themarketingmonitor

Nivea Demos Sun Protection in Brazil with a Million Beads AgenciaClick Creates Mosaic for Rio de Janeiro that Dazzles in Sunshine but Prevents Sunburn

It’s summer in Brazil, and Nivea Sun is demonstrating its effective protection against the scorching sun in Rio de Janeiro with a clever outdoor idea and 1 million beads.

Under the direction of Aegis Group’s AgenciaClick Isobar, an artist created a giant outdoor mosaic composed of white beads that react to the sun’s ultra violet rays. http://www.youtube.com/user/niveabrasil ) The mosaic was painted in vivid colors depicting a woman in a bathing suit sunning herself on the sand under a brilliant sun.

During the sunny days the colors are bright, except for white letters that remain entirely white because the artist slathered them with Nivea Sun. The letters spell out the campaign’s tagline “Viva o verao de perto” (Portuguese for “Live the summer up close.”)

At night, without the sun striking the billboard, the entire surface is white. The color returns the next day when the sun rises, except in the letters protected by Nivea Sun.

The billboard, set up along the wide Av. Presidente Vargas boulevard in downtown Rio, will be up until March 3.

Agencia Click also enlisted popular TV presenter Rodrigo Faro, who did a product demonstration posted in a video on his blog in which he holds white beads in each hand, sprays one handful with Nivea Sun, then goes outside by his swimming pool. The unsprayed beads quickly darken, while the others remain pristine white.

http://adage.com/article/global-news/nivea-demos-sun-protection-brazil-a-million-beads/232588/

Tecate Consolidates U.S. Advertising With Mexican Agency

In a cost-cutting move, Heineken’s Tecate beer brand is moving U.S. advertising from Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners’ U.S. Hispanic unit Ramona to its longtime Mexican agency, Olabuenaga Chemistri, the brewer told Ad Age.

The consolidation means all Tecate and Tecate Light U.S. advertising — including digital — will be run from south of the border, an unusual arrangement for a brand sold in the U.S. Tecate, a Mexican import, was already an oddity among advertisers for focusing its entire U.S. account on the Hispanic market, particularly Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans. However, the brand lately had been testing a limited number of English-language ads.

It is the loss of a key account or Ramona. The agency did not return a call for comment this afternoon. Olabuenaga Chemistri, on the other hand, gains its first foothold in the U.S. market. The agency, based in Mexico City, has experience with several high-profile accounts, including work in Mexico for Bacardi and General Motors, as well as Mexican milk brand Leche Lala.

While Heineken’s push for global synergies drove the move, Tecate considered the creative consequences, said Tecate VP-Marketing Felix Palau. “If we found out there was any risk in switching to a single creative approach coming from Mexico, we [were] not going to conduct [the] move,” Mr. Palau said. “But that was not the case.”

Indeed, Heineken reviewed new proposals from both Olabuenaga Chemistri and Ramona before making the switch, he said. Under the new arrangement, the same Spanish-language ads will air in Mexico and the U.S. But Olabuenaga Chemistri will also create English language ads to air in several U.S. markets in the Southwest.

Tecate is the fourth-largest U.S. import behind Corona Extra, Heineken and Modelo Especial, according to 2010 rankings from Beer Marketer’s Insights, the latest available. But the brand has been slipping, with grocery-store sales down 8.38% in the year ending Dec. 25, according to SymphonyIRI, which excludes Walmart Stores and liquor stores. Heineken USA spent $17 million in measured media on Tecate and Tecate Light in the U.S. in 2010, according to Kantar Media.

Ramona has had Tecate since 2007, when it was called Adrenalina and partly owned by MDC Partners. The agency was formed specifically for the Tecate pitch and all three partners at the time had worked with Eduardo Casas, the then-Heineken USA executive leading the review. In 2010, the agency was absorbed by MDC Partners sibling Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners following the departure of the last of Adrenalina’s three founders, Manuel Wernicky. Adrenalina was renamed Ramona in 2010 when Sandra Alfaro, a management partner and director of account management at Vidal Partnership, was hired as general manager.

