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One-in-five Americans will be tuning in to this Sunday’s Super Bowl just to watch the commercials. While this may not be good news for Manning and Brees, Madison Avenue couldn’t be happier. You might say the Super Bowl is the Super Bowl of advertising, and brands lucky enough to afford 30 seconds of our time know there is a lot on the line this year, as always.

Viewers’ expectations will be just as high for the Budweisers and the Coca-Colas as they will be for the Colts and the Saints. So the big question is, what can we expect from the commercials? Will advertisers go for the easy laugh? The warm, fuzzy feeling? The sex appeal? We’ll have to wait a little longer to find out, but in the meantime, some early buzz provides some clues.

1. Through the roof: At least the costs will. A 30-second commercial in Super Bowl I cost around $40,000. Forty-four years later, advertisers are shelling out $2.6 million.
2. Social: If you don’t have a social media presence this year, you don’t have a commercial. Brands are leveraging the hype around the big game to preview commercials on their Web sites and Facebook pages to engage consumers via multiple touch points. Look for online/on-air synergies from Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Monster.com.
3. Old school: What’s old is new again. This year we’ll see some old favorites with a modern twist. LeBron James and Dwight Howard take the reigns from Jordan and Bird in McDonald’s “Nothin’ but net” commercial, and Boost Mobile brings back the 1986 Super Bowl Shuffle featuring some of the original Chicago Bears rappers.
4. Controversial: Whether it’s CBS’ much maligned Super Bowl PSA or risqué ads banned from the game, this year’s commercials aren’t shying away from controversy. Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow will star in a pro-life PSA for Focus on the Family, but GoDaddy.com got its “Lola” ad nixed. Gay dating Web site ManCrunch.com was turned away because ads were sold out, but site reps are alleging discrimination.
5. Consumer-generated: Why pay an ad agency when your consumers can do it for you? Doritos and CareerBuilder.com are hosting contests to find the best consumer-generated commercials. The winner gets the most coveted ad space on earth.
6. Au naturel: Although not completely nude, it’s certainly close enough. Dockers, CareerBuilder.com and Bud Light will get as close to naked as possible with a barrage of underdressed advertisements.
7. For a drive: Toyota might be mired in a recall crisis, but that’s not stopping the rest of the auto industry from getting in the game. One-in-six commercials this year will be car commercials. Expect to see Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Dodge and Audi.
8. At each other: Indianapolis and New Orleans aren’t the only rivals facing off this Sunday. It’s the battle of the online job-search sites, too. Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com go up against each other, along with Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper, Denny’s and Taco Bell and Doritos and Pop Secret.
9. To Hollywood: It will feel like the Academy Awards are being hosted in your living room. Celebrities will be all over this Sunday’s commercials pitching everything from real estate to chocolate bars. Will.i.am, Chevy Chase, Gene Simmons and Abe Vigoda will walk the red carpet.
10. Away: Long-time advertiser Pepsi will forego the $2.6 million spot this year to focus its resources on its new cause marketing campaign, the Pepsi Refresh Project. Now that’s money well spent.

Is it a sign the worst is over for the newspaper industry?

An industry that only a few months ago was suffering massive layoffs and closures now sees one of its leaders embarking on an ambitious marketing campaign. The Wall Street Journal announced this week that it will launch a new brand awareness campaign with executions across print, online and broadcast.

The paper’s first marketing initiative in three years is designed to improve people’s perceptions of the quality and breadth of the newspaper’s coverage. With the tagline “Live in the Know,” the campaign stresses the importance of moving beyond bite-sized news briefs to longer, more comprehensive coverage and analysis – like only a newspaper could deliver. WSJ hopes “Live in the Know” will appeal to readers looking to be better informed about current affairs, especially in the wake of the financial crises of the last year.

Despite the shuttering of long-established papers like the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Rocky Mountain News, declining ad spend and 15,000 layoffs in 2009, refocusing on content and quality might be just what the industry needs to get back on track. Although downsizing was the trend for newspapers in 2009, Rich Boehne, CEO of newspaper publisher E.W. Scripps, doesn’t see that as a sustainable business model for the industry. "In the longer run, we will need to add (newsroom) jobs, add content and raise (circulation) rates."

For the sake of all newspapers, and those of us who read them, let’s hope the WSJ will deliver on this promise and lead by example.

‘Tis the season to get skinny…and fast! The mother of all New Year’s resolutions didn’t disappoint in 2010, as “lose weight” tops the list again this year with 22 percent of consumers who made resolutions looking to shed some extra pounds.

