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McDonald's and Coca-Cola's Earnings Drop as American Taste Buds Change

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Americans are losing their appetites for Big Macs chased down by Cokes, forcing two megabrands to re-think how to gain market share.

This week McDonald's reported a 3.3 percent quarterly profit decline, marking its worst performance in years, while Coke's profit dropped 14 percent with a continuing decline in North American sales during the same period.

What's going on? That's the question on the minds of those running both companies who are under pressure to turn things around fast.

McDonald's execs might take a cue from rival Chipotle Mexican Grill, which posted 20 percent growth in the third quarter. Chipotle restaurants feature a Fresh Mex menu that offers customers a choice of ingredients to customize their orders as well as organic beans and tofu in its Sofritas for vegans.

McDonald's CEO Don Thompson told Bloomberg the world's biggest fast food chain may start offering organic food and letting its local franchises customize their menus to cater to regional tastes. The fast food chain already sells organic milk and juice in Germany and France. But its $2 jalapeno burgers and chorizo burritos haven't taken off at U.S. locations where they've been offered. 

Thompson also told The Wall Street Journal the chain will simplify its menu, offer digital payment systems and increase staffing so customers don't have to wait as long for their orders.

"Customers want to personalize their meals with locally relevant ingredients," he said. "They also want to enjoy eating in a contemporary, inviting atmosphere. And they want choices in how they order, choices in what they order and how they're served."

For Coca-Cola, its recent acquisition of Monster Beverage Corp. underscores a strategy to diversify into the market of highly caffeinated drinks for youth. But to achieve profitability targets, the Atlanta company is planning cost-cutting moves according to Forbes and Reuters. Those moves may include restructuring its global supply chain and refranchising its U.S. bottling operations.

Sales of carbonated soft drinks in the U.S. have been declining for almost a decade.


Facebook Video Is Squeezing Out YouTube as Brands Embrace Autoplay

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Brand marketing habits are changing in Facebook's favor—at least when it comes to posting and playing videos—part of the social giant's grand video plans. Budweiser, McDonald's and even Beyoncé are now posting videos directly to the social network—not just sharing YouTube links—and it's leading to a digital power shift. In short, YouTube clips, once ubiquitous on Facebook, no longer dominate on Facebook's feed, which is siphoning some traffic from Google's popular video site.

Taking traffic from YouTube also means taking away potential ad dollars, especially now that Facebook is focusing more on video advertising. "It's such a smart play because it's the most natural next step in slowly taking over video," said Robert Sandie, CEO of online video tracker and consultant vidIQ.

Facebook has identified video as a core growth area for its platform—similarly to how Yahoo, Twitter, AOL and Google all vie for views. Now, when a marketer posts content to Facebook, it has the option to use the homegrown video function—which automatically plays and appears most naturally in the News Feed. The change happened quickly over the past year since Facebook introduced autoplay video widely on the network.

"The autoplay feature allows us to increase engagement and exposure with millennials in an undisruptive way, as our content is integrated into consumers' News Feeds naturally," said Lucas Herscovici, vp of consumer connections at Anheuser-Busch.

Social media tracker Socialbakers offered some evidence of the shift. In January, McDonald's posted 27 videos to Facebook, 18 of which were YouTube links and the rest native Facebook videos. In September, it posted 32 videos, of which 19 were Facebook videos. In May, Budweiser posted about 60 YouTube videos to Facebook, of which fewer than 10 videos used Facebook's functionality; in September, those numbers flipped.

"Facebook wants to keep that traffic," said Socialbakers CEO Jan Rezab.

Posting directly to Facebook also increases engagement, added vidIQ's Sandie. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines got the message. Its latest video was posted to YouTube and Facebook separately like many brands are now doing. Fans engaged with KLM's latest YouTube video 300,000 times, with likes and shares, but they engaged 350,000 times on Facebook, even though it received fewer views, Sandie said, adding, "This shows the power of native marketing on Facebook."

One doesn't necessarily replace the other, though. YouTube still generated engagement from other social networks, deriving traffic from Twitter, LinkedIn and Reddit. YouTube declined to comment.

The impact of Facebook's power play and brands' marketing strategies will become much clearer in the lead-up to Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, Sandie said. YouTube has long been the place for posting early looks at Big Game spots. Facebook will most certainly use its pull to keep viewers focused on their News Feeds there. "Apparently that algorithm right now is heavily encouraging brands to upload videos natively through Facebook," Sandie said.

