advertising

The wrestling promoter’s first “official hydration drink partner” will also be the first to appear at the center of the WWE mat.

Out-of-home ad spending continued its post-pandemic surge in the fourth quarter of 2023, rising 27% over the same quarter in 2022, according to new estimates from Guideline. National ad spending expanding at more than twice the rate of local — 50% vs. 24% — while live events experienced the greatest overall growth of any out-of-home media format — +181%.

Some local station groups must lean into creativity, experimentation and the prospect of divorcing their networks if they’re to survive an ominous 2025.

A group wants the federal government to mirror its blanket restrictions on tobacco ads, citing addiction and its effect on sports.

The Academy Awards have long been a showcase for marketers, with the broadcast one of the few non-sports events to routinely rate among the most popular TV programs each year (the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the other big one). Disney says that TikTok will sponsor a “first-of-its-kind red carpet live stream,” with tequila brand Don Julio sponsoring an “in-show moment.” Rolex and Bank of America will also be integrated into the broadcast, which will be hosted by ABC latenight host Jimmy Kimmel.

Advertising spending on linear television fell 7% in the fourth quarter from the prior year, according to ad intelligence company Guideline. Guideline, which acquired Standard Media Index in 2022, said the decline was the biggest since it started tracking U.S. ad spending in 2017. Since Q4 2017, ad spending on linear TV has been falling at an average compounded rate of 3.4%.

DirecTV, long known as a satellite company, is launching a new ad campaign that says dishes are for the birds and that they should be streaming their TV. A new commercial entitled The Good Stuff features two pigeons on a rooftop who are surprised to notice a household watching “the good stuff” on DirecTV without a dish. The voices of the pigeons – Bobby and Frank – are supplied by Steve Buscemi and Henry Winkler.

For the second consecutive year, Madison Avenue relied on a massive parade of celebrities to capture consumer attention, foregoing in many cases the social messages and dynamic creative concepts that have generated chatter in the past. Where the Super Bowl was once the setting for Apple’s still-talked-about 1984 commercial or Procter & Gamble’s clever insertion of Tide into a bevy of ads, it’s now become a place for formulaic cameos of famous faces. “It’s like a celebrity arms race,” says Simon Bruyn, executive creative director at Mother, an independent agency. “It’s like one celebrity isn’t enough.”

The debut of a Ben Affleck-led campaign for Dunkin’ led to record sales — but can brands like Uber Eats prove that the sky-high cost of A-list endorsements is still worthwhile? Pictured: Jennifer Aniston in an Uber Eats ad.

The Kansas City Chiefs were crowned victorious over the San Francisco 49ers in this year’s Super Bowl — and, off the field, big-name advertisers competed for viewers’ attention with celebrity-filled, glitzy messages. Pictured: Ice Spice sips on Starry soda for PepsiCo.

An oral history of Apple’s groundbreaking 1984 spot, which helped to establish the Super Bowl as TV’s biggest commercial showcase.

One of the biggest moments for advertisers interested in the Super Bowl isn’t actually in the Super Bowl itself. FanDuel and YouTube are trying to make a big splash in the moments just before the Big Game, hoping that commercials in the last break before kick-off will help them make a marketing point before consumers get deluged with 30-second spots — along with celebrity cameos and pop-song surprises – once the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers start their struggling in earnest.

The guidelines define metrics to effectively capture the impact of AR campaigns. Public comment are open until March 9.

Over 40% of big-game ads featured multiple stars last year, a sixfold increase from 2010. Pictured: Serena Williams, who has appeared in more Super Bowl ads since 2016 than any other celebrity, appeared in a spot for Michelob Ultra with Succession star Brian Cox last year. (Anheuser-Busch)

Pricing for national TV 30-second commercials for this year’s Super Bowl is up 11% from a year ago to $6.47 million, according to Guideline, the ad spend and pricing data measurement company. Guideline says the $6.47 million price tag (versus $5.83 million in 2023) is the collective perspective across all “currently” booked spots.

Viant Technology said that it has added new artificial intelligence-based tools and services to its data platform. The tools are designed to help advertisers get more out of their relationships with publishers while maintaining consumer privacy.

The move follows a pilot program started last summer. Sinclair said: “TopLine combines AI technology with sales research and data-driven presentations, empowering sales teams to extend into new categories, get more appointments and reach new types of buyers.”

In a time of fragmentation, advertising during the game’s broadcast is still a reliable way to boost company revenue and familiarize viewers with a brand. Pictured: Hellmann’s Mayonnaise is one of the companies that will be advertising during Sunday’s Super Bowl.

