Deutsch Is No. 10 on Ad Age's Agency A-List

For ages, Super Bowl advertisers had a routine: They went to a pool of the same agencies -- the kind well-versed in Big Game ideas -- knowing these guys had what it took to produce a winning commercial.

Marketers still do that, but in 2012, a new agency made a big splash in that pool. Deutsch has made many marketers rethink their game-day strategy, thanks to the charming work it's churned out for Volkswagen. It was behind "The Force," a Super Bowl ad the Interpublic Group of Cos. agency did for client Volkwswagen in 2011, which became one of the most-viewed commercials ever on YouTube.

 

Agency Deutsch

OWNERSHIP: Interpublic
U.S. OFFICES: 2

"Certainly one thing that makes a massive difference in anything you do is surrounding yourself with great people you enjoy working with and who are highly competent ... When you have that in place you can consistently deliver quality and great work to the marketplace."

-- Tim Mahoney, CMO of VW.

Fans were delighted in 2012 to see Deutsch reprise the "Star Wars" theme it had popularized in the prior year's Super Bowl, this time a teaser with dogs barking the "Imperial March." Consumers posted videos on YouTube of their pets reacting to the teaser. Then, on game day came Deutsch's spot about an overweight pup trying to slim down so he could chase Volkswagens. The ad topped consumer-favorite charts and earned the automaker 1.9 billion earned media impressions, exceeding the prior year's Super Bowl campaign's results of 1.6 billion impressions.
Volkswagen CMO Tim Mahoney said that as a result VW has seen a several percentage-point uptick in consumers intending to consider VW the next time they go car shopping.
Now Deutsch has another VW Super Bowl spot for this year's game and it's challenge will be to outdo itself. Volkswagen is confident the agency can deliver. But what's even more interesting is others are too: several new clients called up Deutsch in 2012 to help them create Super Bowl ads.
In total, Deutsch has five spots from four clients in the Super Bowl. Its first work for Taco Bell will be a Super Bowl spot, the chain's first since 2010. The New York office in June picked up client GoDaddy.com, a regular advertiser in the game (this year it has two game spots), which had previously handled advertising in-house.

Last year Ad Age recognized Deutsch as an A-List standout, betting it would continue its momentum in 2012. Deutsch delivered, upping revenue 8%.

"We're really firing on all cylinders in New York and Los Angeles," said Linda Sawyer, CEO, North America. In any agency network, it's not unusual for different offices to experience different cycles -- one may spend a year absorbing new business, while another is trying to win new accounts. But both Deutsch offices were in sync, picking up organic and new-business wins and fortifying the management with new talent. And both are involved in Super Bowl work this year.

Deutsch, New York, expanded its relationship with Microsoft, adding creative for Outlook. Deutsch, Los Angeles, in May began working with Target -- one of several agencies succeeding hotshop Wieden & Kennedy -- on a project, a move that will likely result in additional work for the agency. And while the agency is currently in a review to defend its PlayStation work, its wins mitigate the potential loss.

If that weren't enough, last year Deutsch was named one of Ad Age's Best Places to Work.

Toyota: I wish Game-Day Teaser

via creativity-online

 
Kaley Cuoco is a wish-granter in Saatchi L.A.'s teaser for Toyota's big game spot. The car company's Super Bowl effort from last year, had a "reinvented" theme. This year, consumers are invited to send in their wishes on Twitter, using the #wishgranted hashtag. One of the photos will be used in the carmaker's actual game-day commercial.

Samsung Reloads with "Unicorn Apocalypse"

via creativity-online.com

The gang from "The Next Big Thing is Already Here" reunites in the latest spot from 72andSunny and Samsung, to promote the Galaxy Note II's place in businesses everywhere. Focusing on the security and multitasking capabilities of the device, the spot is set at The Company, which is set to unveil a new game, "Unicorn Apocalypse." Featuring the usual assortment of know it all Samsung-toting hipsters, plus the clueless older woman who uses the iPhone and a suit with a Blackberry, the new spot was directed by Michael Downing at Epoch.

Super Bowl ad conundrum: Do early releases spoil the show?

via Los Angeles Times

The big debate surrounding this year's Super Bowl is not whether the San Fransisco 49ers should be four-point favorites but rather should advertisers release their commercials early.