Why Did Taco Bell Just Wipe Out Its Social Media Accounts?

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Taco Bell made a bold move today to grab the attention of hungry millennials. It darkened its social media pages (even appearing to wipe out its 1.4 million Twitter followers and erase all previous Facebook posts) to spotlight a single message: Customers can now order tacos, burritos and chalupas from the chain's new mobile app.

The Mexican fast-food chain, with the help of DigitasLBi, just launched an iPhone and Android app that lets consumers build customizable orders, find nearby locations, check out with a credit card and save favorite items. The app also includes a feature dubbed "rotate to reorder," which pulls up past orders when a phone is held horizontally. 

Once an order is made, consumers can pay with a saved credit card, debit card or gift card. The app then uses location services to detect and check-in consumers when they are near a store, where they can skip the typical lines.

While a number of big-name chains like McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King already offer mobile ordering, Taco Bell claims to be the first to roll it out for both drive-through and in-store orders.

Going Dark and Purging Followers
Earlier today, Taco Bell killed its Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook presence to promote the new app. The social sites now feature a single post with the hashtag "#onlyintheapp," essentially redirecting followers to the app. 

Taco Bell has 1.4 million Twitter followers, but appears to have locked its main account under another name for the duration of the stunt. In its place, Taco Bell set up another account that has gained about 2,000 followers so far.

The brand's 10 million Facebook "likes" remain, though all previous brand posts have vanished.

While going dark will surely build some buzz around the app, it also cuts Taco Bell's chances of chatting back and forth with fans on social media.

The brand kept its Instagram posts, but it queued up nine images in the app's grid view to read, "The new way to Taco Bell isn't on Instagram. It's #onlyintheapp." Similar content was also posted on Snapchat and Vine.

A 15-second national TV ad (created by Deutsch Los Angeles) also supports the launch of mobile ordering with a similar call to action prompting app downloads.

Can You Make a Great-Looking Fast-Food Ad Using Actual Fast Food and an iPhone?

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It's an accepted truism that the food in fast-food ads looks nothing like the food in real life. But can it be made to look that way? Is it possible to transform a regular McDonald's burger into food-porn perfection using only a couple of iPads and an iPhone?

That's the challenge the guys at DigitalRev TV set for themselves. And they do a pretty decent job of replicating actual McDonald's product shots. Though you wouldn't want to run extreme close-ups of their creation, like they do in France.

Check out the process below, and skip to 3:00, where the action really starts.

Via Design Taxi.

Brand of the Day: McDonald's McRib Returns With a Video About How It's Made

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The McRib is back! The seasonal treat made its return this week and will be available in roughly 75 percent of the nation's restaurant. Sure, McDonalds is looking to boost lackluster sales, but does that really matter the the McRib fan? No! 

To announce the return, the company decided to show exactly what goes into the McRib, bringing one skeptic to the source (aka, the pork plant). Will the seemingly transparent campaign help McDonald's? 

Social Media Profile (as of 11/6/14)
Facebook Likes: 54.4 Million
Twitter Followers:2.6 Million
Instagram Followers: 385,863
 

McDonald's may have the highest follower count on various social media platforms compared to other fast food chains, but that doesn't necessarily translate into engagement. Still, being able to tell over 54 million people about something with a quick post is pretty valuable. 

Recent Advertising

The new "Our Food. Your Questions" series with ex-Mythbuster Grant Imahara might not be a traditional campaign, but it's making an impression. The brand has suffered from Internet chatter and conspiracy theories, so why not try to address those questions head on?

Fast Facts

10 Ad Mascots You Probably Didn't Know Were Related to Kermit The Frog

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Jim Henson creations have a storied history in advertising, going back to the 1950s, when a violent proto-Kermit pitched Wilkins Coffee with 10-second TV spots.

Tappy, the latest creation from Jim Henson's Creature Studio, is similarly off-kilter in his role as a living credit card reader at a checkout counter. 

Tappy is the new voice of Softcard, an e-payment product that works at McDonald's and other major chains that now accept phone swipes as currency. Softcard needed a new mascot and some rebranding after changing its name from Isis, an unfortunate name since being co-opted by the infamous terror state.

