Media coverage from the 2009 Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review
The Globe and Mail (Adhocracy Blog)
Doritos' groin toss - 2/3/09
The article profiles the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review, led by Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins and Assistant Professor of Marketing Derek Rucker.
Click here for full story
The Tampa Tribune
Brothers Finally Win With Doritos Commercial - 2/3/09
From the article: The message - "if you find yourself stuck under a moose's behind, it's time to look for a new job" - was funny, simple, short and memorable, says marketing professor Derek D. Rucker, who along with professor Tim Calkins conducts this annual Super Bowl ad rating. "It made a clear connection to the job-finding site Monster.com," he said in a telephone interview. "We're not just gauging the entertainment value. We look for commercials that make a clear connection with the brand. We look at how effective is the sales pitch. Some commercials look clever but they don't sell the product." The moose commercial placed 22nd in the USA Ad Meter poll. The Kellogg School also gave high "sales" marks to CareerBuilder.com (punching the koala bear), the Doritos crystal ball, E-Trade's talking baby and Denny's gangsters get happy faces on their pancakes.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/feb/03/na-brothers-finally-win-with-doritos-commercial/
Los Angeles Times (Sports Blog)
Did Doritos' rookies win the Super Bowl commercial derby? - 2/2/09
From the article: Doritos finished in a tie for second behind the Monster.com "need a new job?" spot in Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management Super Bowl survey. The survey had Doritos tied with other "A grade" commercials from CareerBuilder.com, E-Trade and Denny's. Sunday's commercial breaks "featured hard-hitting advertising," said Tim Calkins, a Kellogg marketing professor. "We had spots with value messages and competitive claims, both of which are unusual in the Super Bowl." "Super Bowl advertisers were clearly trying to drive sales in a soft economy," Calkins said. "The game continues to be the single biggest marketing event in the United States, but this year we saw the impact of the weak economy."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/02/did-doritos-win.html
First Business Morning News
Game Winners & Losers - 2/2/09
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins explains why some long time Super Bowl advertisers stayed on the sidelines.
http://www.firstbusinessx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1061&Itemid=76
The Daily Northwestern
Monster up, SoBe down: Grading Super Bowl ads - 2/2/09
The article profiles the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review, led by Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins and Assistant Professor of Marketing Derek Rucker.
Click here for full story
The Boston Globe
Monster is tops in Super Bowl ad survey - 2/2/09
From the article: The Super Bowl lineup reflected the country’s economic woes, according to the school. “This year’s Super Bowl featured hard-hitting advertising," Tim Calkins, the Kellogg School marketing professor who leads the annual Super Bowl ad review, said in a statement. "We had spots with value messages and competitive claims, both of which are unusual in the Super Bowl. Super Bowl advertisers were clearly trying to drive sales in a soft economy.”
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/02/monster_is_tops.html
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Blog) Read
Grading Anheuser-Busch’s Super Bowl marketing, Part II. The company speaks - 2/2/09
From the article: Other pundits had their own take on Anheuser-Busch’s performance. Derek Rucker, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, said his school’s Super Bowl grading event — 41 marketing students graded the commercials according to a variety of criteria — ranked Anheuser-Busch’s overall lineup a little lower than usual. The company’s commercials, aggregated together, usually rank in the “great” category. But this year, the ads were in the “good” range, and the company didn’t quite deliver its typically “very strong” execution, he said. (The grading criteria at Kellogg’s event includes likeability, remembering what the brand is, and recognizing a reason to use it.) By Kellogg’s measurement, “Bud’s spots were a little below their average,” said Rucker. “Bud is typically in our top five. They did not make it into our top spot this year.” Rucker said the use of three Clydesdale spots — an all-time high — on the game may have diluted the horse’s effect.
Marketing Magazine (Canada)
Doritos’ user-generated ad scores big in Super Bowl - 2/2/09
From the article: Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management also critiques the ads in its annual Super Bowl ad review, and this year gave employment website Monster.com the title of “Champion of the review” for its timely ad, “Need a New Job?” The ad opens on an executive’s suite with a moose head mounted above his desk. The camera pans behind the wall to show the rest of the moose standing on a work desk, and an unfortunate worker sitting directly below the moose’s back end. Monster.com and many other advertisers created spots that reflect the state of the economy, according to a Kellogg release. “This year’s Super Bowl featured hard-hitting advertising,” said Kellogg’s marketing professor Tim Calkins. “We had spots with value messages and competitive claims, both of which are unusual in the Super Bowl. “[A]dvertisers were clearly trying to drive sales in a soft economy. The game continues to be the single biggest marketing event in the United States, but this year we saw the impact of the weak economy.”