Long on top of the weight-loss trend, fast food restaurants haven’t been shy about pushing lower-calorie/less-fat versions of their standard fare. This has been a boon for consumers who don’t want to make drastic changes to eating habits that may already include fast food indulgences. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, fast food diets can actually help some people lose weight, at least in the short term, if the products provide less fat, sugar, sodium and/or fewer calories.

The latest entrant into the fast-food diet wars is Taco Bell, who recently introduced its Drive-Thru Diet, featuring seven “Fresco” menu options with fewer than nine grams of fat. The campaign stars Christine, a woman who lost 54 lbs. in part by switching to Fresco menu items. Marketing is also supported by new media elements, including an online “Frescolution” pledge to eat less and exercise more, a Twitter contest and e-cards to invite friends to take the pledge. Taco Bell even joined forces with the NBA to promote the diet as part of a fit and healthy lifestyle.

The young campaign has already faced some harsh criticism, but by avoiding words like “healthy” or “weight loss,” Taco Bell is in the clear, at least from a legal standpoint. Marketing healthy foods or diets can be fraught with legal and ethical pitfalls. Below are some tips for authentically communicating your foods’ health messages:

1. Provide the facts (even the less desirable ones): Your foods may be low in fat, but are they high in sodium? Let consumers know the whole health-related story. And be sure when using testimonials to provide your consumers with details about dietary and lifestyle habits outside of your diet.
2. Avoid claims that aren’t substantiated with research: You could be opening yourself up to criticism, or even worse, liability if your claims are not founded on legitimate scientific research. Take the time to research your claims before slapping them on a Web site or billboard.
3. Provide context: There’s no official definition of “health food,” so be careful if positioning foods as healthy vs. unhealthy. Instead, be upfront about the foods’ nutritional contents and how they vary from typical offerings.
4. Engage a credible third party: Endorsement by a credible health expert can help communicate the real nutritional value of food offerings and convince skeptical consumers. Have a third-party expert serve as a spokesperson, or at least publicly sign-off on your products and promises, for your marketing campaign.

By now, most of us are familiar with the buzz-worthy KFC stunt at the United Nations in New York a few weeks ago. As part of KFC’s “Grilled Nation” campaign to support its new grilled chicken line, the chain has been lobbying the United Nations Secretary General asking that the “Nation” receive a seat at the U.N. table.

Image Credit: ZDNet.com

According to the tongue-in-cheek letter written by KFC President Roger Eaton:

“As Secretary-General, you have pledged to build a ‘stronger United Nations for a better world.’ We at KFC are confident that recognizing Grilled Nation will strengthen your organization and satisfy the stomachs of your many Member States.

While we realize that incorporating Grilled Nation into the UN is a long shot, we hoped to possibly squeeze a chair in between Grenada and Guatemala. We promise to make sure the mashed potatoes get passed to folks from all Member States.”

Okay. Funny, but no real harm.

Until a lighthearted sampling event turned into a security breach when an actor dressed as Col. Sanders was invited into the U.N. for an impromptu photo opp. with new president of the General Assembly, Dr. Ali Treki of Libya. According to KFC, they were spontaneously invited inside by a U.N. staffer. The U.N. is currently investigating.

The reason stunts are tried-and-true PR vehicles is because, when done properly, they can generate a ton of talk-value and buzz. And, the chicken chain and its parent company Yum! Brands are no strangers to outrageous marketing campaigns.

So, what should your criteria be when planning and executing a PR stunt? Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Harness the “wow” factor. Memorable events that break through the clutter are outrageous and unique. To create buzz and talk-value, don’t be afraid to think big and be bold.
• Connect the action/event to the brand. A unique, bold event can create a lot of buzz and excitement. But if there’s no brand connection (or a tenuous link), you’re going to lose awareness, create confusion and fail to generate value.
• Keep it simple. The most successful stunts communicate one strong message. Too many storylines dilute the message and leave consumers scratching their heads.
• Prepare, prepare, prepare. As they say, "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." No one wants to put the lives and safety of consumers in danger for the sake of publicity.

What’s one of the best tools in the PR toolkit? The anniversary.

It’s not just an opportunity for happy couples to enjoy a nice dinner. It can also be an opportunity for your brand. In PR, we’re continuously challenged with developing new ways to keep brands fresh and front-of-mind for our consumers. Enter the anniversary. A well-planned anniversary campaign can provide a newsworthy chance to make some noise and maybe garner a few new customers.