Under Ramona, Tecate last year sought to expand from its traditional base of new U.S. immigrants to more acculturated Hispanics by adding humor to its ads.

Going forward, Tecate will keep its “con caracter” tagline, which positions it as the drink for men “with character,” Mr. Palau said. But ads will be tweaked to ensure they work in Mexico and the U.S. For instance, U.S. ads now tend to overtly play up Hispanic notions of character that Mr. Palau said even border on U.S. stereotypes of Hispanic men. “This new campaign and this new creative approach doesn’t necessarily talk about the difference between a Hispanic manifestation of character and a more universal manifestation of character. Now we are talking to a broader base of Hispanics [so] it’s less relevant to say ‘I’m Hispanic.’ The fact that Tecate is a Mexican beer and they will see Hispanic talent in the ads, that’s more than enough.”

The agency switch follows other maneuvers by Amsterdam-based Heineken to seek synergies. In November, the brewer launched a review to consolidate its global media planning and buying under one shop, pitting roster shops Starcom MediaVest of Publicis Groupe and WPP’s Mindshare against each other. Heineken has also streamlined procurement. And last year it appointed independent shop Wieden & Kennedy as global creative agency for its flagship Heineken brand.

Olabuenaga Chemistri is co-owned by Ana Maria Olabuenaga and Jorge Cuchi, who is the chief creative officer. The agency has a partnership with Publicis Groupe that gives it access to some of the company’s resources, including agencies such as Leo Burnett Hispanic shop Lapiz, which is based in Chicago. Olabuenaga Chemistri is said to be considering hiring people from Ramona to help service the account, and might keep some presence in New York.

http://adage.com/article/hispanic-marketing/tecate-consolidates-u-s-advertising-mexican-agency/232450/

How Volkswagen Conducted Its Canine Chorus

Notable orchestras have long interpreted John Williams’ familiar “Star Wars” score, and in the ’70s, Bill Murray appeared on “Saturday Night Live” singing his version of the theme: “Star Wars, nothing but Star Wars, give me those Star Wars!”

Mr. Murray has now been upstaged by … the dogs.

Last week, Volkswagen and Deutsch, Los Angeles, unveiled a 60-second Super Bowl teaser on YouTube and then on broadcast TV during an episode of “The Middle” on ABC. The spot stars mutts barking a canine rendition of “The Imperial March,” aka “Darth Vader’s Theme,” the track featured in last year’s VW Super Bowl darling, “The Force.”

The dozen dogs, selected from a pool of 40 who “auditioned,” were chosen not for their vocal chops but, in some cases, for their resemblance to “Star Wars” characters, according to Tim Mahoney, chief product and marketing officer for Volkswagen of America. “See if you can find Chewbacca,” he said, adding, “If you have a pet in the house, this ad drives them crazy.” (We got the lowdown on which pup plays who, check it out.)

The idea behind “The Bark Side” was to create an ad to promote an ad. “We were among a few brands last year who pre-released our Super Bowl ad, and the feeling was we were ahead of the pack,” said Mark Hunter, chief creative officer for Deutsch, apparently with no pun intended. “So this year, it’s what can we do to continue to set media trends.”

Mr. Hunter said “The Bark Side” is about “giving you enough information to whet your appetite. It would be a strange teaser if it didn’t reflect what was coming.”

The ad was directed by Keith Schofield of Caviar Content, who said the dogs were shot together and then separately on the set, barking to a temporary track created by Endless Noise’s Jeff Elmassian, who was also behind the arrangement of John William’s original Vader march for “The Force.” Prior to production, “we talked about how this should probably be handled like a music video,” said Deutsch Director of Integrated Content Vic Palumbo. “We needed to create the track first and then figure out who the dogs are, what notes they’re going to be singing.”

For the final track, Mr. Elmassian created a mix of archived dog barks and yelps recorded on set rounded out by newly recorded woofs and howls-a number of which were later pitched to match the actual tune. One of the biggest challenges was the balancing act of using unaltered dog barks and digitally enhanced ones. The final mix featured a combination of both. “The human ear is discerning enough that even a lay person can tell when something is synthetic,” said Mr. Elmassian. “You want a certain amount of barks to not be effected. Your ear will anchor onto enough of those and start to forgive some of the sounds that do border more on the effected side.”