Reuters
Super Bowl ads upbeat, but can't ignore economy - 2/2/09
From the article: The CareerBuilder spot landed an "A" from the respected Kellogg School Review panel, yet failed to make the top 10 in the AOL Super Sunday Ad Poll -- which ranks the public's favorite commercials -- and received mixed reviews at Madison Avenue agencies owned by powerhouses like Omnicom Group or Interpublic Group.
Click here for full story
“Chicago Tonight” (WTTW)
Super Bowl Ads - 2/2/09
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins discusses Super Bowl ads.
http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,1&vid=020209e
CBS Radio Network
2/2/09
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on Super Bowl ads. The broadcast also aired on WABC-TV (New York), WWJ-AM (Detroit), WTOP-AM (Washington, D.C.), WCIV-TV (Charleston), WTVM-TV (Columbus), WCBS-AM (New York), WAPT-TV (Jackson, MS), WTXL-TV (Tallahassee), KBMT-TV (Beaumont), WLOS-TV (Greenville),WVEC- TV (Norfolk), KMOX-AM (St. Louis), KRLD-AM (Dallas), KCBS-AM (San Francisco), WRAL-TV (Raleigh).
ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV)
Super Bowl Ads: Hits and Misses - 2/2/09
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins discusses the most and least effective ads from the 2009 Super Bowl.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=resources&id=6636637
CNNMoney.com
MC Hammer's pain scores in Super Bowl ad - 2/2/09
From the article: The ad for Cash4Gold, where rapper MC Hammer is reduced to selling his bling as pitchman Ed McMahon cashes in his gold toilet, won the top spot in Advertising Age rankings of Super Bowl spots. Tim Calkins, a marketing professor for the Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, said this was "almost the most astonishing development on Super Bowl." "It's a very sad reflection of where we are in the economy right now: Sell us your precious items and we'll melt them down into cash," said Calkins.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/02/news/economy/super_bowl_ads/index.htm
Houston Chronicle
Local Super Bowl viewership falls - 2/2/09
From the article: In the more subjective report card for Super Bowl advertising, Monster.com's "Moose" ad was the top-rated spot in the annual survey conducted by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Doritos' "Crystal Ball" spot was the most-replayed ad among TiVo users, and two Budweiser ads topped the AOL.com popularity poll. Northwestern students rated Monster.com over CareerBuilder.com, Doritos, E*Trade and Denny's in what the group considered the top flight of Super Bowl ads. The group was less enthused with SoBe Lifewater, H&R Block, GoDaddy.com, Vizio and Toyota. "One of the surprises was Budweiser," said Derek Rucker, an assistant professor of marketing who helps administer the study. "Bud usually has a strong assortment of ads, and things were much more mixed this year." Rucker said ad quality may have been hampered by the fact that several traditional advertisers, including FedEx, opted out of the market this year.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/6243172.html
Wall Street Journal (The Super Blog)
Ad Reactions From Kellogg Students - 2/1/09
Kellogg students Stephanie Kahn, Alex Barth and Lindsay Rubin comment on the Super Bowl ads during the 2009 Super Bowl Advertising Review, led by Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins and Assistant Professor of Marketing Derek Rucker.
http://blogs.wsj.com/superbowl/2009/02/01/ad-reactions-from-kellogg-students/
ABC World News with Charles Gibson
The Strategy Behind Super Bowl Ads - 2/1/09
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the tone of this year's Super Bowl ads.
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6782129
Good Morning America
Tune in for the Commercials - 2/1/09
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the tone of this year's Super Bowl ads.
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6779890
Wall Street Journal (The Super Blog)
Kellogg Ad Reactions on SoBe and Monsters vs. Aliens - 2/1/09
Kellogg students Alex Barth and Lindsay Rubin comment on Super Bowl ads during the 2009 Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review, led by Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins and Assistant Professor of Marketing Derek Rucker.
http://blogs.wsj.com/superbowl/2009/02/01/kellogg-ad-reactions-on-sobe-and-monsters-vs-aliens/
The Independent (Ireland)
Superbowl feels crunch - 2/1/09
From the article: The TV commercials that pepper the game are usually the stuff of Madison Avenue legend -- vastly expensive productions cloaked in secrecy until their dramatic mid-game unveiling. But this year, "advertisers have to strike a delicate balance," Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management, told the New York Times, "they don't want to appear too flip, making light of a tough situation."
