A GROUNDHOGS DAY PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL COULDN’T PREDICT
For much of the weekend, the Super Bowl ruled the news waves and news feeds; along with the big game–and the advertisements that surrounded it–the news of the premature death of one of the country’s most notable talents also spread across the country. This Trending News Monday, we’re detailing some of the weekend’s biggest headlines.
Forty-six-year-old Academy Award Winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sunday morning from an apparent drug overdose. Today, police confirmed that they found heroin in Hoffman’s New York apartment. With a career that spans nearly 25 years with over 50 film credits to his name, Hoffman earned the respect of many in the industry. Although he found himself in supporting roles more often than leading role, Hoffman received the best actor Oscar for his portray of Truman Capote in Capote. The four-time Oscar nominee also established himself as a stage actor–earning three Tony Award nominations. Hoffman leaves behind his partner, Mimi O’Donnell and their three children as well as his mother, Marilyn O’Connor, and three siblings, Gordon Hoffman, Jill Hoffman DelVecchio and Emily Hoffman Barr.
The story of Hoffman’s death continued to break through the Super Bowl and the story is still developing as police are investigating his death, but the Super Bowl still made the headlines this morning. While football fans and sports analysts anticipated a close match up between the Bronco’s number one offense in the NFL against the Seahawk’s number one defense, the game was almost a shut out. In the first twelve seconds, the Broncos snapped the ball into the end zone where the Seahawks picked up a safety.The Seahawks continued to dominate possessions and went into halftime leading 22-0. Manning eventually led the team down field, scoring a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the second half, but the Broncos wouldn’t score again. For the first time in Seattle Seahawk’s history, they raised the Lombardi Trophy after defeating Denver, 43-8.
While the game may have been a wash, the advertisements kept people tuned in (along with the hope that Manning would get his team back in the game). For the biggest night in advertising, brands paid $4 million to run 30-second spots. As with any Super Bowl, the competition among advertisers was evident, and viewers shared their reactions via social media–some more positive than others. As the total market continues to diversify, brands are really beginning to reflect the market in their ads; Coca-Cola’s multilingual commercial and Cheerios’s biracial spot were ads that experienced backlash from some viewers.
While advertisers were trying to keep viewers eyes on the television screens, brands were still active on social media. One brand in particular had the Twittersphere’s attention. JC Pennyes, whether accidentally or deliberately, soberly or drunkenly–stole the spotlight with typo-ridden tweets.
Like Oreo’s real-time tweet last year, JC Penneys tweets made a huge impression during the Super Bowl when it was retreated over 50,000 times during the game. JC Penneys tweeted an apology with the hashtag, #TweetingWithMittens.
Tweets weren’t the only things to go viral during the big game. Advertisements that weren’t aired during the Super Bowl attracted considerable media and social media buzz. From that “banned ad” publicity stunt to releasing the “Not a Super Bowl Commercial” branded video, brands got people to talk about, view and share their ads. SodaStream and Newcastle Brown Ale both had viral video content that was tied to the big game, but didn’t actually air during the Super Bowl, and joined a long legacy of banned Super Bowl ads. Apple, who also didn’t run any ads during this year’s Super Bowl, made a splash on social media this morning when the tech giant released an ad shot entirely on the iPhone 5S to commemorate Macintosh’s thirtieth anniversary.
With the biggest night in advertising in the rear view mirror, brands are looking ahead to Thursday when the Sochi Winter Olympic Games kick off–as well as their Olympic campaigns. Much like the Super Bowl, becoming an Official Olympic Sponsor is difficult–keep an eye out on social media to see how brands use the games to gain exposure.
Cover Photo Source: JStone / Shutterstock.com