There was also the problem of matching yelp to snout. “We wanted the barks to sound like they were actually intoning a pitch, but it’s also important that we needed them to sound like the specific dog,” said Mr. Elmassian. “You may have a great Labrador with the right pitch, but at that moment it’s the Chihuahua barking. You can’t put a Lab’s bark into the Chihuahua voice.”

Assembling it all involved a very delicate dance between sound and edit. Mr. Elmassian said he also collaborated extensively with Editor Nicholas Wayman-Harris of Union. The agency teamed with Method Studios on the effects, but “it was important to minimize the CG work so it felt natural,” explained Deutsch Group Creative Director Jerome Austria. Overall, the teaser was a lesson in restraint-and how important it is to good comedy. None of the dogs don a Vader mask or Leia cinnamon-bun hairpieces. Only few have hints of costume, like the AT-AT poncho of the whippet in the final frame. The barks themselves start out sounding a bit cryptic and random, until they build into something really familiar.

“We were trying to not be too heavy-handed,” said Deutsch Group Creative Director Michael Kadin. “You don’t want to overly art-direct it, like if they all came out with eye patches and sang pirate songs.”

As for the continuing “Star Wars” theme, “We are leveraging our equity from last year,” said Mr. Mahoney, referring to “The Force.” According to Deutsch’s Mr. Austria, within the first 24 hours of its launch, “The Bark Side” surpassed 1.6 million views. Within the same time frame, “The Force” earned around 1.1 million hits.

The canine choir teaser leads viewers to a site where they can invite their friends to Bowl parties with a customized “Star Wars” title crawl. “It probably raises more questions than it answers,” added fellow Group Creative Director Matt Ian. “We like that it’s starting to tell the world, ‘Whatever you may have expected it to be, it may not be that.’”

But what we do know for certain is this: According to Mr. Kadin, the agency brought back Director Lance Acord and Editor Jim Haygood for the actual big game spot. “We had a winning combination,” he said, “so why mess with that?”

And what of VW’s 60-second commercial on the Bowl bought for the VW Beetle? Will “Star Wars” figure in?

“Don’t presume anything,” cautioned Mr. Mahoney.

http://creativity-online.com/news/how-volkswagen-conducted-its-canine-chorus/232285

Campaign to create ‘Beautiful and Bald Barbie’ heats up on social networking sites

Over the years, Mattel’s iconic Barbie doll has had every hairstyle imaginable, including a bubble beehive, a ‘60s flip and even multi-colored hair extensions. But she’s never been bald.

That may change if the women behind the Facebook page, “Beautiful and Bald Barbie” influence executives at the world’s largest toy company.

“We would like to see a Beautiful and Bald Barbie made to help young girls who suffer from hair loss due to cancer treatments, alopecia or trichotillomania,” reads Jane Bingham and Beckie Sypin’s Facebook page, which has almost 40,000 “likes.” “Many children have some difficulty accepting their mother, sister, aunt, grandparent or friend going from a long haired to a bald.”

The Facebook page was created after the two friends heard about a four-year-girl from Mineola, Long Island, who had lost her hair after treatment for cancer.

Little Genesis Reyes, who missed having her “princess” hair, inspired the parent of another patient in the hospital to ask the CEO of Mattel, who happened to be a personal friend, to create a special bald Barbie doll for Genesis.

“When I read the article about Mattel making a one-of-a-kind bald Barbie for Genesis, I though how wonderful that would be, with so many other children dealing with hair-loss,” Bingham told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper. “I thought we could raise awareness for these conditions. Raise awareness that children get cancer too… It would be a win all around.”

Bingham, who lost her own hair after chemotherapy treatments for an incurable form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was moved by the reaction of her young daughter to her newly bald head.

“It takes an emotional toll on the child,” Bingham explained. “I had very long blond hair… She would mimic me and she would try and wrap scarves on her head too.”

So far, Mattel hasn’t publicly responded to the growing popularity of Bingham and Sypin’s Facebook page, except to say in a form letter that the company “doesn’t accept ideas from outside sources.”