Even if it isn’t the happiest of occasions, celebrating an anniversary can be a good means of introducing a brand to a whole new group of consumers. Just look at The Beatles. On the 40^th anniversary of the band’s breakup, MTV Network released Beatles Rock Band, a new edition of the popular Rock Band video game franchise. And this isn’t targeted toward Boomers who grew up listening to the band’s music – although they probably bought it anyway. It’s targeted at their kids, born long after we lost John Lennon. Sales of Beatles Rock Band could turn into increased sales of The Beatles music.

But, what if you don’t have a new product to launch? No worries. Anniversaries can also serve as reminders of how integral your brand is to daily life. Jockey International*, the venerable underwear manufacturer, recently celebrated the 75^th anniversary of its Jockey Brief, which it invented in 1934. The brief dramatically changed the landscape for the men's underwear category and continues to be one of the most dominant styles of underwear today. Whether you’re a boxers or briefs man, you can all thank Jockey for taking underwear from full-body union suits to something comfortable to wear under clothes.

And sometimes, you just need to celebrate to say "thank you." To demonstrate its ongoing commitment to the breast cancer cause, earlier this year, Yoplait* hosted a free Sheryl Crow concert to commemorate 10 years of its Save Lids to Save Lives program. In 2008, consumer lid collection enabled Yoplaitto donate$1.5 million to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. To keep the momentum and donations going, it held a concertas a thank-you to breast cancer supporters everywhere, reminding them to continue to fight for a cure.

Remember, it’s not enough to just celebrate a milestone. For consumers to pay attention, you need to leverage an anniversary by providing context for a greater story. For The Beatles it was introducing a new way to interact with the band’s music, for Jockey it was reminding people not to take their undergarments for granted and Yoplait took the opportunity to illustrate and further its impact on a worthy cause.

What story will your brand tell?

Not one to shy away from a little “friendly” competition, Verizon is at it again. Instead of its foe-du jour, (Comcast, around these parts) this time the telecommunications giant is taking on Apple and theiPhone. Recent commercials for Verizon mobile phones feature a play on Apple’s “There’s an app for that” tag line. Boasting a far greater coverage network than AT&T – the exclusive cellular provider for iPhone – Verizon heralds, “There’s a map for that,” to show the coverage disparity.

It seems Apple is the punching-bag-of-choice these days. The popularity of the revolutionary iPhone has prompted attacks from the likes of Verizon and BlackBerry, while long-time rival Microsoft launched its “I’m a PC” campaign in direct response to Apple’s Mac computer ads featuring actors Justin Long and John Hodgman. Microsoft’s newest marketing campaigns may be focusing on the launch of its Windows 7 operating system, but they still manage to allude to its self-proclaimed superiority to Macs.

Image Credit: PC World

Taking the opportunity to go on the offensive again, Apple is set to launch attack ads attempting to lure PCers to the Mac by shining a light on Windows’ susceptibility to viruses and complicated interface. If consumers are looking to upgrade old computers, this is as good a time as any for Apple to try to winsome converts. But why the decision to use such contentious marketing messages?

The London Times blames it on the American economy. According to a Times interview, “In tough times, marketers know that people become more rational in their decision-making, so they're somewhat more susceptible to being told straight out: ‘This product is better than the other one.'” Be careful what you say in the heat of battle, however; incense your competitor enough and you could end up with a lawsuit. Gatorade didn’t take kindly to advertising claims from Powerade and ended up going to court and involving the FDA over the matter. Subway even sent Domino’s a cease-and-desist letter (the pizza chain subsequently lighted it on fire in its next commercial).

Although it’s unlikely Apple will sue or be sued, the battle for computing and mobile supremacy rages on as consumers hold tight to their wallets. Who will be the next to take on the world’s most admired company?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and every year shelves turn pink to remind us that one-in-eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer within her lifetime. Even though there are still no cures for this disease, there’s a lot we can do to help further the cause.

Raising awareness about early detection is key to conquering breast cancer. What is so important for women to understand is that when breast cancer is caught early (stage 0-1), the five-year relative survival rate is 98 percent. Different campaigns emerge every year encouraging women and men to take control of their breast health through early detection. Our client Yoplait’s Know Your Girls is one that truly captures our attention. It speaks to young women, who don’t know about breast cancer or think it’s not an issue for them. Unfortunately, statistics reveal that thousands of young women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the next year. Know Your Girls is a way to make young women aware they can, and do, get breast cancer and provide tools to help them educate themselves and their friends.

This fun, female-focused campaign asks young women to pledge to get to know their bodies by getting to know their "girls,"or breasts.For every pledge received by October 31, 2009, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, up to $100,000. Money will go to breast cancer research specifically related to young women. The campaign is all Facebook-based – and it has almost 40,000 fans, proving that young women do care about breast cancer and are committed to doing something about it.

