Just as the Super Bowl ad analysis finally fades, comes another round of high-profile marketing with the start of the Olympics in South Korea. Coke and Toyota will make a major push, while diamond marketers will be trying to win some attention with a round of ads that come as Valentine's Day approaches.
Intel's plans didn't quite go as planned. The marketer said Friday that it broke its own Guinness World Record after showing a prerecorded video of 1,218 Intel Shooting Star drones flying in formation at the opening ceremony venue. Those watching on TV were always going to see the prerecorded video of the stunt, but Intel had intended to demonstrate a live version to those actually in attendance. The plans were cut short, however, "due to impromptu logistical changes," Intel says. The company says it still plans to fly some 300 Shooting Star drones each day of the Winter Games, weather permitting.
Below, a look at some of the Olympics ads:
Coke will rerun its diversity-themed Super Bowl ad, which got positive reviews for using gender neutral pronouns. But the brand will also add to the mix this more whimsical spot, in which characters on a mural come to life. The agency is Wieden & Kennedy.
If you watch the games even for a few minutes, it will be hard to miss Toyota, which not surprisingly is seizing on its new Olympics sponsorship with a round of new ads, including one starring figure skater Ashley Wagner. She failed to qualify to compete, but will be in South Korea filming content about "experiencing the Olympics from my point of view," she said on Instagram. Doesn't seem like much of a consolation. Toyota will also run several six-second ads, an internet-inspired format designed to land a message before jaded consumers tune out. Toyota has the exclusive rights to run the quick-format ads during the games, according to a spokeswoman. Here are all the six-second spots (mashed into one video), followed by some of the automaker's longer ads. Saatchi in the U.S. and Dentsu in Tokyo teamed up on campaign.
Diamonds, not gold, are the star of a new round of spots by the Diamond Producers Association as part of its "Real is Rare. Real is a Diamond" campaign. (Just in time for Valentine's Day.) The ads were handled by the NBCU Content Studio.
And SunTrust Banks is airing a 60-second spot as part of its "Saving for your Dreams" campaign, which encourages consumers to gain financial happiness through saving. In the ad, an 11-year-old figure skater increasingly wows judges and adult competitors alike as she spins and twirls, teddy bear in hand, to "What a feeling." The ad was created with New York-based StrawberryFrog.
Contributing: George Slefo, Adrianne Pasquarelli
