While the Winter Olympics has put the NHL’s 2013-14 campaign on ice for the next two weeks, the league’s in-house cable network hasn’t exactly been idle. In fact, beginning Feb. 12, NHL Network will begin production on a special live highlights show that will run immediately following the Latvia-Switzerland telecast on MSNBC. NHL Tonight: 2014 Sochi Edition will debut tomorrow at 3 p.m.
It's Feb. 11. You know what that means? There are only three days left until Valentine's Day! Oh, and it also means you'd better have solid dinner plans for Friday night, because all the good reservations filled up months ago. But what if, between the Super Bowl and the Olympics and constantly shoveling snow, you forgot to make plans? Heineken has you covered, thanks to a new social-media campaign devised by Wieden + Kennedy in New York.
This year, the Sports Illustrate Swimsuit Issue turns 50, which means that plenty of SI Swim Legends will be popping up to pay tribute to this All-American institution. But among the Kates and Heidis and Christies, there’s one unexpected name making an appearance in this year’s issue: Barbie. Yes, that Barbie. For the first time, the Mattel fashion doll will be the star of an editorial feature inside the magazine, shot by longtime SI photographer Walter Iooss, Jr.
Brands don't typically allow campaign metrics to go public unless they've exceeded expectations. With that in mind, HTC today says a just-wrapped 11-week campaign that mixed global social media with Times Square ads drew 54,000 photo submissions. The effort, pitched in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, centered on a contest to win a 24-carat-plated HTC One smartphone worth $2,500.
Omnicom Group said fourth-quarter net income declined 2.1 percent to $300.5 million from $307.1 million in the 2012 period. Global revenue in the quarter rose 2.9 percent to $4.1 billion. Expenses related to Omnicom’s proposed merger with Publicis Groupe hit the bottom line, with the U.S. holding company taking $13.3 million in fourth-quarter, pre-tax charges related to the transaction. Organic growth in the quarter rose 4.2 percent.
IDEA: Want to appeal to young, attractive people who like watching other young, attractive people do insane stunts? Devin Graham is your man.
Two of the bigger macro trends in the online ad industry of late, programmatic buying and native advertising, don’t seem to have much in common—as one is about automation and the other about custom branded content with lots of heavy lifting.
Capital New York has tweaked its pricing as it prepares to start charging for e-newsletters and news coverage today (Feb. 11), making it the latest startup to test consumers' willingness pay for news. The experiment will no doubt be closely watched as news sites, new and established, search for successful models for content that balance advertising and subscriber revenue. And while parent Allbritton Communications already has substantial experience charging for content in the D.C.
In the finals of four big reviews, BBDO has a shot at adding about $25 million to its revenue line if it runs the table—or getting burned out trying. The Omnicom Group agency is making four final presentations in five weeks. The first—for the Wells Fargo creative account, with estimated revenue of $12 million to $13 million—took place last week at the bank’s San Francisco headquarters. This week comes the Legacy anti-tobacco foundation pitch, followed next week by Papa John’s and, finally, CVS the week of March 10.
As you read this, Americans are in the process of dropping $1.9 billion on Valentine’s Day flowers—much of it going to buy the 224 million roses grown just for the amorous holiday. Surprising facts? Here’s another: While most people assume that the local flower shop is making a killing at this time of year, a good many florists are merely breaking even—or even losing money. “People don’t understand the economics of what happens to the money they spend on flowers,” said Bonnie Bank, who runs Superior Florist in midtown New York.
