, Nationwide has decided to stay out of the game in 2008, shifting the extra dollars from its estimated $100 million annual budget to an expensive Nascar sponsorship.
Hyundai Decides to Keep Its Ads in Super Bowl
Backtracks From Earlier Talk and Denies Creative Was Behind Its Waffling
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In what seems a most unlikely ploy to drum up pre-Super Bowl buzz, Hyundai Motor North America today ended its Hamlet-like indecision and said it is committed to keeping the ad time that it has bought for the Super Bowl.
Hyundai May Pull Out of Super Bowl
Automaker Blames Economy, Wonders If Ad Buy Is 'Best Thing to Do'
DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- Hyundai Motor America is considering withdrawing as a Super Bowl advertiser, according to a report in Automotive News. The automaker blames a worsening economy, a Hyundai spokesman said.
Audi Super Bowl Spot to Feature 'Godfather' Motif
Commercial Aims to Represent 'Classic American Struggle' Over Luxury
DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- Audi of America will tap into Paramount's "Godfather" movie saga for its 60-second Super Bowl commercial, which will show off the sleek R8 sports car.
Who Just Made a Bowl Buy? It's a Big Secret
After Years on Sideline, Lingerie Retailer Victoria's Secret Gets Back in the Game
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- For the first time since 1999, Victoria's Secret has purchased a 30-second Super Bowl spot, which is slated to run once during the second half of the game. Executives at the Limited Brands unit declined to reveal what was spent on the buy, but Fox has sold spots for as much as $3 million for the Feb. 3 event.
White House Drug Office Has Super Bowl Plans
ONDCP Known for Stern, Humorless Spots During Big Game Filled With Kooky Ads
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Get ready for a scolding about drug use when you're most likely to be in a mood for humor, surprise and a couple of stiff drinks. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, which has a history of running grim, discomforting commercials during the joyous Super Bowl, is planning a return to the big game, according to people familiar with the situation.
Kevin Federline Finally Finds Some Success
Britney's Ex Beats Out Jessica Simpson, Sheryl Crow for Most-Talked-About Super Bowl Ad
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Like chips and seven-layer dip, celebrity ads have become a Super Bowl staple. But marketers need more than a famous face to resonate with viewers -- they need buzz, according to new market research from Cymfony, a division of TNS Media Intelligence.
Doritos Got a Winning Spot, Creators Won Recognition
Super Bowl Contest Jump-started Five Point Productions
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- For the winners of a create-your-own-ad contest sponsored by Frito-Lay's Doritos for last year's Super Bowl, promoting themselves and their work, rather than a bag of chips, was the real goal.
Nissan Takes the Local Route to the Super Bowl
Automaker to Make Spot Buys on Fox Network Affiliates to Push Murano
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Nissan Motor Co. is quietly mulling a large spot buy that would allow the automaker to run lots of local ads on various Fox TV stations and affiliates during the Super Bowl, according to people close to the situation.
Fox Makes Out Like Bandit With 'Idol' and Bowl
Strike-Proof Programs Put Net in Catbird Seat Heading Into Next Year
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- With Fox readying its singing-contest juggernaut "American Idol" for January and the Super Bowl airing in February, the network is in the strongest position going into 2008.
Coca-Cola Wants a Seat at the Super Bowl
Soda Giant Mulls Another Return to Game That's Served as Pepsi Showcase
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The Super Bowl is known best as a gridiron contest between NFL greats. But it is fast emerging as a battleground between two of the marketing world's greatest rivals: Coke and Pepsi.
NFL Signs Bridgestone for Super Bowl Halftime Shows
Tire Company's Title-Sponsor Deal Includes Pro Bowl
DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- Bridgestone Firestone North America has inked a multimillion-dollar deal with the National Football League to be the title sponsor of the next two Super Bowls, which will give the marketer a showcase during the halftime shows.
Super Bowl Is 90% Sold Out
Buyer Says Fewer Than 10 Spots Left
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Months before the first dip of a halftime-show buffalo wing, ad time on the Super Bowl is nearly sold out, according to people familiar with the situation. One media buyer estimated News Corp.'s Fox has "less than 10, but more than five" 30-second spots left to sell. A person familiar with the situation said Fox has sold more than 90% of its ad time for the game.
Cars.com Already Laying Out Its Super Bowl Plans
Site Says It Will Kick Off Big Spending Year With Two Spots in February Game
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- It's only early October, and consumers are likely to be thinking more about new TV shows or Thanksgiving turkey than they are about Super Bowl ads or buffalo wings. Even so, one small advertiser is seizing the opportunity to announce its berth in the Big Game.
'American Idol' Vs. The Super Bowl
Tale of the Tape: A Showdown Between the Biggest Live Events on TV
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Next year could prove to be a very profitable one for Fox, thanks to all the revenue it's likely to rake in from two of the biggest live events of the TV season: the Super Bowl and the "American Idol" finale. Given the TiVo-proof nature of live events, the two franchises are bound to get a lot of marketer attention.
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