Estrella Damm

Ad location: Spanish television/YouTube

Medium: Video

Brand: Estrella Damm Beer

Overall Grade: A

Quick Review:

This ad makes you feel young if you’re old and makes you glad to be young if you are still young.   It is a refreshing ode to carefree, lazy summer days spent with friends, to the spontaneity that occurs when the weather is nice and you have no plans- so you can set sail with your buddies and enjoy a case of Estrella Damm beer.  I give this ad points for showing people enjoying beer in a normal, everyday context while not falling prey to typical beer commercial cliches (crazy, raucous parties; dudes being dudes; etc).  The ad is targeted to young men, but women are featured enjoying the beer as well- the flirtation between one guy and girl is the source of the ad’s tag line, “A veces lo que buscas está tan cerca que cuesta verlo” (“Sometimes what you’re looking for is so close it’s hard to see”).  Major points for stunning visuals, a pretty song, relevant use of the product, and putting a smile on the viewer’s face.  Makes you want to spend a weekend in Spain enjoying some Estrella Damm beer!

Nike Ad - 2010 FIFA Worldcup

With over 7.8 million views in its first week, the Nike Write the Future ad for the World Cup has broken all viral video records for views. While  initially pulled by YouTube for copyright issues, the video is alive and well again for everyone to see.

Even more interesting is that the previous holder of the viral record was another Nike Ad released earlier in the year and reaching 6.3 million views. It is a much more somber ad featuring the ghost of Tiger Woods’ Dad speaking to him and definitely not as uplifting and exciting as the World Cup ad. Here is the Earl and Tiger ad, however for pure entertainment value there are plenty of spoofs on the Earl and Tiger ad that may be worth killing some time.

Research on Gay Latinos

An interesting article by Chiqui Cartagena in Ad Age discusses a new study by Starcom Mediavest Group and Telemundo that is being released just in time for this year’s upfront week.

While this is the third of its kind by SMG’s Cultural Identities unit, this one was conducted in partnership with Telemundo.  One of the more interesting results of the study is the relation among race/ethnicity and sexual orientation.  The fact that the question was asked gives some insight into the depth of the survey.

Although the results have not been formally presented or released, I will definitely be keeping my eye out for a copy and will share any interesting information that I find.  In the meantime I recommend reading the article in Ad Age for the full story.

Ad Metrics

The Wall Street Journal has reported that spending on Internet advertising in the U.S. should “almost completely recover” from the recession this year, while search advertising and search market leader Google Inc. (GOOG) likely will enjoy the most growth in the next few years, according to a report published Wednesday by IDC.

Between 2009 and 2014, “search advertising gains the most dollars,” according to IDC  analyst Karsten Weide.

This invariably means more than just a sign that we are heading through recovery. It seems to indicate a wholesale maturing of online advertising, marketing and associated methodologies as a bona fide means of marketing and promoting products and services across the spectrum of business sectors. Those companies, large and small, who had embraced these tools prior to the recession will likely have a decided advantage against their competition as the economic climate improves.

Compared to 2009, this data represents a 7.5% increase for the same period and marks the highest first-quarter revenue level ever for the internet advertising industry.

“The year-over-year growth we are seeing reflects marketers’ confidence in the value and effectiveness of interactive advertising,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. “The Internet, together with explosive technological innovation in devices and platforms, has transformed consumers’ lives, giving them access to entertainment and information however, whenever, and wherever they want it. That’s why the vibrant interactive advertising and marketing industry lends major fuel to the U.S. economy.”

“We are seeing continued signs of an improved economy and interactive advertising market,” said David Silverman, PwC Assurance partner.  “The media industry —like the economy as a whole—saw tremendous challenges this past year, and uncertainty about the recovery remains.  However, entering 2010 with such strong Q1 revenues is a sign of the health and vitality of online media, and of marketers’ continuing investment in interactive as a cornerstone of their advertising campaigns.”

Verizon World Cup Billboard

It is coming- the most watched event in the entire world…NO not the American Idol season finale, but FIFA’s 2010 World Cup, taking place in South Africa.  Yes, soccer…..a sport that has a high level of participation for kids in the U.S. but has shown little ability to reach Americans as a major television event, even with a solid U.S. Team and David Beckham’s arrival to the U.S. professional league MLS (Major League Soccer).

How will most Americans even know that there is a major sporting event taking place starting June 11?  Of course the answer is advertising, as it is for every major sporting event from the Super Bowl to the Olympics.  And the wave of advertising has begun.

In Latino communities, the billboards have been springing up, such as this one from Verizon in San Francisco’s Mission District, which reads, “Para ver 64 partidos en vivo, quieres 3G de Verizon” (To see 64 games live, you want Verizon 3G).  The major marketing publications such as Advertising Age are also getting into the act, with discussions about major investments by such advertisers as Nike, whose World Cup ad, as cleverly pointed out by Ad Age, uses the images of major players playing for teams sponsored by Nike without mentioning the World Cup (Nike is not even a sponsor).   You can see the Nike commercial at Ad Age, as well as read the publication’s review of the ad.  Since this is a global sporting event, we expect to see some very interesting advertising and are looking forward to an entertaining Mundial.