APRIL 21, 1995/Bicoastal The Artists Company has added Skip D’Amico to its directing roster. D’Amico was formerly senior VP/director of broadcast production at agency TBWA, New York….Music/sound design house Endless Noise, Santa Monica, has signed composers Bobby Paine, Eddie Reyes and Rick Cox for exclusive spot representation. Reyes and Cox are new to the TV ad market; Paine, who had been freelancing, was repped for spots by Songline, the music arm of Limelight Commercials, both now defunct …. Broadway Video, New York, has launched audio division Broadway Video Sound. Heading up the shop are audio post engineers Ralph Kelsey and Michael Ungar….5 years / 10 years
Super Bowl Ads Offer Laughs, Celebs and Surprises; The Mix Includes Aliens, Sloths and Silliness
Eugene Levy's trademark eyebrows fly off for Little Caesars. A tongue dances to Shania Twain to promote Nestle's Coffee Mate Cold Foam. And Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reunite at Katz's Deli in an ad for Hellmann's. A frenzied mix of silliness and celebrities is hitting the airwaves and the internet, and that means one thing: it is Super Bowl ad time again. Veteran advertisers are using tried-and-true tactics like celebrity cameos, humor and cute animals to win over watchers. Meanwhile, first-time and newer advertisers are courting outrageousness and using stunts to try to stand out in the battle to capture the attention of the more than 120 million viewers expected to tune into Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Fox. Super Bowl viewers are a unique audience because they're as primed to watch the ads as they are the game. "This is a societal moment where we come together as a country," said Kimberly Whitler, marketing professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. "We may be on different sides, you know, of the gridiron or the field. But we come together." With 80-plus ad spots divvied up among the 50-something advertisers during the game, it's tough to make sure viewers remember your brand message. And with a few ad spots going for a record $8 million for 30 seconds this year, the stakes have never been higher. But the price tag is worth it, advertisers say. Rachel Jaiven, head of Haagen-Dazs marketing, said the brand decided to make its first-ever appearance in the game due to the size of the viewership and its association with snacking. "We know at the Super Bowl these days that everyone watches, it's a wide audience," Jaiven said. The brand's ad shows stars from the "Fast &... Read More