While some commercials that run in CBS’s Feb. 11 Super Bowl broadcast may shock or surprise, most will aim to comfort or amuse, as marketers pull back on pushing the envelope. The bulk of the 70-or-so Super Bowl commercials that run will rely heavily on celebrities such as Kate McKinnon, Tina Fey, Jason Momoa or LL Cool J. Few of them will expand beyond the usual 30-second or 60-second running time, according to two people familiar with the matter — a change from recent years when the Big Game featured commercials 90 seconds or even two minutes in length to encompass big concepts and cameos, such as Bruce Springsteen appearing in an ad for Jeep. And some may tap into consumers’ collective memories for such things as Budweiser’s famous Clydesdale horses or the Coors Light Chill Train.

The media sales and marketing veteran will spearhead Scripps’ go-to-market strategy and drive long-term revenue growth across all Scripps’ national assets, with a strong focus on advanced TV, connected TV, sports and news.

Ads began running this month on scripted series and films on Prime Video, except for subscribers who opt to pay an extra $3 a month in order to avoid ads. Amazon’s approach has differed from that of streaming rivals like Netflix, which rolled out a lower-priced tier with ads as an option instead of forcing those who want to stay ad-free to pay extra.

The Media Rating Council has granted its first accreditation to a point-of-care advertising measurement for digital, place-based media network PatientPoint. The MRC said the accreditation was granted following its out-of-home and digital committees’ review of a “rigorous audit” by an independent CPA firm, which also included some new, “supplemental” auditing unique to the point-of-care medium with screens in waiting rooms and examination and treatment rooms of doctor’s offices, clinics and healthcare facilities.

As Amazon becomes the latest platform to push an ad-supported tier, TV writers greet this retro model with frustration and, in some cases, disdain: “I thought Nine Perfect Strangers with commercials was horrible,” says David E. Kelley of his Hulu show with breaks. Pictured: On Jan. 29, Prime Video — home of Reacher — became the latest streamer to offer an ad-supported tier.

In a memo to staff, Paramount Advertising President John Halley announced the company had hired two executives to head its small and midsized client business and launch the self-service platform. Emily Huo was named SVP of SMB advertising and will be responsible for the company’s go-to-market strategy. Huo had been global director of SMB advertising at Spotify and previously held posts at Reddit and Twitter. Luke Peng joins Paramount as VP of product, SMB Advertising, reporting to Huo. He will develop and optimize products for the SMB platform.

True cross-platform measurement is also on the industry’s mind, while local linear TV measurement falls further behind.

MoffettNathanson sees the e-commerce giant’s move as more bad news for linear TV.

Brandit247 provides high-quality, ready-to-air multimedia campaigns for local stations at a budget-friendly price. “We create customizable local news and station branding campaigns,” says Marty Frey, Brandit247’s brand strategist.

Leading executives from NBCUniversal Local, E.W. Scripps, Sage Media and WideOrbit will discuss how station groups are creating opportunities across all media for political advertising in 2024 and how agencies are planning their buys in a TVNewsCheck Working Lunch Webinar on March 5 at 1 p.m. ET. Register here.

Ocean Media’s Jay Langan: Social media, clever creative can help ad buys during big events to build buzz.

He will oversee the company’s Ad Sales efforts across the company’s portfolio of brands and platforms, including Fox Entertainment, Tubi, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes, and Fox News Media, which includes Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

Although household TV ad impressions and TV advertising airings grew in 2023, national TV advertising spend fell 4.7% to $43.71 billion versus 2022, according to iSpot.tv. For much of the first half of the year, there was widespread softness in the TV advertising market — especially in near-term “scatter” market deal-making. There were also unfavorable comparisons to the year before, when the Winter Olympics aired and mid-term political elections were held.

Media giants spent most of 2023 looking for signs of a turnaround in advertising spending after several years of a soft market. Despite some rosy predictions, they’re still searching. The situation could force vulnerable companies to consider merger-and-acquisition options as the content marketplace realigns around streaming economics, which generally are not as lucrative as linear TV ad margins.

The media conglomerate said Thursday that it plans to hold a presentation for advertisers at 10 a.m. ET on May 15 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, where it will call attention to media brands such as Max, Food Network, CNN, HGTV, TBS, Discovery, TLC, Bleacher Report and Discovery+. The ranks look to be heavier with streaming properties than traditional linear ones.

Viant’s Tom Wolfe: Yes, linear TV is dying, but the cable coterie was right: a la carte doesn’t work for consumers. As the industry sorts it out, how will advertisers win?

Among other insights, findings suggest that while tech-led transactions have led to growth in certain categories, they have also contributed to a general decline in the marketplace’s vibrancy.