In the last two years, a growing number of Super Bowl advertisers have unveiled their spots several days before the big game to build excitement on the Internet. Early releases and in some cases minute-long viral videos designed to tease to a Super Bowl commercial are strategic ploys to create an instant social media fan base — acolytes who will spread the word or better yet post a clip of the actual ad on their Facebook pages.

"But now there is a feeling that you get more bang for your buck if you hold the commercial back," brand strategist Adam Hanft said. "Last year, by the time we rolled into Super Bowl weekend, people were already tired of the spots — before the game even started."

Advertisers are eager to get the biggest bounce possible from their sizable investments.
CBS sold 30-second spots in this year's Super Bowl on Feb. 3 for an average $3.8 million — up 7% over last year's rate. And some marketers are ordering 60-second spots, a $7.5-million expenditure for the air time on top of the cost of production, which could add an additional $1 million-plus, to the price tag.

Advertisers are divided on whether to release their spots early, according to several interviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

"We have been watching that debate closely," said Paul Chibe, vice president of U.S. marketing for Anheuser-Busch, the perennial leader of Super Bowl advertising. "This year there are some ads that we are going to hold back and a few that we are releasing early."

Los Angeles-based Paramount Farms is busy preparing its first Super Bowl ad for its Wonderful Pistachios brand. Last year, Paramount Farm's sister company Teleflora, released its Super Bowl commercial early — to mixed results.

But Wonderful Pistachios has a potent weapon: Psy, the South Korean rapper and Internet sensation who notched 1 billion views of his "Gangnam Style" video on YouTube.  In Wonderful Pistachio's Super Bowl ad, Psy sports a pistachio-green tuxedo jacket.

Paramount Farms hopes its ad will go viral — during the game.

 "The Super Bowl is one of our largest investments, and from a marketing standpoint we feel we can have a lot more talk value and punch" by holding back, said Marc Seguin, vice president for marketing for Paramount Farms.

"What's a better 'big reveal' than unveiling your commercial before 100 million people who are viewing it all at once?" Seguin asked. Mike Sheldon, chief executive of Deutsch LA, has a different view. His ad agency created much excitement last year for its "Star Wars"-themed Super Bowl commercial by releasing a minute-long teaser video, "The Bark Side," with barking dogs in "Star Wars" costumes a couple of weeks before the game.

"You'd be crazy not to release early," Sheldon said.  "There is so much excitement and attention paid to the Super Bowl prior to the game. Consumers are on to this creative arms race that we in the advertising industry have created. People are actively trying to figure out who will have the most creative spot and the most innovative digital applications."


Last week, Deutsch LA released a teaser (see above) for its upcoming Taco Bell commercial, which features a wild 87-year-old geezer taking an electric cart on a joy ride. The teaser video on YouTube already has logged nearly a quarter-million views.

Carisa Bianchi, TBWA\Chiat\Day president, said advertisers this year were not following one particular script. It will be more of a mixed bag, she predicted, with some releasing early with others holding back.

Anheuser-Busch's Chibe agreed. "If all the advertisers released their ads early then the Super Bowl telecast wouldn't be special anymore," Chibe said. "It would become just another Sunday night and not the premiere event of the year on television."

Nike Commercial #BeMercurial

The soccer pitch in this Nike film by Wieden & Kennedy Tokyo and Portland is unlike any you've seen before. In these gritty, grey shots, it resembles more of a battlefield, featuring a fallen army of rival players, fans and riot police that are helpless in front of an unseen, fast force. But what could it be? Imperial Woodpecker's Mark Zibert directs.

Speaking of surreal films, another Creativity favorite is this Japanese one directed by Genki Ito to launch fashion designer Taro Horiuchi's spring/summer collection.

Check it out on Creativity-Online.com, and follow @creativitymag on Twitter for more great work.

Ad of the Day: Coca-Cola

Skinny, happy people drink soda too, says Coca-Cola.

The beverage giant is diving face-first into the fray about sugary drinks and health, releasing the two-minute commercial below, patting itself on the back for helping to solve the problem while simultaneously trying to shift some of the blame to other, unnamed foods and, perhaps most oddly, to consumers themselves.

The spot, created by agencies Brighthouse and Citizen2, is notable in part for what it doesn't emphasize—two-liter bottles, Big Gulps and people struggling with obesity. Yet it still manages to be particularly—and shamelessly—insidious for the string of sugary products it parades across the screen while trying to make the case that it's focused on serving up products that are better for consumers. It's kind of like someone smiling at you and telling you, "Why, it would be a shame if you stabbed yourself with this knife, but if you really want it, we'll sell it to you."

