Weekly Digital Breakdown – 1.9.20
Weekly Digital Breakdown
Jan 09 2020
Presidential Candidates Are Ready for Kickoff
The teams headed to the Big Game are yet to be decided, but the much anticipated commercials are locked in and ready to go. While notable brands such as Heinz, Facebook, Snickers, and Toyota may be bringing their best creative game to the playing field, the heavy hitting presidential candidates are taking the opportunity to kick-off their campaigns in front of millions of viewers.
President Trump’s campaign purchased a $10 million 60-second spot for one of the most watched events of the year. The President solidified his ad buy months in advance in order to get a prime viewing spot early in the game. The ad will begin his aggressive approach to win voters leading up to election day.
In response, Democrat Michael Bloomberg announced that he too would be competing for viewer’s attention with his own 60-second spot. Bloomberg hopes to take attention from the President’s re-election campaign and boost his base ahead of what is sure to be a contentious election season. The ad is part of Bloomberg’s planned record spending, already on track for $170 million in television and digital ad dollars, to overthrow the incumbent.
Presidential ads targeting the whole country for the game are uncommon in previous years. Most candidates choose to focus on local buys where they can get in front of key states and sway crucial voters. However, the timing of this year’s game may play a bigger role in the decision with the Iowa caucuses, historically a politically divided area, and the State of the Union address are both scheduled for February 3rd, the day after the game. One thing is for certain, it seems it’s already 4th and goal in the political arena and it’s only January.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/us/politics/bloomberg-trump-super-bowl-ad.html
Facebook Adds Video Insights
Facebook is starting the new year with new metrics for video advertisers. The company announced an addition to its Creator Studio dashboard this week that will provide insights and optimization opportunities for marketers. The “Traffic Source Insights” will reveal more details around audience behavior and will break down users into ‘Followers,’ ‘Sharers,’ ‘Recommended,’ and ‘Paid.’
Advertisers will have a view into how much time is being spent by each group watching videos, creating opportunity to make adjustments to appeal to the most desirable audience based on campaign goals.
In order to help marketers better leverage the insights, Facebook also provides details on the purpose of each audience segment and ways to improve each category. They also give tips to improve the overall video strategy to gain and retain users interest as well as additional detail into the algorithm process and how it prioritizes video content.
The insights provide a closer look at how advertisers can best manage, track, optimize, and better monetize their video content. The addition furthers Facebook’s attempts to be more transparent, helping advertisers reach audiences and gaining trust in the platform.
Panera Brings Back a Fan Favorite
Change is hard. And for some Panera customers, the removal of their favorite soup, French Onion, for seasonal selections caused more disappointment than the company predicted. Upset patrons took to social media to express their frustration with the lack of the menu staple of over 20 years. While Panera attempted to respond to fan’s concerns online, they turned Phyllis Smith, better known as Phyllis Vance from NBC’s The Office, for some friendly advice.
In the online video, Phyllis plays the social media coordinator for the company. Her job is to read and reply to the disgruntled tweets. Her calm demeanor and quick witted reaction resulted in a hilarious illustration of the far reaching impact the menu change had.
The company’s ability to poke fun at itself and announce the awaited return of the soup this month appeased fans who had been stewing over the change. Panera managed to cook up marketing success from a situation that could have gone stale.