http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/superbowl-feels-crunch-1623019.html
The Associated Press
Economic woes don't disappear from Super Bowl ads - 2/1/09
From the article: Even if it's not obvious at first, some of those commercials showed a hard edge seldom seen in Super Bowl ads, said Tim Calkins, an analyst at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Several took on competitors directly: an Audi ad depicted other luxury cars, a Teleflora ad mocking "flowers in a box" was directed at Internet flower delivery services and the H&R Block ad scared potential customers about less reliable tax preparers. The economy "is forcing advertisers to really think about how they are going to drive sales," Calkins said. "What they're doing is really focusing on differentiation."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hm2c7iaQQMquOU8FI6qvcuqlr3DAD9635CM80
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Read
Anheuser-Busch says Super Bowl strategy is still good business - 2/1/09
From the article: The Super Bowl is the most prominent symbol of Anheuser-Busch's reverence for marketing. The broadcast is the brewer's most important opportunity to impress America's biggest audience with a blend of humor, surprise and slick production. Over two decades, A-B has built the game into an advertising platform most companies can only envy. "It's very difficult to make a great Super Bowl commercial," said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "If anybody has the Super Bowl figured out, it's Anheuser-Busch."
The Scotsman (Scotland)
Excesses of Super Bowl kicked into touch by slump - 1/31/09
From the article: Other Super Bowl regulars missing from the big screen will be the scantily clad lingerie models of Victoria's Secret and the delivery drivers of FedEx, though Pepsi and the makers of Budweiser beer were able to afford an asking price, up 11 per cent on last year. Prof Calkins said the slow take-up for advertisements that will be seen by an estimated US audience of 100 million points to a definite downturn. "In September, NBC was saying it had sold something like 90 per cent of slots, and this week they were saying exactly the same thing," he said. "They'll sell them all, but you can be sure there is a lot of aggressive negotiating going on. The list price is $3 million, but what people actually pay is quite different."
http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Excesses-of-Super-Bowl-kicked.4933194.jp
Financial Times
Advertisers toe Obama's line at the Super Bowl - 1/31/09
From the article: Getting the tone right is key, marketers say. To the freshly unemployed, lavish marketing spending could come over as distasteful, especially for advertisers such as CareerBuilder.com, a website for jobseekers, which announced 300 job cuts last month. "When you're cutting salaries and laying people off, it's hard to explain why you're buying a Super Bowl spot," said Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/52fca1c8-ef36-11dd-bbb5-0000779fd2ac.html
The Buffalo News
Too commercial? Hey, that's what the Super Bowl is all about - 1/31/09
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the tone of this year's Super Bowl ads.
http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/story/565571.html
The Boston Globe
Locals plan Twitter experiment on Super Bowl ads - 1/30/09
From the article: "Evaluating these spots has become a bit of a national pastime," said Professor Tim Calkins, who is part of a separate effort at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management to rate Super Bowl advertising....At Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, marketing students don't operate under such tight restraints, and they are encouraged to focus on the advertiser, rather than a specific ad, Calkins, the professor, said. For instance, Anheuser-Busch InBev, the global beer brewer, generally runs several ads during the Super Bowl, and so participants in the Kellogg forum might comment on how all of the company's Super Bowl ads collectively advanced the company's brand message. Calkins and a colleague, Professor Derek Rucker, then aggregate all the data and develop rankings before publishing results online.
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/01/local_plan_twit.html
The Guardian (England/UK)
Super Bowl feels boot of global recession - 1/30/09
From the article: "'The Super Bowl is, in many ways, a reflection of the US economy,' said Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg school of management in Illinois. 'It's a very American spectacular and it's still an unrivalled marketing event but there's no question that demand is noticeably softer than in previous years.' Calkins believes the slow take-up rate for the lucrative in-game advertisements points to a definite downturn. 'If you go back to September, NBC was saying that it had already sold something like 90% of slots, yet here they are this week saying exactly the same thing,' he said."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jan/30/super-bowl-nfl-recession
Maclean's (Canada)
How to make a perfect Super Bowl ad - 1/30/09
From the article: Tim Calkins, a marketing professor from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, has spent the last few years trying to nail it down. On Feb. 1, Calkins will gather about 40 marketing students together to rate the commercials (and perhaps watch a bit of football). Their resulting review, published annually since 2005, is based on a strategic set of criteria that’s designed to identify the ads most likely to increase sales and enhance the brand. “We’re less worried about creativity and humour on its own and more worried about which spots are building the business,” says Calkins. “It’s easier to make a funny spot than it is to make a funny spot that sells the product.” The most successful Super Bowl ads from a business perspective, he says, are the ones that break through with viewers while focusing heavily on branding. For instance, last year’s winner, Proctor & Gamble’s Tide to Go ad (which featured a talking coffee stain), earned the review’s top grade for being both “entertaining” and having “clearly communicated the relevant product benefit.” But Calkins says that probably the most masterful marketer when it comes to consistently getting that mix of fun and product messaging right is Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch. “If there’s a playbook, Anheuser-Busch has it. You see the product from the first to the last frame,” he says. “They tell a funny joke. And they make the spot all about the product. You can’t tell a story about their ad without mentioning the brand.”
http://blog.macleans.ca/2009/01/30/super-bowl-ads-more-than-bikinis/
MediaPost.com
Git Yer Super Bowl Ad Previews Here, Previews ... - 1/30/09
The article highlights a New York Times interview featuring Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins.