Tappy is a bit out there as a concept, turning a boring inanimate object into a somewhat obnoxious little critter, but that's what the Henson team has done for decades, building characters for brands to support their more artful Muppet projects. In fact there’s a roster of corporate mascots that come from The Jim Henson Co. that you might not know are basically cousins to Kermit, Oscar and Big Bird. For Instance, Snuggle bear is part muppet and so is Jack In The Box’s oversized snowman.

Here's a look at the some of the characters made by Jim Henson's Creature Studio for commercials and video marketing:

Tappy, Softcard
In a history of oddities, Tappy stands out among the Henson creations for sheer adsurdity. He's a credit-card reading machine with teeth. We could learn to love him, maybe, on a long enough timeline.

Mel, Kraft
Mel the MilkBite is part dairy, part granola bar and totally confused. He's a character with an identity crisis, pondering, "What am I?"

Life, Pacific Blue Cross
Life is a Muppet in the classic sense, and he promoted insurance for Pacific Blue Cross. In the commercials, he bites people in the butt, symbolizing unexpected events like dental emergencies.

Polar Bear, Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola polar bear, which debuted in commercials in 1993, is a classic, and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop brought him to life for appearances with the public.

Puppet Jack, Jack in the Box
Puppet Jack has very similar mannerisms to Kermit, like when he throws his hands in the air and freaks out. A true pitchman who knows where to find a receptive audience, he shows up on couches to educate stoners about fast-food deals.

Great Chocolate Factory Mystery Experience in 4D, Hershey's

Hershey’s Great Chocolate Factory Mystery Experience is an interactive show featuring talking candy bars at Hershey’s HQ in Pennsylvania. Henson made the digital puppets for the experience.

Lenny, Lending Tree
Lenny could be brothers with Kermit, given he's so obviously Muppet and green. He basically just follows around a guy named Len, trying to talk him out of taking a loan from a bank.

Fairy-tale characters, Reading Is Fundamental

The literacy effort Reading Is Fundamental featured puppets alongside famous cartoon characters for this ad inspiring adults to read to children.

Rico, Air New Zealand
Rico was a rather NSFW spokesppupet whose South American accent and wordplay raised eyebrows, such as when he praised "a nice Kiwi beach." He was best known for the viral marketing collaborations with edgy celebrities, including Snoop Dogg and Lindsay Lohan.

Snuggle Bear, Snuggle

Snuggle the fabric softener bear has deep Muppet roots. The bear debuted in 1983, a creation of Kermit Love (not related to the frog), who also made Big Bird.

Check Out This GoPro Footage of Ronald McDonald Leaping Out of a Plane in Dubai

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When Ronald McDonald got his big makeover in April, he promised an all-out clown assault on social media—in an effort to broaden his audience, which had previously been family focused.

Well, here's his first truly wild Instagram post. While currently touring Asia, Ronald just posted footage of himself skydiving in Dubai. Check out the video below—it's like something the King would have done back in BK's Crispin Porter + Bogusky days.

Ronald quietly opened the Instagram account in early October.

Check out more of his posts here.
 

 

Now That Cuba Is Fair Game, People Really Don't Want McDonald's and Starbucks to Ruin It

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President Barack Obama today announced the United States has restored relations with Cuba, a major policy change after 50 years of immering hostility.

Somewhat ironically, many Americans met news of this long-awaited reconciliation with concerns that it could end up Americanizing the island nation. Twitter rapidly filled with comments from people who worry U.S. brands such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Orbitz will set up shop in Cuba and "turn it into Cancun." 

According to Topsy's social analytics, more than 800 tweets with the words "McDonald's" and "Cuba" were posted in the first few hours after the announcement. 

Check out some of the tweets below: 

Of the U.S. brands that stand to benefit from the renewed ties, Coca-Cola is chief among them. According to Business Insider, Cuba was one of only two countries where the brand didn't do business (North Korea is the other). As for Cuban brands, a top contender to benefit is Havana Club—its Cuban rum is so worthy of imbibing that many were smuggling it into the country— and should have an easy time finding an American consumer base.


A Proud, Indignant Pickle Narrates This Strange Long-Copy Print Ad From McDonald's

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DDB Stockholm and copywriter Magnus Jakobsson, masters of surreal McDonald's marketing, are back with another quirky long-copy print ad narrated by McDonald's food.

You may remember their defense of cheese, narrated by cheese, from 2012. (As if cheese needed any defense.) Well, now they've moved on to the lowly pickle. Or rather, the formerly lowly pickle, as this particular chatty gherkin—like him or hate him—has risen above his station by being included in McDonald's burgers.