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/01/12/campaign-to-create-bald-and-beautiful-barbie-heats-up-on-social-networking/

P&G to raise $5m for youth sports programmes

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has revealed plans to raise $5m (£3.3m) this year to establish and sustain youth sports programmes around the world, from donations and a portion of sales of its leading brands, including Pampers, Tide, Gillette and Pantene.

Procter & Gamble: some of the British athletes who will act as P&G brand ambassadors

P&G is partnering with the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to give children the opportunity to practise sports by supplying facilities and training.

The activity will feed into P&G’s ‘Thank You Mum’ campaign for the London 2012 Olympic Games, aiming to improve the everyday lives of mums. The campaign also offers athletes’ mothers the opportunity to see their children compete at the Games.

P&G is an IOC TOP partner, and, through its brands, is sponsoring more than 150 athletes, who will be featured in advertising and retail marketing to generate sales and donations to support youth sports.

P&G has already named 11 British athletes, including Jessica Ennis, Paula Radcliffe and Ben Rushgrove as brand ambassadors for a range of its products.

Marc Pritchard, P&G global marketing and brand building officer, said: “P&G is in the business of helping moms. Through our ‘Thank You Mom’ program, we will support not just the moms of Olympic athletes, but every mom who does whatever it takes to make her child’s life the best it can be.”

Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, said: “Through its support of mothers of Olympians, P&G is helping athletes. With its support of youth sports, the company is supporting families and is helping to develop athletes every day. It aligns perfectly with the Olympic values.”

http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/1112079/P-G-raise-5m-youth-sports-programmes/

The 10 Best Commercials of 2011

Many people groaned last winter when it became clear that Super Bowl XLV would be packed bumper to bumper with automotive ads. It’s not a category that’s exactly wowed with its creativity in recent years. It was a pleasant surprise, then, when many of the car spots proved not only tolerable but wonderful. Now, with the year almost passed, it’s become clear that two of those ads in particular—Chrysler’s “Born of Fire” by Wieden + Kennedy and Volkswagen’s “The Force” by Deutsch—weren’t just among that evening’s best spots. They turned out to be among the year’s best.

Those two ads are joined by a third car commercial, Nissan Leaf’s “Gas Powered Everything” by TBWA\Chiat\Day, in Adweek’s ranking of The 10 Best Commercials of 2011, presented here. Those auto spots were all expertly conceived and executed, with great atmospherics, details, and flourishes. And interestingly, they’re all so different—an environmental appeal in a bleak alternate universe; a rugged defense of Motor City’s heritage and pride, featuring a powerful celebrity cameo; and a kid in a Darth Vader mask just trying to exert a little mind control around the house. Together, they represent the best automotive advertising has to offer.

Elsewhere, the list celebrates work across a wide variety of products, themes, styles, and geographies. You’ve got candy bars and zombies, cats with thumbs, and film-directing bears. You’ve also got two spots focused on the environment, and two explicitly about the humanizing power of technology—fundamental concerns in an age when our lives, and the world, can feel like they’re spinning out of control.

Congratulations to all the agencies and clients on the list, and the creative-services companies that helped bring their visions to life. Now, go make something even better.

Continue to next page →

Source: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/10-best-commercials-2011-136663

Rock in Rio Connects Music Lovers and Advertisers

The 25 major sponsors included Heineken, Banco Itau — which underwrote zip-lining and a giant Ferris wheel, respectively — Coca-Cola and Volkswagen. Among the at-least 350 products licensed and heavily advertised: Rock in Rio-branded versions of Trident gum and the Volkswagen Gol, and a clothing line from local retailer Leader.

