Super Bowl ad teaser season is in full-swing, with brands such as Bud Light, Snickers, Mercedes-Benz andVictoria's Secret all releasing videosin recent days in an attempt to win the ad game before the big game.
But one brand has been at it for months:Pepsi, which began promoting its halftime sponsorship back in November, with a video starring halftime performer Katy Perry and another featuring Blake Shelton. From Thanksgiving Day to the Super Bowl, Pepsi will churn out nearly 40 pieces of "halftime" digital content, three times what the brand produced ahead of last year's Super Bowl, according to Pepsi.
The latest videos are debuting today and feature three digital shorts starring comedian Craig Robinson and his real-life band, "The Nasty Delicious." In the series, Mr. Robinson tries to finagle his way into the halftime show. The series will culminate when the band plays not the Super Bowl, but during a "Key & Peele"Super Bowl comedy specialairing on Comedy Central on Jan. 30.
The digital series was conceived and written byThe Brooklyn Brothersagency and came as a result of PepsiCo's ongoing deal with Viacom.OMDis Pepsi's media agency.
The overall campaign, called "Hyped for Halftime," comes as Pepsi tries to squeeze as much return as possible out of its four-year halftime sponsorship deal, which expires after the 2016 game. Pepsi has not disclosed financial details on the deal. In 2012, Sports Business Journalestimatedthat the previous sponsor, Bridgestone, was paying "upward of $7 million a year."
A PepsiCo spokeswoman confirmed that the sponsorship not yet been renewed. "We'll evaluate after next year," she said, noting the branding potential of the the 2016 game, which will mark the Super Bowl's 50th anniversary and be held in Levi's Stadium in the Bay Area. "We continue to see a really strong ROI on it. It's one of the largest pop culture events in the world and an important property for us."
The brand's strategy is to "extend well beyond the 12-minute halftime show," said Emily Silver, senior director of media and digital solutions for PepsiCo North America Beverages. "Last year we really only focused on [promoting halftime] about month out. This [time] we are doing stuff all season long."
In each video, Pepsi encourages fans to use the simple hashtag, "#halftime," just as it did last year. According to Pepsi, 83% of the "#halftime" hashtag uses in the past two months have been linked with the Super Bowl, which is up "single digits" from the same period last year. Pepsi views those results as a sign that its strategy is working. "That for us is really helpful because it is making the link between Super Bowl, halftime show and what we are doing on Pepsi," Ms. Silver said.
Following in the footsteps of other omnipresent consumer brands with something arty to prove, Pepsi MAX made a huge mess with mousetraps and Ping-Pong balls for a video it calls "Chain Reaction."
With the help of London filmmakers HarrimanSteel, a perfect grid of mousetraps was laid out, with a Ping-Pong ball balanced on each one. After all that work, a single ball was launched under some of the most dramatic lighting I've ever seen to upset the whole display. The ball then rolls down a big science-museum funnel into another Ping-Pong ball/mousetrap installation, this one with colored spheres.
All this happens to the beat of music that sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks' take on dubstep, and I don't know how to feel about that at all.
I shouldn't like the more pretentious visual choices being made here, but I do, because it's fun to watch huge companies clutch their pearls at the thought of being a constant, low-humming presence in the back of consumers' minds. I'm not sure it justifies the filmmakers hugging at the end like they've landed a rover on Mars, though.
As part of a two-day street oriented competition in the NYC borough, attendees could virtually take on skating with the athletes
The 10th Anniversary season of Mountain Dew’s Dew Tour continued last weekend with the Toyota City Championships held in Brooklyn, New York. The third stop on the 2014 schedule saw many of the world’s best BMX and skateboard athletes take part in the action, and attendees were also given the chance to get involved through a unique VR experience.
The two-day street-oriented competition took place at the House of Vans, with competitions including BMX streetstyle, skateboard streetstyle, BMX street, and skateboard street. The Dew Tour organizers worked with the City to close down Franklin Street for a distinctive streetstyle course which combined real-life street obstacles with reinforced structures. Inside the House of Vans, the street course challenged athletes to demonstrate their technical skills and create unique lines through the features.
During the event, Mountain Dew debuted itsVirtual Reality Skate Experience. This live-action 3D, 360°, binaural audio-branded experience is one of the first of its kind developed for the new Oculus Rift DK2 developer headset. Fans who attended the action sports exhibition in Brooklyn were given the chance to virtually become part of the Dew Skate Team. They were able to feel as though they were riding alongside legendary pros like Paul Rodriguez and Sean Malto through some of the most iconic spots in Las Vegas.