Click the image below to see a larger version of the ad.

The copy feels a little stilted this time around, particularly compared with the more amusing cheese ad. And some people will see the whole concept as little more than a creative wank. Still, it's always nice to see a major marketer doing something legitimately offbeat—even when it doesn't quite work.

If you're into Jakobsson's long copy, also check out his ads for Swedish pop-culture retailer Papercut—especially the one he drew the penis on.

Ad of the Day: McDonald's Refreshes 'I'm Lovin' It' and Suddenly Feels a Lot Like Oreo

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Can't we all just get along? McDonald's thinks so—and pushes global harmony hard in its new brand campaign, which refreshes the long-running "I'm lovin' it" tagline by putting more focus on the lovin'.

The animated launch ad from Leo Burnett is called "Archenemies," and features pop-culture foes suddenly finding peace. We get cameos from Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West; Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner; Pacman and Ghost; Batman and the Joker; Bears and Packers; etc.—all of whom are in a remarkably forgiving mood. (Even Democrats and Republicans are seen embracing, so, you know, don't take the message too literally.)

"Choose Lovin', " says on-screen text, followed by "I'm lovin' it."

McDonald's has never really leaned that hard into the idea of love—not like Coke has done lately with happiness, for instance. It's often focused on the "I'm" and "it" parts of the line instead of the "lovin' " part. But the brand thinks the time is right for a shift.

"We recognize, and our customers do too, all the negativity that surrounds daily life and we are choosing to celebrate lovin' more," it says in a statement. "McDonald's is in a unique position to use its scale to bring back the positivity with more uplifting content and conversations in the lovin' spirit."



More than anything, "Archenemies" feels like Oreo's "Wonderfilled" launch spot from a couple of years back—just with more subdued animation and a cute though not-quite-as-catchy tune. (Here it's the 2010 track "Love Is Endless" by Mozella.)

Of course, McDonald's carries a lot of baggage that can get in the way of this message of love. (Put more bluntly, a lot of people hate McDonald's.) But the brand feels like it's on to something here. The refresh will include new uniforms, new packaging, new signage in restaurants and a new focus on being more responsive in social media—which is in line with the transparency campaign it's been running lately.

"Each day, we hope to do our part to put just a little more lovin' in the world because a little more lovin' can change a lot," the brand says. (This doesn't mean always being sappy or soft-sell, either. Another newly released spot, for the Big Mac, posted below, immediately takes a playful dig at vegetarians—and couldn't be more product focused.)

Can "I'm lovin' it" really become "We're all lovin' each other"? It's a gamble for a brand with so many haters. But bringing the tagline into better focus could unlock some interesting creative ideas. Here's hoping they're wonderfilled.

CREDITS
Client: McDonald's
Agency: Leo Burnett
See full credits at the bottom of this story.

The Big Mac spot:



McDonald's U.S. CMO Deborah Wahl explains the brand refresh:



In-restaurant signage:



New packaging:



CREDITS
Client: McDonald's
Agency: Leo Burnett
Campaign: "A Little More Lovin' Can Change a Lot"
Spot: "Archenemies"
Chief Creative Officer: Susan Credle
Executive Creative Director: John Hansa
Creative Director: Tony Katalinic
Interactive Creative Director:
ACD/Copywriter: Jonathan Fussell
ACD/Art Director: Robin Laurens
Group Executive Producer: Denis Giroux
Senior Producer: Bridget Rose
Account Director: Jennifer Cacioppo
Account Supervisor: Jennifer Klopf
Account Executive: Krystle Wahnschaffe
Planning Director: Sarah Patterson
Strategist: Claudia Steer
Production Company: Buck TV
Buck Executive Creative Director: Ryan Honey
Buck Executive Producer: Maurie Enochson
Buck Sr Producer : Nick Terzich
Buck Coordinators: Kaitlyn Mahoney, Anica Cramer
Buck Creative Director: Josh Harvey
Buck ACD: Jenny Ko
Buck Animation Designer: Ariel Da Costa
Buck Designers: Yuki Yamada, Gunnar Pettersson, XoanaHerrera, Jenny Ko, Kenesha Sneed, Trevor Conrad, Joe Mullen
Buck Animators: Ariel Da Costa, Esteban Esquivo, Tak Hosogane, Nick Petley, Daniel Couthino, Chris Anderson, Moses Journey, Justin Mays, Alex Perry
Music: "Love Is Endless" Performed by MoZella written by Maureen Anne McDonald and Tim Myers
Music Company (editorial, FX, 5 notes): Comma Music
Audio: Another Country, John Binder

Was McDonald's 'Signs' Ad on the Golden Globes Inspiring or Abominable?