“The seven days of the music festival itself are the cherry on the cake,” said Rodolfo Medina, head-marketing and commercial of Rock in Rio. He and Roberta Medina now run the festival started by their father, who remains its creative head. The first Rock in Rio festivals were held in 1985, 1991 and 2001. The event moved to Spain and Portugal between 2004 and 2010, with Rock in Rio Madrid and Rock in Rio Lisboa. With this year’s success and the country’s economy booming, the next Rock in Rio is scheduled for Brazil in 2013. A strong brand now, it plans to introduce a namesake stage musical in Brazilian theaters next year, as well as a TV channel and radio station. The festival will also be the theme of a prominent samba school in the 2013 Carnaval parade. “Rock in Rio will become a permanent lifestyle line, always developing products in different segments,” said Ms. Medina, the company’s global spokeswoman. She also handles related sustainability and social projects, including raising funds for music instruction in poor communities. She gained celebrity in Portugal as a judge on a local “American Idol”-type TV show. The Medinas intend to continue the international expansion by taking Rock in Rio to at least two new countries in the next five years; they also hope to be in the U.S. within the next decade.

http://adage.com/article/special-report-hottest-global-brands/global-hottest-brands-rock-rio/231290/

La Comunidad’s ‘El Spooky Show’ Stars Hamster From Popular Ad

A mean giant hamster that was a popular character in a World Cup ad campaign last year is getting his own short sitcom called “El Spooky Show,” created by U.S. Hispanic agency La Comunidad.

El Spooky Show

Starting Friday, five-minute webisodes will run twice weekly on Viacom’s Hispanic youth channel MTV Tr3s in the U.S. and the recently launched Comedy Central in Latin America.

Spooky debuted in a hilarious international campaign for MTV that highlighted the obsessive behavior of fans watching the month-long World Cup on TV last year, with the tagline, “We understand why you aren’t watching MTV.” In one spot, a giant hamster attacks his disheveled owner with a chainshaw and berates him for forgetting to feed him for weeks during a World Cup-watching binge. Spooky demands a pizza be delivered to his tiny cage immediately.

“It happened spontaneously,” said Jose Molla, founder and creative director of Miami-based La Comunidad, MTV’s long-time international ad agency. “After the World Cup campaign stopped running, Latin kids started Facebook profiles and blogs under the name Spooky. We saw all this online activity from kids pretending to be Spooky. We got together with MTV and said we have something on our hands that could be bigger than an advertising campaign.”

La Comunidad-Summer, a content division of La Comunidad, wrote and directed 12 five-minute Spanish-language episodes (in the U.S., subtitles will be added to the Tr3s version at www.tr3s.com).

In one episode of “El Spooky Show,” Spooky’s hapless owner and roommate Yogu returns home to find Spooky has ordered a ninja online, and the ninja has taken over the apartment. In another episode, the snarky hamster hypnotizes Yogu and wreaks havoc.

“What’s really cool about this is it’s an advertising character that’s become content, and for us it also becomes a business opportunity,” Mr. Molla said. “We’re participating in rights and merchandising opportunities for Spooky.”

MTV is doing promos for “El Spooky Show” and Mr. Molla will be speaking at some MTV and industry gatherings about the character, although he is somewhat handicapped by not being able to have Spooky appear with him.

“I wanted to bring Spooky but it’s complicated to move not only the costume but also all the electronic equipment, especially from one country to another,” he said. A real person is inside the giant hamster suit, but parts of Spooky’s body, including his facial expressions, are controlled electronically by a second person.

So Mr. Molla says Spooky is vacationing in Buenos Aires, where La Comunidad has its other office and “El Spooky Show” is shot.

http://adage.com/article/hispanic-marketing/la-comunidad-s-spooky-show-stars-hamster-popular-ad/230917/

Get to Know the Sponsors of the Latin GRAMMY Awards

For the past eleven years, Heineken has shown its great support of the Latin GRAMMY Awards and has returned this year as the official beer and malt beverage sponsor. New this year, and kicking off the pre-show activities for fans at home, is “La Experiencia Heineken,” which brings viewers a special performance by Daddy Yankee. The emblematic Heineken green carpet will also be rolled out to welcome the evening’s guests. Additionally, Heineken is a proud partner of the 2011 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year tribute honoring Shakira, and the presenting sponsor of the official Latin GRAMMY After-Party. Local fans are invited to the “Heineken House of Music”, an audio and visual multi-sensory Latin music experience with live performances by some of today’s most promising talent, open at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino from Nov. 8 – 10.