For attendees, it was a ride down the Vegas strip they would likely never forget. The epic virtual reality skateboarding experience put fans in the center of the action and after they were done, they walked away with a split-screen video of their experience, which they could share with friends and family on social media.
Mountain Dew’s digital agency Firstborn created the experience, working with legendary skate filmmaker Ty Evans to get hold of the best shots for virtual immersion. The development process ranged from 3D-printed camera rig prototypes, to proprietary software design for the new Oculus unit, and beyond. You can check out a behind-the-scenes video for the Mountain Dew Virtual Reality Skate Experience.
It doesn't look like much; it's an unmarked door among a small stretch of offices 30 miles north of Manhattan. But through that portal PepsiCo has ushered in consumers to test various iterations of its recently launched fountain machines.
Pepsi's Spire
Inside, each of the three versions of PepsiSpire—the largest of which allows consumers to customize drinks in up to 1,000 ways—are displayed alongside prototypes for new vending machines and coolers. There is the social-vending machine that allows people to gift each other beverages. And next to that, a cooler with a translucent screen that lets the company display its beverages while running a loop of marketing messages.
"In this facility alone we've cycled through hundreds of consumers of different ages, who have interacted with the user experience and the [user interface] of the machines," said Brad Jakeman, PepsiCo's president-global beverages group. "We wanted to make it as intuitive as possible and find the perfect balance between consumer engagement and efficiency." It's also about finding the right balance between marketing and sales, consumers and customers, choice and inundation.
PepsiCo Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini said the Pepsi Spire portfolio is one of the best examples of the company's desire to make design a collaborative effort. A diverse cross-functional team, including designers, marketers, sales execs and flavor scientists, worked to generate ideas, prototype, test and tweak the machine.
To the extent it's possible, that team was charged with "future-proofing" the Spire, Mr. Jakeman said, explaining they talked to consumer-electronics manufacturers and trend forecasters. "There's engineering within the machine that may not be activated on day one. We didn't want to over-complicate it on day one," he said. "It was tempting."
Mauro Porcini
"Good design is when you're able to surprise people," added Mr. Porcini. "For some time they are disoriented. There's a learning curve. The trick is how long is the learning curve."
The company has been researching and refining Pepsi Spire for years—its chief rival,Coca-Cola, launched its own futuristic fountain machine in 2009. There are now 20,000 Coca-Cola Freestyle units around the country, and the company is in the midst of rolling out new formats. PepsiCo hopes to have 2,000 units in the market by the end of the year.
For Pepsi, this is an important play. The fountain channel accounts for nearly a quarter of total soft-drink volume, according to Beverage Digest. And Coke dominates with a share of about 70% compared with Pepsi's 19%.
"Obviously there's a competitive machine out there. As we were developing this, we were looking at what was working and what wasn't working," said Mr. Jakeman. "That led us to this notion of more choice to the consumer and more formats for the customer. … We also wanted to celebrate bigger screens, so it feels like an entertainment platform when you serve the beverage. We didn't want to create a machine that had a screen like an ATM."
Back lighting behind the Spire's screen synchronizes with the beverage selected—green for Mtn Dew, for example—and is designed to attract attention, Mr. Porcini said. Oversized screens allow the company's marketers to deliver brand messages both when the screen isn't in use but also throughout the process of selecting and pouring a beverage.
Mr. Jakeman used the example of a movie theater, where the machine's screens could easily be programmed to show trailers for new releases.
The oversized screens also allow anyone in line behind the person pouring a beverage to watch the transaction, which PepsiCo found helps consumers learn how the machine works and cuts down on long lines. The screens can also be set to refresh at set intervals to discourage dawdling.
Coke vs. Pepsi From a business perspective, PepsiCo was intent on creating a portfolio of products that accounted for retail customers with different floor plans. There are three units available: a countertop unit with a 10-inch touchscreen; a countertop unit with a 15-inch touchscreen; and a model with a 32-inch touchscreen that can be configured either as a countertop or freestanding unit. Also important for customers, the units all run on existing plumbing systems and back-office infrastructure and were designed to be easily and quickly repaired.
"There's value in not reinventing the entire system from front to back; it strips down a great deal of complexity," Mr. Jakeman said. "One of the things we spent a lot of time designing is, how do we make sure that, in the event something needs to be repaired, it can be accessed? In some you can just take the screen off and put on a new screen."
