February 2014
SodaStream Super Bowl Ad Fails
Published February 14, 2014
For those that are lucky (and rich) enough to get their commercials aired during the Super Bowl, it’s generally a pretty exciting time. Having your brand displayed before the millions of people that tune into the big game can be a major boost to revenue, and businesses that can afford to do so will pay top dollar for the privilege. One such company was SodaStream, which debuted its marketing … Read more »
Coca Cola Ad Too Inclusive?
Published February 13, 2014
In many ways, the Super Bowl is the consummate American event. Few brands are more relevant worldwide than Coca Cola. What happens when the two mix? A commercial that has some conservatives up in arms. A one minute long ad for the soft drink, which premiered during the game, featured the song America the Beautiful, sung in seven different languages. The company explained that the goal was to showcase … Read more »
Is Oscar Marketing Too ‘Mean’ this Year?
Published February 12, 2014
Every year as we near closer to Oscar awards season, there’s a competition that goes on behind the scenes to promote the various films being considered. This happens relatively removed from the public eye but it represents the heated investment of resources that goes into swaying the Academy. And according to the New York Post, it’s getting progressively uglier. That paper recently quoted … Read more »
Is ‘Ambush Marketing’ Hurting the Olympics?
Published February 11, 2014
Along With the Winter Olympics in Sochi comes another inevitable athletic tradition: ads, ads, and more ads. But there’s something unique about this particular approach to selling fast food and sportswear, as Ira Boudway writes for Bloomberg Businessweek, and it often involves “ambush marketing.” The way this works is simple: companies buy up ad space that puts them adjacent to (but … Read more »
American Idol Twist Leaves Viewers Cold
Published February 10, 2014
Few shows in history have had the sort of success of Fox’s American Idol. The network’s tentpole hit has been going strong for 13 seasons, seamless integrating new hosts and competitors every year while retaining strong ratings. It’s not alone in the market, however. Other singing competition shows have cropped up, creeping into the space once totally dominated by Idol. That pressure … Read more »