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=99426
MSNBC
Trying to be risque ... in a sober, slapstick way - 1/30/09
From the article: This year, the risks are even greater, as advertisers grapple with how to strike the right tone for an audience stung by the worst recession in decades, and yet perhaps not wanting to be hammered by that reality on Super Bowl Sunday. “There’s going to be even more scrutiny than usual,” said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and a longtime follower of Super Bowl advertising.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28899679/
Clear Admit Blog
Kellogg School of Management to Lead Fifth Annual Super Bowl Advertising Review - 1/30/09
The article profiles the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review, led by Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins and Assistant Professor of Marketing Derek Rucker.
http://blog.clearadmit.com/2009/01/kellogg-school-of-management-to-lead-fifth-annual-super-bowl-advertising-review/
The Journal News
Pepsi stays on Super Bowl roster with 3-D ad - 1/29/09
From the article: NBC has sold most of the ads for its Super Bowl broadcast for less than it originally planned to charge, partly reflecting a soft ad environment and decisions by General Motors Corp., FedEx Corp. and other companies not to advertise in a slowing economy. "Super Bowl spots are not selling like they have in past years," said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Ill. "Demand has not materialized."
http://lohud.com/article/20090129/BUSINESS01/901290387/-1/newsfront
Forbes.com
Super Bowl In A Recession - 1/29/09
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins writes about the anticipated changes for Super Bowl advertising amidst an economic downturn.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/29/super-bowl-ads-commercials-opinions-contributors_0129_tim_calkins.html
Houston Chronicle
Escape reality, for 30 seconds; Ads will try to take our minds off the economic mess - 1/29/09
From the article: Northwestern University professor Derek Rucker, who oversees an annual Super Bowl advertising review conducted by students at the university’s Kellogg School of Management, said that while viewers want to get their jollies from Super Sunday ads, they also expect good judgment by advertisers. “The tricky thing for some brands is that consumers may be thinking about the ($3 million) price tag,” he said. “If they’re thinking about that, you’d better deliver. Consumers usually give these ads a lot of scrutiny, and I expect there will be more of that this year.” Accordingly, Rucker said, he expects advertisers to take fewer risks — certainly nothing along the line of the groundbreaking “1984” commercial from Apple a quarter-century ago — and to focus on campaigns that promote long-term value. That concept, in fact, may explain why a company like E-Trade stays in the Super Bowl at a time when the stock market is floundering. “If you’ve got a long-term perspective, you’re thinking about what can happen when the economy gets better. You’re steering the boat,” Rucker said. “The Super Bowl is a dangerous proposition for a brand that needs everything to hit now. If you’re building equity in a brand, money invested now can be a big payoff down the line.”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6237929.html
UPI
Some companies foregoing Super Bowl ads - 1/11/09
From the article: "I suspect we will see some new approaches this year," said Timothy Calkins, professor of marketing at Northwestern University. "Overall, I think there will be a more quiet, serious tone. This makes sense. The best marketing efforts connect with people on a deep, emotional level, and right now many people are worried about their jobs and the economy."
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2009/01/11/Some_companies_foregoing_Super_Bowl_ads/UPI-20041231709051/
ESPN.com
The commercial that ruined that Super Bowl – 1/26/09
From the article: And -- most important -- the notion of the Super Bowl as a mecca for "edgy" and absurdly expensive advertising was born. "That's the inspiring part of it," says Derek Rucker, an assistant professor of marketing at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, who has studied and taught about Super Bowl advertising. "It does tell you that advertising, when done right, can be of interest to consumers."…. Rucker referred to these ads as "animal executions"; he considers it a trend, and he wonders how long it will last. I consider it the perfect example of how "1984" has spawned a monster (though, in this case, the monster might be a Stegosaurus racing a FedEx delivery man on the surface of the moon). In order to capture our attention, in order to make us buzz, in order to live up to the attendant hype that occurs when every party and bar audience in America pauses during the commercial breaks, these companies have largely resorted to simple ideas, silly ideas, empty ideas (and even the "big" ideas, like Under Armour's attempt to bring back the ethic of "1984" by selling shoes last year, seem confusing and overtly corporate).