Knowing the appeal celebrities have among young women, Yoplait also worked with Audrina Patridge, from MTV’s “The Hills,” to promote the campaign with a one-of-a-kind Know Your Girls T-shirt. Audrina’s photo has appeared on TMZ.con, Perezhilton.com and OK! Magazine Online, helping spread the word about the importance of early detection.

If you do one thing this October, make sure you get to know your “girls.” Not all breasts are the same – you need to know what is normal for you.

-- Irma Koopersmith, Senior Account Supervisor

Your weekly glimpse into the world of new media

Mobile: Starbucks launches an iPhone app and outmaneuvers Dunkin’ by letting you actually pay for coffee with your phone. Mobile barcodes may be the next big marketing trend, as other retailers continue to experiment with them.

Experiential: To promote its Black Pepper Jack and Smoking Cheddar BBQ flavors, Doritos is brining back the Hotel 626 online fright fest – this time as Asylum 626 – to resurrect the retired flavors from the dead.

Social: Fast-casual TGI Friday’s new spokesperson is a lot more likeable than the chain expected. Its new Facebook campaign resulted in 500,000 friends in only six days.

Research: A new report from the e-Tailing Group finds five out of 10 social media tools have been adopted by more than 50 percent of brands and retailers.

Misstep: Google Gmail users were without access to their contacts while the search giant’s email platform suffered another outage.

Our favorite: The Starbucks iPhone app. Some day we’ll be able to run the whole world from our phones.

We all know the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but for marketers, it’s more a question of getting to his wallet. And, the answer? Apparently, it’s a good laugh at his friend’s expense. At least that’s what these brands targeting the 18- to 34-year-old male are hoping for:

• Captain Morgan is literally “Calling All Captains" after launching an online tool that that lets users send prank voicemails to their friends. The messages range from angry bartenders and boyfriends to the “hottie” from the bar last night. Messages can be personalized by adding the recipient’s name and even references to clothing worn the previous evening.
• Those who’d rather place live phone calls should download SpoofApp to their phone. SpoofApp lets users change the Caller ID display of the person they're calling and can even alter the caller’s voice to sound like a man or a woman. Every call can be recorded and played back later, just in case it wasn’t funny enough the first time. (iPhone users, however, are out of luck. SpoofApp was rejected by the iPhone App Store.)
  

As recent research demonstrates, there’s a definite ROI for humor marketing. According to a Canadian study, 67 percent of Canadians say humor is the secret ingredient that makes an advertisement most persuasive, more than overt sexuality and celebrity endorsement. (That’s too bad for Australian beer Skinny Blonde, whose temperature-activated bottle label features a curvy blonde who loses her bikini top as the bottle gets colder.) And, a 2009 behavioral study published in Psychology and Marketing found humor can indeed increase ad and brand recall when it’s unexpected and related to the product.

Using humor in marketing certainly isn’t innovative, but Captain Morgan and SpoofApp have taken an innovative approach to a tried and true tact. By allowing users to continuously interact with their brands, they’ve extended the humorous moment beyond an advertisement and turned it into a memorable (and lasting?) experience.

We’ve all seen an influx of consumer-generated contests during the last few years from leading brands such as American Express, Heinz, Doritos and Dove, among many others. Do contests still provide companies with the opportunity to generate brand awareness and engage with their target consumers? Yes…if done correctly. Here are a few best practices:

Make it a rewarding experience. What’s in it for me? That’s the question a consumer will ask when determining whether to participate. Interestingly, simple prizes, such as a year’s supply of free product, can work just as effectively as a big flashy reward like the $1 million in prizes Office Depot is offering for its national search for the best and smartest U.S. small businesses. In these challenging economic times, a cash prize of $1,000 can be a big enough incentive to enter.

Give them something to talk about: Consumers love to talk about themselves, their likes, their hobbies, and of course, their kids and pets. Know your target audience and develop a contest theme that taps into their interests. Most importantly, make sure it’s brand appropriate. For example, who better than Play-Doh to offer the chance to win a Playroom Makeover through a photo contest?

Understand your audience: How do you want to engage with your audience and what do consumers need to do to enter? Will your consumer take the time to write an essay, try her luck in developing a new ad jingle or simply want to grab his camera to snap a quick photo? Knowing your audience will determine how you structure your contest and what your consumer “ask” is.

Keep it simple: From the rules to the entry requirements to the language you use to describe the contest, the communication should be easy to explain and understand.

Provide multiple consumer touch points: The strongest consumer-generated contests provide multiple ways to engage with consumers – a call-for-entries period; interactive tools, such as widgets that allow entrants to share their entries and the contest with friends and family; and consumer voting opportunities, which enable followers to come back to your site to vote for their favorites.