7UP has returned as the official beverage sponsor of the Latin GRAMMY Awards and surrounding events. 7UP is bringing their refreshing products to the public at the Latin GRAMMY Street Parties and Latin GRAMMY Acoustic Sessions, The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year tribute gala, and the official Latin GRAMMY After-Party. 7UP will also provide beverages and gifts to lucky fans who are part of the “green carpet” bleachers at the Latin GRAMMY Awards.
Delta Air Lines is proud to be the official airline sponsor of The Latin Recording Academy, Latin GRAMMYs and The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year tribute dinner. Delta passengers and members of Delta’s SkyMiles frequent flier program from Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, and Guatemala won trips to see the Latin GRAMMYs live in Las Vegas through a variety of sweepstakes and radio promotions. With its leading global network, Delta offers service to 46 destinations in Latin America with nearly 400 weekly flights.

Walmart, which has supported the Latin GRAMMYs in the past, has returned as the official retail partner of the Latin GRAMMY Awards, and joins the Latin GRAMMY Street Parties as official sponsor with its Walmart Pavillion in Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas and Miami. Walmart’s lucky fans will be able to sit in its Latin GRAMMYs green carpet bleacher section, where they will have the opportunity to see all the biggest stars in Latin music arrive for the premiere night in Latin music.

McDonald’s has returned for the fourth consecutive year, bringing its Latin GRAMMY sponsorship alive through its support of the Latin GRAMMY Street Partiesand The Latin Recording Academy Person of the
Year tribute. Once again, McDonald’s gave its customers the opportunity to attend this year’s Latin GRAMMY Awards in Las Vegas, giving them the opportunity to experience Latin Music’s Biggest night firsthand.

This year, the Latin GRAMMY Awards are happy to count The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) among its roster of sponsors. Representing P&G at the Latin GRAMMY Awards will be beauty brand CoverGirl, the official cosmetics sponsor and the make-up brand of choice used by artists on the live telecast, Pre-Telecast and Person of the Year gala; and “Orgullosa,” P&G’s new multi-brand initiative created to celebrate, empower and fuel Latina’s accomplishments and dreams. Orgullosa was introduced during Hispanic Heritage month with the unveiling of “Tengo la Falda Bien Puesta,” an original song composed by Latin GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter and current nominee, Yoel Henriquez. In honor of the initiative, P&G will be bringing 10 lucky fans who won the “La Falda Bien Puesta” sweepstakes to the Latin GRAMMYs.

Allstate once again returns as a proud sponsor of the Latin GRAMMYs. This year, partnering with Univison, Allstate will bring an “unlucky” winner to the live telecast and experience all of the excitement firsthand. They will be guests of Allstate and a date of Mala Suerte – known from the company’s Spanish language ad campaign – and will walk the green carpet together. The contest winner will enjoy a few days of fun and hopefully no chaos will arise. To enter, fans can visit Univision.com and enter keyword “Allstate,” or go to the Facebook page “Soy La Mala Suerte.”

It takes a lot to put on a great show and between the partnership with Univision, The Latin Recording Academy and all the participating sponsors, the show is poised to be filled with great surprises and increased relevancy for Latin music lovers!

Stay current with Hispanic Marketing insights and subscribe to HispanicAd.com . And stay connected to the latest happenings in news and pop culture with a Latino business perspective watching YouTube’s 1st and Only Hispanic Business Channel: Moments to CultuRise with Lili Gil. Contact: Twitter @liligil or visit myculturalintelligence.com .

http://hispaniccmo.com/2011/11/10/get-to-know-the-sponsors-of-the-latin-grammy-awards/

Hispanic Celebrity Chef Pepin Promotes Rumba Meats Sweepstakes

National campaign helps consumers win cash prizes and free products

Hispanic celebrity chef and cultural icon Chef Pepin is this year’s spokesperson for Cargill’s second annual Rumba meats brand on-pack sweepstakes promotion – “Warmth of Home” or “Calor de Hogar” – which is timed around the holidays when specialty meat consumption is at its highest.

www.hispanicprblog.com/hispanic-spokesperson-tracker/hispanic-celebrity-chef-pepin.html