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=weinreb/090126
Bloomberg
NBC Sells Most Super Bowl Ads for Under $3 Million – 1/27/09
From the article: The financial crisis has forced marketers to slash budgets. General Motors Corp. and FedEx Corp. are among advertisers passing on the Super Bowl this year for the first time in more than a decade. In May, NBC said it wanted $3 million per ad, 11 percent more than the $2.7 million News Corp.’s Fox charged last year. “Super Bowl spots are not selling like they have in past years,” Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois, said in a telephone interview. “Demand has not materialized.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=a9gct.mneu6U&refer=home
Bloomberg
Super Bowl Ads Feature Denny’s Deals, Pedigree’s Pets, No GM – 1/29/09
From the article: NBC’s asking price was 11 percent more than the $2.7 million News Corp.’s Fox charged on average last year, when the New York Giants beat the previously undefeated New England Patriots. That game drew a record 97.5 million viewers. This year, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play against the Arizona Cardinals in Tampa, Florida. “The Super Bowl is still a unique advertising venue because you really can reach a huge percentage of the U.S. population at one moment,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=akGKfOAQM3wc&refer=us
NPR (National Public Radio)
Marketing When Consumers Aren't Buying – 1/29/09
Timothy Calkins, clinical professor of marketing, discusses how companies market during recessions.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99995412
New York Times
Upbeat but Sympathetic: A Fine Line for Super Bowl Ads - 1/30/09
From the article: The advertisers, which are spending up to $3 million for each 30-second commercial during Super Bowl XLIII, have a tricky task before them. They must figure out the right way to speak to consumers worried about the wretched economy while at the same time not ignore the long-standing appeal of Super Bowl Sunday as a night of escapist fare. “Advertisers have to strike a delicate balance this year,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. “They need to recognize the environment we’re in,” Mr. Calkins said, “so they don’t want to appear too flip, making light of a tough situation.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/business/media/30adco.html?_r=1&ref=media
Los Angeles Times
Super Bowl XLIII: Ads promote that feel-good aura - 2/1/09
From the article: Ever since, Super Bowl ads have been a zeitgeisty barometer of the state of the union. Says Tim Calkins, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, “If you look at what runs in the Super Bowl each year, there’s a reflection of what’s happening in the country. It’s sort of a reflection of who we are.” In fat years, Super Bowl ads tell us that things look bullish for America. In lean years, they’re meant to reassure us that, sooner or later, the bears will slink away and Britney Spears once again will lead us in a Pepsi toast to prosperity. So what about this year, as the country writhes in the coils of a monstrous recession and its newly anointed leader warns of many more tough months to come? “It is certainly a different environment,” says Calkins.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-ca-foottv1-2009feb01,0,3230871.story
RedEye
Hype dream - 1/29/09
From the article: Super Bowl ads can make or break a brand, said Tim Calkins, the Northwestern University professor who heads the Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review. The investment is even riskier this year amid a weak economy. A number of former Super Bowl mainstays are taking a veritable bye week, including FedEx and GM. Both brands opted not to run spots this year for financial reasons, The Associated Press reported. "The lineup is not what it usually is for Super Bowl 2009," said Calkins, who along with an approximately 35-member group of faculty and students, have judged ads the past five years.
http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-012909-admen-main,0,4260593.story
MSNBC.com
At $3 million, Super Bowl ad time is ... cheap? – 1/20/09
From the article: That attention is what makes the game prime TV real estate for advertisers. “It’s an incredibly unique advertising opportunity," said Tim Calkins, professor of marketing at Northwestern University. "There is more and more media fragmentation. The Super Bowl is the rare opportunity to reach across demographics. If you have a major new campaign, there is no better place to introduce it."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28664077/
Chicago Tribune
Monster, CareerBuilder going head-to-head with Super Bowl ads – 1/20/09
From the article: Chicago-based CareerBuilder is partially owned by Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Tribune. Derek Rucker, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, said CareerBuilder has a lot riding on this year's game, given Monster's appearance. "You don't want Monster to do a better job than you and become associated with the Super Bowl," Rucker said.
www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tues_super_bowl_ads0120jan20,0,6811485.story
FOX Business
$3M for 30 Secs: Recession Weighs on Super Bowl Ads – 1/19/09
From the article: “I think there’s no question that [the economy] affects the Super Bowl and it decreases interest in being in the game. This year it’s a lot harder for companies to step up and make the commitment,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management….The Super Bowl is “always a little window into the state of the economy and the prospects of different companies because if you are going to buy a Super Bowl spot you have to be a little bit optimistic about the future,” said Calkins, who noted the 2000 game featured a number of dot-com companies ahead of the bursting of the tech bubble.
