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Apple's Rival-Baiting Billboard; The Trouble With Brand-Building Online |
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President Trump plans to address the nation tonight to argue for a border wall, continuing the fight that led to the partial government shutdown. Unlike 2017, however, when several brands used Super Bowl ads to challenge the White House more or less directly, marketers may not be as hungry for a fight. At least 84 Lumber, which used the 2017 Super Bowl to air a sympathetic portrayal of mother-and-daughter migrants heading north toward the U.S., is skipping the game again after sitting out last year, a spokeswoman told CMO Today. So is Airbnb, which made its Super Bowl debut two years ago with the pro-tolerance spot titled “We Accept.”
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PHOTO: DAVID PAUL MORRIS/BLOOMBERG NEWS
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Apple got lots of press (including here, yesterday) for mounting a billboard aimed at CES attendees implicitly knocking the privacy practices of its rivals. “What happens on your iPhone,” the sign says, “stays on your iPhone.” But Bloomberg opinion columnist Shira Ovide took the opportunity to remind everyone that Apple accepts billions of dollars a year from Google to make its search engine the default for Safari and Siri. Or, as Ovide puts it, “to fuel Google’s ad-tracking machine.” Apple representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
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Lara O'Reilly emails: HSBC's latest U.K. effort—a long-copy ad that lists things from around the world that Brits enjoy, from food to furniture, and declares "We Are Not An Island"—is absolutely, definitely, not about Brexit, according to the bank. "It focuses on the importance of being open and connected to the world," HSBC told The Drum. Shame, as a brief around Brexit would have actually made some sense (and not have sounded like a Facebook marketing pamphlet).
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| The Downside of Targeting |
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Marketers on Monday praised the argument by Bob Hoffman, AKA the Ad Contrarian, trying to explain why online ads seem “incapable of building major consumer-facing brands.” Mr. Hoffman says brand marketing works best when consumers know that their friends are getting the same messages—they care what other people think—and the web doesn’t work like that.
“I have no idea what my friends are doing online and what ads they may be seeing,” he wrote. “Even if they watch the same YouTube videos as me, I don’t know what ads they are being served.”
Question for tomorrow’s newsletter: Do you believe online brand advertising suffers because consumers don't know who else saw it? And if that’s true, what should marketers do about it? Email me your comments, which I may edit before publication, by replying to this email, and make sure to include your name and location.
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¥100 million |
The prize pool (about $920,000) that helped a Japanese billionaire crush the #NuggsForCarter kid’s record for the most retweeted-tweet
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Procter & Gamble is using AI to power new consumer products, like the Oral-B Genius X toothbrush that analyzes how people brush and provides personalized feedback. [WSJ Pro Artificial Intelligence]
PepsiCo is again running a 30-second spot each for Doritos and Pepsi-Cola in the Super Bowl, but swapping out Mtn Dew in favor of year-old sparkling water brand Bubly for a third ad. [Adweek]
BMW and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners are promoting the brand’s certified pre-owned cars by recycling ads, from BMW’s former agency, that promoted the cars when they were new. [Ad Age]
Microsoft and Kroger plan to build two grocery-store showcases for various tech, including digital shelf displays that can serve ads personalized to the shoppers walking by. [Fast Company]
HP has named Jayanta Jenkins global executive creative director; he had most recently been global group creative director at Twitter and is co-founder of Saturday Morning, a group of marketing and agency vets that aims to shift perceptions on race. [Adweek]
Veteran Fox TV executive Joe Earley has been hired as the head of marketing for Disney's new streaming service Disney+. Mr. Earley most recently served as president of production company the Jackal Group. [Variety]
Apple’s problem selling the iPhone XR may be partly its place in the middle: It's neither the cheapest nor the one with the best specs. [WSJ]
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