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McDonald's really wants people to think it cares about community. But go figure, not everyone is convinced.

The brand's new ad from Leo Burnett, which aired Sunday during NFL games and on the Golden Globe Awards, focuses on McDonald's franchises that have, over the past 20 years, used their roadside signs to support, celebrate or otherwise acknowledge local and national events, both happy and tragic—everything from 9/11 to the homecoming of troops to a nearby base to Boston's spirit in the wake of the marathon bombing to the 30th wedding anniversary of a couple who've celebrated every year of marriage at a McDonald's. (The campaign includes a Tumblr page that explains some of the more specific examples.)

The centerpiece spot, part of a broader brand refresh that began with the quite well-liked "Archenemies" ad, got a less-than-enthusiastic response on Twitter during NBC's Globes telecast."McDonald's is presenting itself as the face of corporate kindness? PAY YOUR EMPLOYEES A LIVING WAGE," said one detractor, in a post retweeted more than 80 times. Said another,"@McDonalds I just threw up in my mouth watching your commercial… Desperate attempt to rescue your image."



To be fair, some viewers enjoyed the spot. "This McDonald's marquee sign is fantastic!" tweeted the handle of Des Moines radio station Star 102.5. But the backlash around the fair pay debate is predictable, given the high profile of the recent Fight for 15 protests. And that makes a sign like "Keep Jobs in Toledo" seem kind of tone deaf, even if it technically refers to a nearby factory at risk of closure.

Plus, the soundtrack—a children's choir covering indie pop band Fun's "Carry On"—makes such a clumsy grab for the audience's heartstrings that it's hard not to think of crocodile tears. In the words of another viewer, "I'm not lovin' it."

See more of the Twitter reaction below. What do you think of the ad?

 
LOVIN' IT

 
NOT LOVIN' IT

McDonald's Brand Sentiment Drops With 'Signs' Campaign, but Not by Much

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Brands were surprisingly quiet during last night's Golden Globes on social media, except for McDonald's with a new TV campaign dubbed "Signs."

The ads from Leo Burnett also ran during yesterday's NFL playoff games, and the creative highlighted how McDonald's franchises have used their outdoor signs to acknowledge local and national events including 9/11 and veterans.

On social media, people either loved or hated the spot (see tweets below). So, Adweek asked social media vendors Union Metrics and Spredfast to pull some data about the fast-food brand's social reach.

From the time that the ad aired on TV yesterday through today at 1 p.m. ET, a total of 6,000 tweets from 5,600 users mentioned McDonald's new campaign, according to Union Metrics. The company estimates that the tweets reached an audience of 9.7 million accounts, totaling 16.3 million impressions.

In terms of spikes in chatter, 4 p.m. yesterday was buzziest, generating 2,417 tweets.

McDonald's itself didn't tweet about the campaign until 9 p.m. last night (after the ad ran during the Golden Globes), which generated 2.8 million impressions. The brand's tweet also linked to a recently launched Tumblr page that details more of the stories behind the TV campaign.

 

 

 

Burger Sentiment
Meanwhile, social media vendor Spredfast dug into social data related to sentiment for McDonald's. The findings measure chatter a bit more broadly than Union Metric's data to account for anything related to the burger slinger.

In addition to pulling numbers for yesterday, Spredfast also looked at two other time periods to provide some context on how McDonald's typically fares on social media—Jan. 4 (a couple days after the brand-refresh "Archenemies" campaign launched on YouTube) and Dec. 28.

A total of 45,792 tweets mentioned Mickey D's yesterday, up from roughly 36,000 on Jan. 4 and 27,000 on Dec. 28.

Sentiment about McDonald's across all three measured days is overwhelmingly neutral, but positive feedback did dip slightly with yesterday's ad. Ten percent of tweets were negative compared to 2 percent of positive chatter.

On Jan. 4, 8 percent of sentiment was negative compared to 4 percent of positive tweets. And on Dec. 28, 6 percent of tweets mentioning McDonald's were negative compared to 5 percent positive.

In terms of cities, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle and Charlotte, N.C., talked the most about the new ad yesterday.