Click here for article
Associated Press
Super Bowl remains a big bash, but ads toned down – 1/18/09
From the article: While some high-profile advertisers have pulled the plug, many are staying put and some, such as Mars Inc.'s Pedigree pet food, will appear in the Super Bowl for the first time. But the tone of some ads this year will reflect tough times. As Tim Calkins, marketing professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management puts it: A good ad connects with its audience. And that audience is stressed about finances.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hoOap2CM6A-ZomQXvuufwpBwv7lAD95PV4U80
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Super Bowl ads to emphasize Anheuser-Busch's long-held values – 01/16/09
From the article: The company is planning to air three commercials starring the Budweiser Clydesdales. The spots are not a trilogy, but they do represent three distinct human values, said Levy: love, competition, and heritage and tradition. Anheuser-Busch's typical approach on the Super Bowl is about branding — reminding people of the underlying values that make its products special, said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. With strong images like the Clydesdales, "you can really make people feel good about the brand," Calkins said.
Click here for article
MarketingVox.com
Industry Buzz & Snippets - 01/13/09
The article highlights the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review, led by Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins and Assistant Professor of Marketing Derek Rucker.
http://www.marketingvox.com/industry-buzz-snippets-011309-042768/
CNNMoney.com
How $3 million gets you 30 seconds – 1/12/09
From the article: "The Super Bowl is completely unique in its ability to reach everybody at the same time," said Tim Calkins, marketing professor of the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review. "There's nothing else that's even close."…. Calkins of the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review said that much of the air time was sold in September, and that some advertisers might regret their purchases, given the worsening state of the economy. "Early in the fall, most of the spots were sold out," he said. "That, of course, was before the economy really went south. The advertisers were stuck with them. There was a very strong initial demand, and there's a very different climate right now."
http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/09/news/companies/superbowl_ads/index.htm
San Francisco Chronicle
Super Bowl ads may be more subdued – 1/11/09
From the article: “Millions of people will be donning their glasses and waiting for the commercials," said Timothy Calkins, professor of marketing at Northwestern University. "It is a rather astonishing thought ... millions of people waiting for a commercial.”.... Northwestern's Calkins said he wonders whether "the usual formula will still work" for ads this year. Will lighthearted jokes still resonate in a down economy? Will they fall flat? "I suspect we will see some new approaches this year," Calkins said. "Overall, I think there will be a more quiet, serious tone. This makes sense. The best marketing efforts connect with people on a deep, emotional level, and right now many people are worried about their jobs and the economy."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/11/MNI71559J9.DTL&type=printable
Advertising Age
Does a $3M Super Bowl Ad Make Sense in a Recession? – 1/12/09
An article by Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins and Assistant Professor of Marketing Derek Rucker which comments on Super Bowl advertising amidst the nation’s current economic recession.
http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=133646
Brandweek
For Some, 'Taste Test' Ads Are Leaving a Bad Taste – 1/10/09
From the article: Nevertheless, comparison ads seem to be used consistently, regardless of the economy. “These things go in cycles,” said Derek Rucker, an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Rucker pointed out that Miller Lite had initiated taste tests against Bud Light in 2005, well before the economy went sour.
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/retail-restaurants/e3ice058ab1756ad16506f0a1df66344fa9
Reuters
Recession raises stakes for Super Bowl advertising – 1/6/09
From the article: "The Super Bowl remains this incredibly unique advertising opportunity because you get all this focus and all this attention and all the PR buzz around it," says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University.
"That's huge and that's still the case. The hard part now is it's a tough year to justify the spending and it is a tough year to hit the right tonality on the game," he added.
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Economy/idUSTRE5055ZJ20090106
Marketing Daily
Super Bowl Marketers Must Gauge Sensitivity – 1/6/09
From the article: [Clinical professor of marketing Tim] Calkins says two trends he sees for Super Bowl XLIII are the continuation of integrated follow-up campaigns. "That has been increasing every year and that will increase this year," he notes. "What they are really buying is the ability to create a much bigger campaign around [the Super Bowl]."
The other is that marketers will have to respond to the economy. "We will also see a lot of classic formula: humor, and big productions. But the wrinkle in all of this is the shift in the mood of the country and how advertisers will respond. And I think advertisers who try to be too flippant in this environment will miss the mark."
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=97830
Financial Times (Management Blog)
Super Bowl advertisers work on their tactics for the big game – 1/7/09
The article profiles the 2009 Super Bowl Advertising Review and its new blog, led by clinical professor of marketing Tim Calkins and assistant professor of marketing Derek Rucker.
http://blogs.ft.com/management/2009/01/07/super-bowl-advertisers-work-on-their-tactics-for-the-big-game/
Select media coverage from the 2008 Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review
New York Times
An Ad With Talking Pandas, Maybe, but Not With Chinese Accents
February 6, 2008
Baltimore Sun
Under Armour's ad takes a few hits
February 5, 2008
Houston Chronicle
Giants-Pats tops Cowboys-Steelers in viewership
February 5, 2008
The State (South Carolina)
'Super' reviews
February 5, 2008
WAQY-FM (Springfield, Ill.)