Coke's Freestyle
One of the most significant differences between PepsiCo's Spire and Coca-Cola's Freestyle is the way the beverages are customized. Newer Freestyle machines offer up to 140 beverages but consumers choose from pre-selected options. The largest Spire machine offers more than 1,000 combinations by allowing consumers to choose a base brand, Diet Pepsi, for example, and then add up to three flavor shots from a selection that includes cherry, vanilla, strawberry, raspberry, lemon and lime.
That's where PepsiCo's flavor scientists came in. "You can invent your own beverage and the machine won't allow you to create a terrible concoction," Mr. Jakeman said, citing Mtn Dew with vanilla as his personal favorite.
In short, Spire can save you from yourself: The machine doesn't offer the flavor shots that don't work well with a particular beverage. So, while there may be more than 1,000 beverages on tap, there's no lime Mug Root Beer allowed.
Beats Electronics has introduced its push for the World Cup -- and it includes a plug for Apple, which is planning to buy the company for $3 billion. In the five-minute clip, created byR/GA, soccer player Neymar Jr. is given a pep talk before the start of a big game and asked to "run like it's the last day of your life." He's wearing his headphones, and the pep talk is interspersed with gorgeous aerial shots of Brazil, as well as scenes of a team bus arriving at a stadium, welcomed by fans and security.
Throughout, the player wears his Beats headphones, connected to a gold iPhone 5S (there's even a clear shot of the Apple logo). Then, the music begins. Backed by "The Jungle," by X Ambassadors and Jamie N Commons, the five-minute film features big football names like Bacary Sagna, Bastian Schewinsteiger, Blaise Matuidi and Robin van Persie. Along with them are shots of Nicki Minaj, Serena Williams, Thierry Henry and others, all preparing to support their teams -- with cues from the right color nail polish and underwear to a soccer-ball necklace on a thick chain. As Neymar Jr. gets ready for the game, he leaves behind his headphones, connected (symbolically and tangibly way to the Apple iPhone.
Beats, not an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, doesn't mention the event by name.
Omar Johnson, Beats chief marketing officer, revealed the video at an event on Wednesday evening. "We decided to do something that only Beats could do," he said. Each pre-game ritual captured in the ad is authentic, he noted. "It's all real. Nothing is make-believe."
The star-studded spot is certainly more Beats in flavor than Apple. After the ad screened, Mr. Johnson was joined on stage by ESPN soccer analyst Taylor Twellman and Mr. Henry.
Among the celebrities to make a cameo in the film is LeBron James, aSamsung endorser. "He heard about the commercial; he wanted to be in it," Mr. Johnson said of the NBA star, who once appeared in anad panning Apple products.
Later, when asked by Ad Age, Mr. Johnson suggested Beats would not turn down future appearances from Samsung's celebrity salesman. "He's going to be all over the place," said Mr. Johnson.
"He's part of the Beats family," a company spokeswoman added.
The company made no mention of Apple at the event.
Coca-Cola's ad strategy basically comes down tobombarding youwith joyand togetherness,and a new animated spot from Wieden + Kennedy continues that tradition.
A boy bumps into a girl and lets go of a red balloon he's carrying, so he can catch the Coca-Cola she drops, because what better way to charm in a Coke commercial than to save a Coke. The camera follows the balloon as it rises past the windows of a brick building, peering into a range of shared family milestones and moments, all, naturally, including little red-wrapped bottles of sugar water.
Couples are, variously, moving in together; holding a tea party with their young daughter; visiting their college-aged son; cooking and dancing together; and celebrating their 50th anniversary. All the while, singer-songwriter Wendy Colonna croons in the background about finding happiness in a pair. It's the slightest bit reminiscent of Up, but mostly an adorable and incredibly efficient bit of storytelling that's right in the brand's wheelhouse.
Coca-Cola is no stranger to animated ads (e.g., the Polar Bears and Happiness Factory) or twee soundtracks, and it'll never stop pumping viewers full of bubbly feelings until they forget—or just stop caring—that the product isn't really that good for them, even if the brand does occasionallymix in a little sass.
In Asia, Coca-Cola is handing out unusual bottle caps that turn empty plastic bottles into totally new objects, like paintbrushes, water squirters, lamps and pencil sharpeners.
The beverage giant partnered withOgilvy & MatherChina on the "2nd Lives" campaign offering 16 screw-on caps in the brand's signatured red color. The upcycling campaign launched in Vietnam, where 40,000 free bottle caps will be distributed this year with soda purchases. It will roll out later in Thailand and Indonesia.