Snapchat Is Asking Brands for $750,000 to Advertise and Won't Budge

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Snapchat is asking brands for $750,000 a day for its new ads, according to multiple industry sources who have heard the pitch, and some say that's too expensive for the young app.

The messaging app with a heavy video focus has promoted itself to the ad world as a TV-style commercial space with millions of viewers a day. Snapchat only started running ads late last year, with its first coming from Universal Pictures for the film Ouija.

Since that launch, McDonald's, Samsung, Macy's and Electronic Arts have been early Snapchat sponsors, paying for "Snaps"—quick videos and photos—that show up in users' Recent Updates feed. There also are ad placements in the Our Stories live feed, which compiles users' videos and photos of major events like Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Snapchat, a platform that reaches a coveted teenage audience, has started asking brands for $750,000-a-day commitments, sources have told Adweek on the condition they and their employers not be named.

"They [Snapchat] have minimums, and they are very firm on them," said one agency executive who has talked with Snapchat about advertising. "From a monetization perspective, they are looking for fewer, bigger, better."

Asked for comment for this story, Snapchat said it does not comment on its ad prices.

The app has been soliciting only the top brands—"category leaders"—to buy placement, and it's disclosing audience numbers to attract the dollars it wants. Its stories can draw tens of millions of viewers a day, according to advertisers who said they heard the stats from Snapchat's team. The app has topped 100 million monthly users.

"We have clients for whom Snapchat works really well," the agency exec said. "It's good for a product launch or a rebranding like McDonald's has done."

McDonald's recently pushed its "Love Is Endless" animated commercial to Snapchat. And Universal appeared to find success as the first ad partner, so much so that it also served a second ad for Dumb and Dumber To.

However, there are drawbacks to Snapchat ads, including the platform's lack of sophistication, sources said. Snapchat has limited reporting capabilities, for one; it can't even tell brands how many men versus women saw an ad, and there are no age breakouts, the executive said.

Also, brands are wary of paying top asking prices when their ads disappear, sources said. (Users can view a Snapchat post briefly, then it vanishes in a snap.) "It's very hard for marketers to get their hands around advertising that is so ephemeral," the source said.

Snapchat has been trying to address data and reporting, and to be fair it is still very early in its ad business rollout. Last week, the service released its first study done with the help of MillwardBrown that showed users enjoyed the app's first round of ads and that the ads helped boost brand awareness. 

A Universal executive was quoted in the report as saying Snapchat was a key part of the marketing strategy for those movies. 

Snapchat has said it offers brands the opportunity to reach teenagers. And while the ads are fleeting, users do have to press their screens to view them, which shows clear engagement.

However, the youth appeal has its drawbacks, as well, limiting the interest of alcohol brands, for instance, along with advertisers who want to reach people with higher incomes, some in the industry said.

Now, with the jump in ad prices, it's a harder sell, another source said.

"I'm a big fan of Snapchat, but they are going to market with rates that are significantly higher than what's competitive out there," a top executive at a major brand said. "It is difficult to go forward with a deal with Snapchat at the prices they are quoting."

Snapchat is asking for rates that are higher than a masthead on YouTube, where a day costs about $500,000, another source said. 

Some people compared Snapchat's strategy to Apple's iAd rollout five years ago, when it sought only top brands willing to make $1 million commitments. Apple has since backed off that premium structure, and iAd's model is unrecognizable from the one Steve Jobs launched. 

"I don't think Snapchat can get what it's asking," this digital agency exec said. "They're going to have to negotiate down."

Only 46% of Super Bowl Advertisers Will Score Consumer Engagement

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Less than half of the advertisers for Super Bowl XLIX should expect consumer brand engagement from their $4.5 million spots, according to Brand Keys 13 Annual Super Bowl Ad Engagement Survey. Out of 26 brands known to be advertising during the Big Game, just 12, or 46 percent, are expected to garner brand engagement, lower than the average of 50 percent. 

"You can do the most creative work and have a billion shares, but that doesn't mean someone is going to start buying these brands' products," said Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys.

According to Passikoff, brands want the Super Bowl spots to have a large audience, be creative, generate a lot of buzz, make waves on social media platforms and, most importantly, lead to brand engagement—which creates the kind of emotional connection that can drive people to buy products.

To determine which advertisers will win over consumers after the Big Game, Brand Keys used JoopLoop social data and surveyed 2,705 adults who planned to watch the Super Bowl. 