February 5, 2008
Advertising Age
Don't overemphasize ROI as single measure of success
February 4, 2008
Associated Press
Giant balloons, comical humans compete for massive audience in this year's Super Bowl ads
February 4, 2008
Baltimore Business Journal
Under Armour Super Bowl ad stays true to 'brand identity,' marketing experts say
February 4, 2008
Bloomberg News
Super Bowls Draws Record Viewers; Budweiser Tops Ads
February 4, 2008
BusinessWeek
Super Bowl Commercials XLII: The ads during this year's game had a different feel from last year, but the expectations—and cost—were plenty high
February 4, 2008
CNNMoney.com
Super Bowl ads: Giant cost, mixed returns
February 4, 2008
KILT-AM (Houston),
WAQY-FM (Springfield/Holyoke, MA),
WTOP-AM (Washington)
February 4, 2008
New York Sun
Anheuser-Busch Reigns as Super Bowl Ad King
February 4, 2008
Reuters
Supermodels and celebrities dominate Super Bowl ads
February 4, 2008
Reuters
Bud, Tide, Pepsi winning brands in Super Bowl polls
February 4, 2008
Wall Street Journal
Coke, Clydesdales Score With Super Bowl Viewers
February 4, 2008
WLS-TV (Chicago)
February 4, 2008
WFLD-TV (Chicago)
News at Nine
February 3, 2008
Los Angeles Times
The Garage: Focus on autos; A pivotal play for Hyundai
February 2, 2008
KHSA-FM (Redding, Calif.),
WLPO-AM (LaSalle-Peru, Ill.)
February 1, 2008
Tampa Tribune
Game Plan Calls For Some Super-Wacky Ads
February 1, 2008
Akron Beacon Journal
Startup bets on Super Bowl
January 31, 2008
Los Angeles Times
Super Bowl ads playing overtime
January 31, 2008
MSNBC.com
Super Bowl advertising is risky business
January 31, 2008
Media Life Magazine
Hot Super Bowl trend: Interactive ads
January 29, 2008
Austin American-Statesman
With writers strike, companies bank even more on Super Bowl ads
January 28, 2008
CNNMoney.com
Super Bowl ads: $2.7 million and worth it
January 25, 2008
Chicago Tribune
Marketers announce ad lineup for Super Bowl
January 22, 2008
MediaPost.com
Analysts Seek 'Aha!' Moment In Super Bowl Advertising
January 22, 2008
Kansas City Star
Garmin Plans Another Splash in Super Bowl ads
January 15, 2008
Select media coverage from the 2007 Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review
New York Times
Multiplying the Payoffs From a Super Bowl Spot
January 26, 2007
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on maximizing the value of a Super Bowl ad.
“It’s not right for everyone,” said Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
“Some of them, you scratch your head,” he added. “In the hype of the Super Bowl, they get carried away.”
But for “the right marketer, the Super Bowl makes wonderful sense if you think of it as a springboard to other things,” Professor Calkins said, adding: “Put the ads on the Internet. Get all the P.R. you can. Make the most of your media investment.”
Chicago Tribune
Super Bowl 101: the ads
January 28, 2007
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the buzz appeal of a Super Bowl ad.
Media mavens will tell you that Super Bowl ads rarely pay off for advertisers, given that they're the most expensive half-minute in advertising at an estimated $2.6 million.
But does a Super Bowl spot last only 30 seconds? Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at
Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, doesn't think so.
“You get all the hype leading into the game,” Calkins said. “People talk about the fact that you're going to be on the Super Bowl, and after the game, everyone talks about who had a good [commercial] and who didn't.”
MSNBC
Super Bowl marketers turn to amateurs
Advertisers reach out to YouTube generation, engage couch potatoes
January 9, 2007
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the advertiser’s risk in airing user-generated content.
“I don’t think saying it was produced by somebody in Nebraska or at home in a basement gives them an out,” said Tim Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
AP
Doritos, Chevy feature spots made by amateurs
Clydesdales, talking critters — and non-pros — star on Super Bowl Sunday
February 4, 2007
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the panel’s reaction to Super Bowl XLI ads.
Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University who runs a panel of students to rate the ads, called this year’s batch a “mixed bag,” saying advertisers were “being safe,” with no one “pushing the edge of either creativity or taste.”
An ad early in the game for Blockbuster Inc. with computer animations of animals trying to push, click and — ouch — drag an actual mouse resonated well with members of his panel, who said it was creative and also delivered the company’s message. The panel found a spot by King Pharmaceuticals Inc. showing a guy dressed up in a giant red heart costume “puzzling,” while Garmin International Inc.’s oddball spot with a showdown between a superhero-like character and a monster made from maps was deemed “hard to follow.”
Reuters
Advertisers go for Super Bowl laughs, playing it safe
February 4, 2007
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the value of Super Bowl and marketer’s pressure to succeed.