Relate
CokeBrand in Chi
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The project is one of Coca-Cola's many ways of addressing criticism about its reliance on plastic. In a much broader effort that spans multiple markets, Coca-Cola uses recyclable plastic bottles made partly from plants.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have faced attacks over their use of plastic bottles from SodaStream, which markets at-home soda-making machines. Coca-Cola is getting into the home beverage-making game byfeaturing its brandsfor use in Green Mountain's upcoming Keurig Cold machines, which, like SodaStream, eliminate the need for bottles or cans.
Credit: Ogilvy & Mather
Brand campaigns that encourage the reuse of packaging aren't new, of course. In 2011, Pringles launched a"Crunch Band"app encouraging people to turn their chip cans into music amps. And this past Halloween, Domino's helped people makejack-o'-lanternsout of pizza boxes.
But such campaigns are more unusual in Asia, where awareness of recycling and environmental issues isn't generally as high as in the West.
"Hacking" habits
On the other hand, it is common for people in Asia and the developing world to find creative ways to reuse bottles. (For example, people make cheap light bulbs by filling empty plastic bottles with water and bleach and embedding them into roofs to refract light indoors.)
"In Asia, traditionally people didn't like throwing things away, and I've seen ingenious things people have made with boxes, jars and all sorts of stuff," said Graham Fink, chief creative officer of Ogilvy & Mather China. "We've called it 'hacking habits.'"
With plastic products more and more common, "over the years that ingeniuity has perhaps been eroded, and it's nice to get back there," Mr. Fink said. He believes the "2nd Lives" project has potential well beyond Asia.
Bubbles = happiness
Happiness, of course
Leonardo O'Grady, Coke's ASEAN director for integrated marketing communications, said the bottle caps tapped into the company's global sustainability efforts but also into the brand theme of happiness. "We have created fun tools with Coke bottle tops, bringing small moments of happiness into people's lives," he said in a statement.
Coke has been busy on the corporate social responsibility front in Asia, as of late. It just launched asocially responsible bottled-waterbrand in China to fund projects to bring clean drinking water to schoolchildren in rural China. The new brand's slogan is "Drink Good, Do Good, Feel Good."
-- James joins Sprite to select $50,000 grand-prize winner
-- Four finalists to receive exclusive learning experience tailored to their
field
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2014--
For over a decade, LeBron James has made a massive impact on the basketball court, and this summer, he is partnering with Sprite to change the game off the court for four deserving fans.
Sprite and LeBron James #ChangeTheGame again! (Photo: Business Wire)
Through the Sprite(R) 6 Mix(TM) by LeBron James #ChangeTheGame contest, Sprite will award an aspiring musician, a visual artist, an entrepreneur and a civic leader with a tailor-made educational experience. James will select one game-changer to receive a $50,000 grand prize. The contest is a celebration of the launch of Sprite(R) 6 Mix(TM) by LeBron James, a limited-edition flavor of Sprite created in partnership with the superstar. Sprite 6 Mix is available nationwide in convenience retail stores.
People ages 18 - 30 who are changing the game through music, visual arts, entrepreneurship or community involvement can enter by creating a YouTube video. The video should be 90 - 180 seconds in length detailing their passion and aspirations within their field. Participants should complete their submission by posting the YouTube URL on Twitter with the hashtag #ChangeTheGame. Each video will be judged for creativity, originality, quality of submission and the entrant's plan to use the $50,000 prize. LeBron James will get in the game by personally choosing the grand-prize winner.
"Over the years, LeBron James has proven himself a great role model by changing the game on the court and off," said Kimberly Paige, Associate Vice President, Sprite Brands, The Coca-Cola Company. "Through the Sprite(R) 6 Mix(TM) by LeBron James #ChangeTheGame contest, we look forward to joining LeBron and rewarding individuals who relentlessly pursue their passion and thirst for success in their craft. We can't wait to be inspired by some very creative video submissions."
Before James selects the ultimate winner, a judging panel from Sprite will select four finalists and provide each with a game-changing learning experience tailored to his/her respective field. The learning experiences include a mentoring session with a civic leader for the community involvement finalist; a meet-and-greet with a record label executive or an opportunity to attend a performance for the music finalist; a mentoring session with a business executive for the entrepreneurial finalist; and the visual arts finalist will have the opportunity to display his/her work on Sprite.com and on a custom Sprite item.
To enter, YouTube videos must be posted to Twitter no later than midnight Eastern time on June 1, 2014. Each entrant is limited to one submission per field. Submissions may not contain brand names or trademarks other than those owned by Sprite, nor may they contain material that violates or infringes on the rights of another. For a complete list of contest rules, please visit Sprite.com/change-the-game. No purchase necessary.
