“Americans’ enthusiasm for Super Bowl ads is increasing rapidly, with record levels of pre and post-game engagement,” said Lucy Farey-Jones, partner and head of strategy, Venables Bell & Partners. “A third of Americans report they will seek out ads before kick-off this year and after the game ends, exactly half of Americans will rewatch their favorite ads. This demonstrates the value of a Super Bowl ad is higher than ever.”

THE DIGITAL WATERCOOLER: Not only will half of Americans rewatch ads, but 40% will share ads. 86% will do so via Facebook and 30% via sharing on Twitter (a 500% increase from 2012). Theoretically, this means with 111 million people watching the game, and with the average Facebook user having 130 friends, those collective posts could result in over 4.9 billion incremental impressions.

SUPER BOWL WATCHERS UNDER THE INFLUENCE: An estimated 31 million Americans (28% of 111 million viewers) will be hungover on Super Bowl Monday. For those who admit they are “likely to be hungover,” social networking habits increase dramatically. 70% of heavier drinkers will be sharing ads on their social networks (vs. 40% survey avg.); 60% of heavier drinkers will post something to Facebook (vs. 34% non/lighter drinkers). Perhaps most important to marketers, intoxicated people report being five times more likely to buy something while watching the game (50% vs. 10% non/lighter drinkers).

MILLENNIALS: The younger generation (18-29) is the most passionate and engaged age group when it comes to Super Bowl ads. 78% (vs. 55% avg.) will pay attention to who is advertising before the game. 43% are likely to vote for their favorite ad (vs. 22% avg.) and 44% are likely to buy something while watching the game (vs. 21% avg.). After the game, 70% will re-watch their favorite ads (vs. 50% avg) and 68% will share ads on Facebook (vs. 40% avg).

ADS DOMINATE POST-GAME DISCUSSION: For the first year, ads tied with best plays when it comes to what Super Bowl watchers are most likely to discuss the day after the game. Americans also reported they are more likely to “like” a brand (29%) on Facebook that advertises during the Super Bowl than they are to “like” a team (26%).

For more information on the study or to schedule an interview with Lucy Farey-Jones, partner and head of strategy, please contact Meredith Vellines at meredith.vellines@venablesbell.com.

]]> 2012-12-18 14:36:48 http://www.adforum.com/agency/18126/press-releases/12243/still-killin-it http://www.adforum.com/agency/18126/press-releases/12243/still-killin-it Today Adweek reported that our 2012 Audi Super Bowl spot, “Vampire Party,” was the 10th most watched ad on YouTube this year. With almost 8 million views, so much for #SoLongVampires.

On top of his love for talent and agency culture, David is a father to two very obese cats named Pee Wee and Dotty. They are also excited about this news. You can email these cats at david.perez@venablesbell.com. Or, if you want to work with us, you can email David there too.

Trace has impeccable digital credentials, having pioneered social and content strategy roles at a variety of agencies and digital shops. Prior to Riney, Trace was SVP Strategy for Publicis Seatttle, where she focused on the digital evolution of T-Mobile from utilizing the web as a sales-only channel to a sustained brand marketing platform. Early in her career, Cohen was a copywriter with Grey in South Africa and at FCB in San Francisco, where she wrote Levi’s first website that not only won the Gold Pencil, but set the stage for building branded experiences online. Following FCB, she was hired by Ikonic, a UX focused shop, as Director of Content Strategy, where she launched a number of notable and award-winning digital experiences for Lexus Europe, Dockers, Sega, Kodak Kiosks and IBM’s Olympic Games. After leaving Ikonic to found her own social media start-up, Trace created Razorfish’s first social media practice for clients like Napster, Microsoft and Best Buy and later worked as an independent social media strategist for Hearst Media, integrating social media into their newspaper properties (including the SF Chronicle SFGate.com).

You can witness another tale of redemption here and read all about the campaign in the New York Times, here.

]]> 2012-09-14 13:17:06 http://www.adforum.com/agency/18126/press-releases/8577/meat-without-the-meat http://www.adforum.com/agency/18126/press-releases/8577/meat-without-the-meat Welcome to the wonderful world of Lightlife, where you can enjoy a hearty, satisfying meal – without eating meat. Created with renowned animation house, Laika, and set to a recreation of the classic children’s song, “Old Macdonald Had A Farm,” this stop-motion animation piece explores a ranch where the animals aren’t quite what they seem.

“Just as Northern California’s predilection for hot tubs and BMWs revolutionized how the swinging bachelors of the 1980s indulged themselves, so too could Silicon Valley’s budding love affair with Audi affect a paradigm shift in how hard-chargers throughout the country tool around town. It’s the new entry car into the venture capital class.”

We’ll take the hot tub comparison.

Clearly, it is this little nugget of truth that inspired our latest work for 76 and the “We’re on the driver’s side” campaign. In an effort to be on the side of drivers everywhere, we took the “The Quiet Game,” a classic ploy for peace and quiet and turned it into “The Quiet Game,” an actual game available as a smart phone app. And believe it or not, the new and improved version is way more fun.

“Thank you” is a 60-second ode to Kansas City. The spot is scored by an updated version of the song “Kansas City” and features a cast of the city’s most famous characters, historical events and cultural iconography.

To learn more visit, google.com/fiber

Back in December we came up with the crazy idea to run an office space contest, advertised on Craigslist, giving away $10 worth of office space in our Union Square offices for a year to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. After receiving hundreds of applicants, we picked four Bay Area entrepreneurs who have moved in and are making a real difference. Watch a short film about the contest and meet the four winners to find out how they are using their $10 worth of space here, as told to Fast Company.

VB&P knows there are more companies out there that have the capacity to follow our lead, so please let us know if you’re interested in running a similar contest in your office at officespace@venablesbell.com.

Manjula’s hiring continues VB&P’s acquisition spree of digital talent as a result of additional interactive production assignments from Google, ConAgra, eBay and Intel. These new faces include Aaron Clinger, technical director, who led development for Disney Parks’ “Let the Memories Begin” digital campaign and founded Proto, a digital studio; Aiden Bordner, director of experience design, who comes to VB&P from Saatchi & Saatchi’s Team One, where he created a similar practice for Lexus and Ritz-Carlton; and Katie Acosta, group account director, who most recently was SVP, director of client service, at Isobar, running adidas, Kohler, Sprite and Pernod Ricard.

Think you’re suffering from Spice Loss or know a friend in need? Get your meat hooks on your Bro-File immediately. Help is on the way.

“Mom Jeans” duo in a funny and heartwarming pitch to remind daughters and sons everywhere not to forget their moms this Mother’s Day. The web film “Susie’s New Place” finds daughter Susie in her first solo apartment when empty-nested Mom shows up to take charge of her life. Chances are you’ll spot a little of your own mom here. This video greeting card reminds us that unforgettable moms deserve to be showered with unforgettable Mother’s Day gifts from eBay.

Directed by VB&P Creative Director Lee Einhorn, this not only marks VB&P’s first long-format web film, but it is also the first all-internal integrated production by VB&P’s Lumberyard. Look out Hollywood.