“From an advertisers' perspective, this game is very unique,” said Tim Calkins, professor at the Kellogg School of Management, where he oversees their Super Bowl advertising review.
“The ad profiles keep going up, but so do the costs,” he said. “As a result, I think this year the spots were very broad-based, very safe, nobody was pushing the limits creatively.”
Select media coverage from the 2006 Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review
Associated Press
A February in Overdrive: Super Bowl and Olympics
January 18, 2006
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the value of Super Bowl and marketer’s pressure to succeed.
"Fragmentation means more and more shows get lower and lower ratings," said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "Events like the Super Bowl are arguably the only places advertisers can reach everyone in the U.S. at one time."
That means the pressure is on to come up with stand-out spots, Mr. Calkins said, because expectations are very high.
"Some succeed at it," he added. "Some fail."
San Francisco Chronicle
Super Bowl kicks off season for showcase commercials
January 27, 2006
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the value of Super Bowl and marketer’s pressure to succeed.
The Super Bowl in particular is "a very-high-attention event," said Tim Calkins, professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "If you're in that space with a message that doesn't resonate, conceivably it court hurt you,'' he said.
Washington Post
Advertising's Big Game
Spots on Traditional TV Still the Biggest Show On Super Bowl Sunday
January 14, 2006
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on Super Bowl ad costs.
"Pricing for the Super Bowl is unlikely to skyrocket because if it goes too high, people would say, 'I'll drop my money into the Olympics,' " said Timothy Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
CNNMoney.com
SB XL ads: A druid, Fabio and the King
January 21, 2006
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins comments on the unique marketing opportunity the Super Bowl provides.
Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, said the Super Bowl continues to attract top companies, in spite of the Olympics. He says it's a rare event: a time when approximately 90 million people will be paying close attention to the commercials, even if they don't care about the game.
"The Super Bowl still has the biggest media impact. It's a one-shot reach everybody type of event," said Calkins. "A lot of people watch the Super Bowl just for the advertising. People don't watch the Olympics that way."
Detroit Free Press
THE AD BLITZ: This year's commercials are going for emotional impact
January 31, 2006
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins talks about reaching consumers on Super Bowl Sunday.
“The challenge for the advertisers is the expectations are so high,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. This year, he said, “we're going to see more humor and more unexpected twists.”
Select media coverage from the 2005 Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review
BusinessWeek
When It Comes to Super Bowl Ads, Students Probably Carry More Weight Than I Do
February 7, 2005
Review results reported in post-game blog entry
The Kellogg School of Management, awarded a grade of “A” to five advertisers: Emerald Nuts, MasterCard, Pepsi (Pepsi and Diet Pepsi), Tabasco and Toyota Prius. Toyota was the highest ranked advertiser, followed by Pepsi. The panel thought the Pepsi and iTunes promotion was particularly effective.
...when advertisers tally up the buzz from the post game ad analysis, and assign importance to results, two groups of twentysomething students in LA and Chicago will trump this 41-year old bloviating blogger from New Jersey.
Associated Press
Super Bowl ads range from the safe to just plain puzzling
February 6, 2005
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins provides insight to the Super Bowl ad success of Anheuser-Busch.
Calkins said his students were especially impressed with a spot for Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light in which a scared parachuter is left alone in a plane after the pilot jumps out, having grabbed a six-pack of Bud Light from the parachuting instructor. "It got attention, it was well branded ... and people really liked it. It communicated a desire for Bud Light," Calkins said.
San Diego Union-Tribune
Most viewers can't recall who made them
February 4, 2005
Clinical Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins discusses the challenges of Super Bowl advertising.
“Schick ran an ad in the Super Bowl last year, but data says people recall it as being a Gillette commercial," Calkins said. "Then there were the cowboys herding cats a few years ago. It was a very funny ad. You look at it as a piece of film. But who was it for? And what was the point? We don't know.”
It was for EDS, an information technology consulting firm.
Calkins decried the Reebok ad that ran in 2004 and featured linebacker Terry Tate wreaking havoc in an office.
“I never really saw a pair of sneakers in that ad,” he said. “A lot of ads are likable, but you don't know who they're for.”
Chicago Sun-Times
Bud tops Super Bowl poll again: Kellogg panel rates 5 advertisers as Super
February 8, 2005
For the first time ever, the reputed No. 1 business school in the world, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, decided to play the Super Bowl of Ads rating game.
The Kellogg review panel chose to give grades to advertisers, not individual commercials. Using that approach, the panel gave "A's" to five Super Bowl advertisers: Emerald Nuts, MasterCard, Pepsi-Cola, Tabasco and Toyota Prius. Among those advertisers, Toyota ranked highest, followed by Pepsi for its iTunes promotion. |
