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Q&A: How Cards Against Humanity Won the Holidays With a Whole Load of B.S.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/12/2014 - 14:04

Cards Against Humanity's promotions are as bitingly sarcastic as the game itself—whether they're charging more for the game on Black Friday, experimenting with a "Pay what you want" model (which outright insulted anyone who chose to pay less than cost) or teaming with Netflix just this week for an already sold out House of Cards pack. But the card game's recent "12 Days of Holiday Bullshit" promotion w

Here Are the 2014 Products of the Year

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/12/2014 - 14:00

Quick—what do the Xbox, Eggland's Best eggs and Adams flea and tick spray have in common? For the record (and before your mind wanders too far) they’re a few of the 23 winners of the annual Product of the Year honors. Yes, we know, a nice bonfire could be had with all of the awards and trophies out there. But getting named one of the POY is actually a very big deal for a brand—not only for the boasting rights, but for the marketing. The winners will appear on the cover of Parade magazine, and the halo effect of a POY translates to an average sales bump of 10-15 percent.

Olympics Viewers Don’t Like Celebrity Endorsements

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/12/2014 - 12:01

Winter Olympics will be glad to know that people who watch the games are 9 percent more likely than the general public to buy from companies that sponsor sporting events, but beware of celebrity endorsements—viewers are 43 percent less likely to buy products that celebrities use, according to Experian Marketing Services. Meanwhile, multitasking during the games is on the rise, with three-fourths of those planning to watch the Winter Games plan to use more than one device while doing so, per Arnold Worldwide.

Socal Sponsorship Company Izea Raises $12M in New Funding

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:00

Izea, a firm that has ridden the trends of sponsored content and social media by connecting companies with celebrities and personalities, is announcing today that it has raised $12 million in new funding. The 7-year-old company has already raised $24 million in four rounds of funding, but this is the largest amount raised in a single round to date. The funding was led by Special Situation Funds, with participation by Izea board members and other investors, which were not disclosed.

Reebok Is Close to Naming a New Lead Agency

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/12/2014 - 00:18

DDB is splitting with Reebok amid a review of the sneaker and apparel company’s global creative business. The review is in its late stages with a trio of contenders that sources identified as Mother; Goodby Silverstein & Partners; and Venables Bell & Partners. Select Resources International in Santa Monica, Calif., is managing the process. Annual global media spending on the brand is estimated at $50 million.

Ad of the Day: Heineken Challenges Guys to Show Their Feelings This Valentine's Day

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/11/2014 - 20:14

It's Feb. 11. You know what that means? There are only three days left until Valentine's Day! Oh, and it also means you'd better have solid dinner plans for Friday night, because all the good reservations filled up months ago. But what if, between the Super Bowl and the Olympics and constantly shoveling snow, you forgot to make plans? Heineken has you covered, thanks to a new social-media campaign devised by Wieden + Kennedy in New York.

Norway's Pro-Gay Olympic Ad Is Cheesy and Absurd, but Also Kind of Incredible

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/11/2014 - 18:29

Thanks to the country's anti-gay laws, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia have turned into a de facto platform for LGBT marketing. Earlier, we had the Canadian ad that said the two-man luge is "a little gay." Now, we have this crazy spot from Norwegian sports apparel retailer XXL. It's an over-the-top, absurd blockbuster of an ad, with overly slick visuals, overly cheesy music and a "twist" ending you could spot from Moscow. And yet … somehow you have to love it. Its heart is generally in the right place, even if it plays out like a male fantasy.

Times Square Plus Facebook and WeChat Equals 54,000 Photo Submissions for HTC

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/11/2014 - 16:45

Brands don't typically allow campaign metrics to go public unless they've exceeded expectations. With that in mind, HTC today says a just-wrapped 11-week campaign that mixed global social media with Times Square ads drew 54,000 photo submissions. The effort, pitched in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, centered on a contest to win a 24-carat-plated HTC One smartphone worth $2,500.