The research showed that 12 brands are poised for engagement: BMW, Doritos, Dove Men + Care, GoDaddy, Mercedes, Nissan, Paramount Pictures' film Jurassic Park, Pepsi, Skittles, Snickers, Toyota and WeatherTech.

Budweiser, Coke, McDonald's and Mophie, on the other hand, will be seen as entertaining but not engaging, according to the research. 

Marketers Dish on Which Brands Are Truly Killing It in Mobile

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Depsite the fact that mobile keeps chipping away at digital ad budgets, zeroing in on a few stellar examples of brands that are nailing smartphone and tablet-based marketing can be tough. Sure, Walmart seems ahead of the game with an app that saves shoppers money. And Starbucks is raking in about 15 percent of U.S. sales through its mobile payment app, while Taco Bell works Snapchat like a pro.

But what other marketers are winning with mobile? To find out, we asked a handful of attendees at this week's Mobile Media Summit in San Francisco which brand (besides their own, of course) is killing it in the space.

One of the more interesting answers? Intuit. The financial software company may seem like a strange pick when compared to the likes of Uber or Apple, but indeed, the brand has transitioned a business that relied on desktops to a line of cross-screen services.

Check out six responses from conference attendees (via Instagram video) below.

Vaino Leskinen, director of mobile at TBWA/Chiat/Day

 

TBWA/Chiat/Day's Vaino Leskinen talks about McDonald's and mobile creative.

A video posted by @adweekreports on

 

Jim McArthur, Digitaria/BoM's managing director

 

BoM's Jim McArthur says Intuit does mobile right.

A video posted by @adweekreports on

 

Ben Kennedy, group director of mobile at Integer

 

Ben Kennedy, group director of mobile at Integer, thinks Chipotle is killing it in mobile.

A video posted by @adweekreports on

 

Gabriel Cheng, M&C Saatchi Mobile's vp of mobile strategy and solutions 

 

M&C Saatchi Mobile's Gabriel Cheng riffs on what Gilt gets right with mobile.

A video posted by @adweekreports on

 

Ben Gaddis, chief innovation officer at T3

 

Ben Gaddis, chief innovation officer at T3, picks UPS as a best of breed mobile brand

A video posted by @adweekreports on

 

Fetch's general manager Guillaume Lelait

 

@wearefetch's Guillaume Lelait talks about Uber's geo-targeted mobile strategy

A video posted by @adweekreports on


Oh, Snap! Burger King Tweets a Little Snark About Outgoing McDonald's CEO

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One day after McDonald's revealed that CEO Don Thompson was stepping down after a bad year for the fast-food chain, its chief competitor went there.

Man, BK, wasn't it bad enough for Thompson that Mickey D's stock jumped after the announcement? And that he lost his seat on the board, too?

To be fair, the tweet seems like it was designed to be lighthearted. But it's highly unusual to see a brand reference a rival's corporate executives in any fashion.

Maybe McDonald's will answer back with a tweet about Burger King—an American-made brand for 60 years—moving its operations to Canada to avoid Uncle Sam's taxes. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, chief brand officer Steve Easterbrook will take over as the new McDonald's CEO.

McDonald's Unveils Endearing Super Bowl Ad, and Finally Reveals Its Mystery Currency

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With no shortage of new advertising coming from McDonald's (for better or worse), it can't come as much of a surprise that it's joined Super Bowl lineup, too.

Following a teaser earlier in the week that suggested customers would soon have a new way to pay at McDonald's, the chain has now unveiled the full spot from Leo Burnett—explaining the mystery currency.

Check it out below.



With this spin on the "I'm lovin' it" idea, McDonald's is putting its money where its mouth is. Instead of cash, it asks random patrons to pay by showing acts of love—calling their mom, hugging, doing a dance or praising their friends and family. The idea will extend to some real-world stores through Valentine's Day.

It's certainly a cute and wholesome idea. I hope they come to Adweek's local McDonald's on 4th Avenue and St. Mark's Place, where everyone could really use some more lovin'.

I also wonder how will this go over in Nevada, one of the few places where it's already legal to pay with lovin'.

McDonald's Was Lovin' Everyone Else's Super Bowl Ads on Twitter

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During tonight's Super Bowl, Nationwide, Fiat, Chevy Colorado, Snickers, Turbo Tax, Esurance, Skittles and other brands have trended nationally on Twitter, thanks to either in-game commercials or pregame activity that ranged from TV spots to product giveaways that people loved.

