Every weekday we bring you the Ad Age/iSpot Hot Spots, new commercials tracked by iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. The ads here ran on national TV for the first time on March 17.
As we’ve noted in recent editions of Hot Spots, it’s been surreal to watch certain ads as the U.S. continues to react to the coronavirus pandemic—particularly those with scenes of happy people frollicking not only in public, but in close proximity. Marketers, though, are increasingly starting to swap in creative that acknowledges the global coronavirus pandemic, such as the Guinness commercial that appears in today’s batch (E.J. Schultz previewed the campaign on Friday: “‘Don’t worry, we’ll march again,’ Guinness says in ad after St. Patrick’s Day parade suspensions”). Other spots, like the one from Red Robin, are tonally pre-pandemic (obviously, given the lack of social distancing), but at least it promotes a service, food delivery, that works in the current marketplace. And then there’s the ad from Visit Las Vegas, aka the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, that quietly acknowledges the pandemic without ever specifically mentioning it. An announcer speaks of a time when you’ll be able to return to the vacation destination: “We just want you to know that when you’re ready, we’ll be ready—and better than ever.”