-- Stephanie Doherty, Vice President

Brands all over the world are exploring their inner-musicians. In an attempt to appeal to tweens, teens, Millennials and pretty much any music fan out there, brands have turned up the music in their promotions and programs.

JetBlue recently launched “Live from T5,” an online contest that will choose musical acts to fill the last five slots in its Live from T5 concert series held in its T5 terminal at JFK Airport in New York.

Disney starlet Selena Gomez is the spokestween for Sears’ “Air Band Casting Call,” a competition to find a fifth member for its Arrive Air Band, which will be performing at the MTV Video Music Awards.

In Canada, Bud Light is introducing its “Bud Light Lime Summer Tunes” promotion to reward Facebook fans who petitioned to bring Bud Light Lime to Canada. Facebookers have a chance to win free downloads of the top 10 songs as selected by the brand’s fans.

The “Bacardi Bat Project” commissions new songs from up-and-coming music artists and makes them available for download via popular music blogs.

Not wanting to pay music artists to appear in its Chinese advertising, PepsiCo launched a music label in China to develop its own crop of music stars.

Through its "Adopted Bands" program, Denny's sponsors bands to eat for free and host after parties at local Denny's restaurants while on the road.

These days, an MP3 player is as indispensible an accessory as a cell phone – and in many cases is a cell phone, too – and brands are seizing the opportunity to appeal to a younger, hipper, music-loving crowd. It looks to be a win-win for the brands and the bands, but will it be music to consumers’ ears?

1. Fierce competition: Rivals square off
2. All aTwitter: Brands find clever ways to use Twitter
3. Everywhere you want to be: Marketers going mobile
4. "Video killed the radio star": Marketers are turning to Web video
5. I hardly recognized myself: Brand revitalizations

“There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Words to live by for the Burger King advertising folks. The latest entry in a long line of Burger King ads offending consumers takes aim at the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. She is featured sitting atop a ham sandwich in an in-store advertisement captioned, “a snack that is sacred.” Burger King quickly removed the ad after many complaints that it was offensive toward Hindus, many of whom are vegetarians.

But, Burger King is not new to the controversial advertising tactic. Anyone remember the “I like square butts” commercial? If you don’t, it’s probably because it was pulled from the air shortly after its debut, blamed for being sexually overt and targeted toward children. And, how could we overlook the recent BK Super Seven Incher ad?

All this talk of distasteful Burger King ads got us thinking. What’s the most offensive advertisement of all time? We took a quick office poll.

Here are some of our top picks:

• Carl’s Jr. “Paris Hilton Car Wash” commercial
• GM “Robot Suicide Dream” commercial
• GoDaddy.com “Congressional Wardrobe Malfunction” commercial
• Motrin “Mom” commercial
• Pepsi Max “Suicidal Calorie” ad
• Quizno’s “Toasty Torpedo” commercial
• Snickers “Mechanics Kiss” commercial

And, an oldie, but a goodie:

• Marlboro cigarettes baby ad

What’s your pick for most offensive advertisement of all time?

In the battle for Millennials with the midnight munchies, who’s going to win out?

In one corner you have 56-year-old fast-casual heavyweight Denny’s. Standing opposite, at 47 years old, is Yum Brands’ fast-food stalwart Taco Bell. Odds-makers might give the nod to the Bell, as Denny’s continues to lose late-night customers who prefer to "think outside the bun."

But before you place your bets, check this out—Denny’s has a little star power for a cornerman. For the last year, the chain has run its "Allnighter" program, which adopts up-and-coming musicians, provides them with $1,000 in Denny’s gift cards and invites them to create special late-night menu options. Denny’s then uses its social media platforms to advertise the bands’ after-parties and menu items. Alumni include Rascal Flats, Katy Perry and Good Charlotte.

Not to be outdone, however, is the creator of the "Fourthmeal,"—for those who can’t face the foodless hours between dinner and breakfast. Taco Bell’s latest campaign features the video, "It’s All About the Roosevelts," which debuted in movie theaters last week airing before "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." With "Saturday Night Live"’s Andy Samberg and his "Digital Shorts" as its muse, the video features a rap star talking-up the chain’s late-night menu, which can be purchased for only a few "Roosevelts," or dimes.

Both campaigns are heavy on the social media—each features its own microsite—including video downloads, Twitter campaigns and mobile apps. So, this is sure to be a tough bout. Denny’s has the celebrities, but Taco Bell has the reputation. Only time, and the much sought-after youth market, will tell.

Let’s get ready to rumble!