Super Bowl Frenzy, Part 50
Nov09

Super Bowl Frenzy, Part 50

It’s only early November, and CBS says that they’re almost sold out of ad inventory for Super Bowl 50, which will be held nearly 3 months from now, on February 7 of next year. What is it about this event that drives so many advertisers to line up to pay the going price of $5 million per :30 of commercial time, plus all of the production and PR costs that go along with the buy? It can’t be the numbers. On the basis of the...

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State Farm Makes Plans to Sell Car Insurance Customer Data
Jul15

State Farm Makes Plans to Sell Car Insurance Customer Data

State Farm has developed plans to sell customer data, allowing advertisers to create highly targeted pitches based on where, when and how people drive. In a patent application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, State Farm proposes gathering information about drivers’ routes and stops from vehicles’ sensors, navigation systems, cameras or other devices. State Farm would send data on driver’s habits to “another unit or...

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An ad or a show? Some say YouTube Kids blurs the line
Apr22

An ad or a show? Some say YouTube Kids blurs the line

Pop quiz: Which of these are commercials? A video describing what McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets are made of. A video showing LEGO toys being opened and assembled. A video in which characters from the Disney movie “Frozen” drink Sprite. All appear on YouTube Kids, a new free app — described as “kid-friendly content” for “curious little minds” — that mixes ad-like videos with traditional shows. On Monday, a Boston consumer group told...

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Super Bowl advertisers may resort to ‘guerrilla’ means to get eyes
Jan30

Super Bowl advertisers may resort to ‘guerrilla’ means to get eyes

In the high-stakes battle between advertisers at this year’s Super Bowl, top corporate brands such as Budweiser, Doritos and Pepsi are once again spending record amounts for precious time during Sunday’s big game. But some researchers and advertising veterans say a more low-key guerrilla marketing campaign might be a better option for companies who want to piggyback on the Super Bowl’s shoulder pads without breaking their ad budgets...

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Communicus Weighs in on Super Bowl Ad Effectiveness on CBS MoneyWatch
Jan21

Communicus Weighs in on Super Bowl Ad Effectiveness on CBS MoneyWatch

With the Super Bowl typically scoring as the country’s most watched event of the year, the broadcast has no problem attracting some of America’s biggest advertisers. Yet squeezed in among returning stalwarts such as Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser are often several newbies, brands that are ponying up $4 million or more to make their Super Bowl debuts. This year, the game will include several fresh faces during the commercial breaks,...

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