Mostly, it's a surprisingly ham-fisted answer to the latest attacks on the soda industry from public health crusaders like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Alex Bogusky-aided, polar-bear-amputating Center for Science in the Public Interest, which wasted no time calling Coke's new campaign "just a damage control exercise, and not a meaningful contribution toward addressing obesity."

Overall, the ad spins the issue so many different ways that it's difficult not to see all of them as thinly veiled attempts at manipulation. And it's easy to imagine the marketing bogeyman holed up in a windowless room, tapping his pen against his forehead as he tries to come up with the most Machiavellian way of making Coke look good on this issue.

Sure, the numbers about juice and diet sodas in schools seem compelling, and the spot's energy might have been better focused there. Then again, it's not necessarily the best argument, given yesterday's NIH study linking diet soda to depression.

While the ad's use of a popular "common-sense" Republican catchphrase is a clear shot at painting political opponents as big-government, the subtext for consumers translates roughly to "If you're fat, it's your fault. Drink a diet soda, idiot. Get on the treadmill. We gave you options. Not our problem."

Or, as the voiceover gleefully chirps, "If you eat and drink more calories than you burn off, you'll gain weight!" Thanks for the pointer.

Bev-Wire: Dr Pepper Highlights Individuality in “/1″ Campaign

via bevwire.com

Starting today, Dr Pepper will be launching an extension to their previous T-shirt “I’m a Pepper” campaign.  The new campaign titled “/1″ highlights the character’s uniqueness and that they are indeed one of a kind – 1/1 – truly unrivaled in what they do.  Dr Pepper’s advertising agency conducted research to ensure that those numbers represented in the video are statistically accurate, and that these people are peerless in what they do (how many models-turned-boxers do you really know out there?).  Dr Pepper says that the characters featured are real-life people and while they may not be world famous, these individuals are renowned within their respective fields (boxing, roller derby, and air guitar).

It’s worthy to note that this campaign extends to focus on Diet Dr Pepper as well.  Traditionally their commercials and features have been separate, but they have chosen to include Diet Dr Pepper as well in this campaign.  Dr Pepper TEN likely was left off because the messaging of “Not For Women” is on solid footing right now.  As seen from the commercial below, Dr Pepper wants to highlight your individuality in choosing not just Dr Pepper, but also Diet Dr Pepper

So would you rate these commercials as successful?  Do they get your attention? Does it make you pick up a Dr Pepper when you are at the supermarket or convenience store, especially when Coke or Pepsi also also available for your purchase?

I think it does…with some caveats.  While the messaging is solid and connects with the viewer, it still has a strong chance to get lost among all the other commercials that are playing.  Not to mention that Coca-Cola and Pepsi have more money to spend on advertising;  the chances of you being bombarded with soda commercials are quite high and remembering Dr Pepper over a longer time period are quite low.

Dr Pepper’s series of commercial stands apart from how other soda companies have advertised their trademark beverages.  Coca-Cola talks about happiness when you drink their carbonated soft drinks (Open Happiness) and Pepsi advertises on living in the moment (Live For Now).  Dr Pepper turns the focus to you, on how you are special and different from everyone else out there.  In today’s society, everyone wants to be known for being themselves, so Dr Pepper has tapped into how individuals want to think which makes it easier for them to identify themselves with Dr Pepper.  In my opinion, this is a stronger message than being happy or living in the moment.

Still, it is a matter of whether this will translate to any form of wins for Dr Pepper.  Are consumers more likely to buy more Dr Pepper because of this commercial?  Will these purchases come at the expense of Coke, Pepsi, or some other non-Dr Pepper-owned beverage brand?  Keep in mind that Dr Pepper also has to compete with other beverage products, like Red Bull, Gatorade, Nestle Water and the like.  At the supermarket or convenience store’s point of purchase, some of these products will undoubtedly be on sale and make that decision to choose Dr Pepper even harder.  It may come down to whether you are willing to pay more to be unique.

So the next time you are purchasing a soft drink – any drink actually – will you choose Dr Pepper because it reminds you of your individuality?

Dr Pepper /1 Campaign Spot--Halo

Dr Pepper /1 Campaign Spot--Mikaela Mayer