McDonald's, though, has really stood out. The fast-food slinger was tweeting like crazy about other marketer's spots, and the messages garnered thousands of retweets. It appears that its social media work is faring better than its Big Game TV spot, which earned a thumbs-down from our real-time reviewing team.

Here is a sample of the efforts by the Golden Arches, which has been tweeting almost every minute with the word "lovin'." McDonald's even riffed on Jublia's toe fungus ad. 

Which Brands Proved Their Social Skills on Twitter During Last Night's Super Bowl?

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Without an equivalent of 2013's crazy Super Bowl blackout that sparked Oreo's iconic "dunk in the dark," last night's game was more about consistent creativity than unforgettable moments.

But that's not to say it was a dry night. New England defeated Seattle 28-24 in a thrilling, down-to-the-wire contest, and plenty of marketers either displayed strong real-time marketing chops or gained retweetable traction by posting at opportune times.

Some brands built social buzz in a positive way (Doritos and McDonald's), other mentions came at the brand's expense (Nationwide), and yet more moments—good and bad, mind you—arrived with little effort from the marketer at all (Esurance and Reebok). 

Let's start off with the more inspiring kinds of real-time concoctions.

When New England's Malcolm Butler picked off a pass by Russell Wilson at the goal line to win the game for the Patriots, Cheerios' real-time practitioners were equally as clutch. 

Skittles, which has long been known to be very active on social, added a subtle multimedia twist to its tweet after Seattle's Marshawn Lynch scored a touchdown to give the ill-fated Seahawks a 24-14 lead.

A tip of the cap goes to Denny's, which made light about the multiple-player scrum that took place right before the end of Super Bowl XLIX. 

Audi played off its Big Game spot beautifully here, though its coy stick figure shrug might have been what really got the retweets going.

Loctite, a glue marketer and first time Big Game player, called out a traditional Super Bowl advertiser that was buying a ton of Promoted Tweets, essentially stealing other brands' thunder.

There were also more fun brand-on-brand instances from names like Lenovo, Charmin, Coke and Doritos. All in all, there were more brands tweeting at one another than in any Big Game to date.

In another example, Doritos is referencing spots by Budweiser (puppies) and Nissan (dads) with this tweet.

And McDonald's tweeted at almost every Super Bowl advertiser in a constant stream of positive messaging that shared the spotlight with other brands.

The way pop culture players mesh with marketers on Twitter is part of what makes the Super Bowl a kick. Here, the Harry Potter character Professor Snape had a pretty good bit of inspiration from Esurance's Big Game spot.

Additionally, actor James Franco gave Reebok's spot a nice push.

Procter & Gamble's #LikeAGirl TV commercial for Always was well supported on Twitter, seeing a healthy response in retweets.

And then JetBlue did a great job picking up on Always' hashtag, while Puffs and McDonald's also chimed in. Indeed, the brand-on-brand stuff just kept on coming last night.

Lastly, pet-themed e-commerce player BarkBox had a couple humorous/topical tweets worth noting.

McDonald's Finally Selling Bottles of Big Mac Secret Sauce, but They're Going for $18,000

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For a company no one actually likes, people sure are interested in McDonald's food. This interest often takes shape as vulgar curiosity and conjecture about specific menu items. I still remember thinking its burgers were made from vat-grown mutant cows with no bones or central nervous system, for instance.

I say this because McDonald's is finally capitalizing on the myths surrounding its Big Mac secret sauce by selling bottles of it for the first time. Creatively titled "Big Mac Special Sauce," which sounds more interesting than "1000 Island Dressing Variant," the legendary burger enhancer will be sold in a limited run of 200 bottles.

As with all bewilderingly valuable things, the first bottle is being sold on eBay in Australia, with proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Bidding started at 99 cents Australia but is now up to $23,000—or almost U.S. $18,000. (And no, you can't pay with lovin'. There is hope for the impecunious, though, as some McDonald's locations in Australia will reportedly be selling tiny tubs of the stuff for just 50 cents this month.)

It's an interesting move. People have been replicating the sauce themselves for decades, so there's clearly a market for it. And the campaign will surely succeed when measured in not-entirely-genuine Facebook posts about it.

It would be funnier and more interesting if it were Jack in the Box doing it, though.

Via Design Taxi.

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