Social Media Marketing: To Tweet to Who?

Columnist Lester Pyatt from Omark Strategic Hospitality Solutions considers social media marketing and gives his tops tips for Twitter.

The explosion of cost-effective social media has created a new emphasis on how we now manage our advertising and promotion campaigns. Traditional methods like newspaper advertising have made way to more targeted connection platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, You Tube, and personal blogs.

Social Media Marketing: Twitter

I want to concentrate on Twitter, which is basically a micro blog that shares short messages of 140 characters called “Tweets” … but the question is: who and what do you talk about?

Here are my five steps to Twitter success:

1. Your first task is to follow people or businesses associated with your target market. For me, these are UK hotels, restaurants and pubs. A good source for discovering who to follow is Twellow, a yellow pages directory of Twitter accounts divided into different hobbies, places and business categories.
2. Once you have built a follow and follow back list, do not try to advertise or promote to these people straight away. Strike up a conversation, be friendly, it doesn’t matter if it’s about the weather, or a current trending topic; what you are trying to do is start a relationship of familiarity and trust with these people.
3. Build your influence. You want to be known as an expert in your target market producing quality information. A good way to do this is to sign up for Google alerts and find relevant news and topics. The latest news can be automatically delivered to your inbox daily, allowing you to browse and post topical articles on Twitter. If they like your information, they will re tweet this to their followers and help spread your influence.
4. Once you have established yourself, you will be in a better position to promote offers or information to your target customers. To make it easier for them to find trends or topics for tweets, people use the hash tag (#). So, if I have specific information for UK hotels, I simply include the tag before the tweet (e.g. #UK hotels – Free information to boost your profits), allowing others looking for that hash tag to see my tweet.
5. Keep your followers current. It’s no good having followers who haven’t used their account for a long time. A good tool to use for this is Friend or Follow – allowing you to easily ascertain who you are following and who isn’t following you back and then delete them if necessary.

Ignore social media at your peril, combined with Traditional advertising, email marketing, newsletters, website optimization and killer press releases, you will have an arsenal of cost effective weapons to boost your advertising and promotion campaigns during 2011.

By Lester Pyatt

Chart: Top 10 at Domestic Film Box Office, Weekend of Feb. 11-13, 2011

About this chart: Content in Rentrak Theatrical box office updates is produced and/or compiled by Rentrak Corporation and its Box Office Essentials theatrical box office data collection and analytical service.

Focus on Marketing: Trends in social media

Integration of social media platforms should be a priority for companies seeking to be smart marketers.

OK, no surprise there. But many companies remain behind the curve by simply just having a Facebook page — but it's inactive, or not fully leveraged for its enormous potential. Well, it's time to catch up, because the next wave of social media advancement is coming.

Here are some social-media marketing trends I expect to see during 2011:

Social functions assume a larger role in website design.

Many web-savvy consumers have come to expect social media features on company sites. The public seeks interactive features such as blogs, Twitter feeds and discussion forums, and for many users these social media elements are their preferred venues for learning about a company and its products or services. A static website may not be enough to satisfy these people and almost certainly won't draw them back for a return visit. Give them a reason to come back to your site — add an interactive social media function.

Tablets and smart phones create 24/7 social networking.

Tablet computers, smart phones and other mobile devices will continue to become more powerful and less expensive, allowing people to be connected wherever they are. At home, at work or away on vacation in Europe, people will always be within reach of marketers' tweets or updates. They'll also be able to reach out to ask questions or make purchases, so consider ways to accommodate these desires. It's a two-way street.

Location-based services are on the rise: Technology has advanced to provide location-based services. Many tablets and smart phones have GPS functions that can provide their position to websites. With this information, a site such as Foursquare can identify other nearby users or direct the customer to nearby advertisers.

Google continues trying to shake up social networking.

Google is known for its tenacity

and ability to analyze data. Don't be surprised if Google continues to roll out novel approaches to social networks and how people — including marketers — can share information, all based on the insights provided by their algorithms and databases.

The new world of social media and marketing provides tremendous opportunities for companies large and small to form better connections with existing customers and attract new ones. Don't stand on the sidelines. Twitter, Facebook, blogs and forums all should play key roles in attracting and engaging customers!

By Josh Sommers BY RECORDONLINE.COM

Overposting Drives Away Facebook Fans

The most-frequently cited reason Facebook users give for “unliking” a brand is that it posts too frequently, according to [pdf] a new report from Exact Target and CoTweet. Data from “The Social Break-up” indicates 44% of Facebook users list this as a top reason for unliking a brand they once liked on Facebook.

Virtually tying overposting as a top reason for unliking a brand on Facebook is having an overcrowded wall (43%, more than one answer permitted). Other leading reasons include content becoming boring and/or repetitive (38%), and only liking a company to take advantage of a one-time offer (26%).

Unliking Top Negative Reaction

Report data indicates brands will often know when a Facebook fan changes their mind, as 43% of Facebook users will unlike a brand when they no longer want to see its posts. Another 38% click the “X” in their news feed so they don’t see the brand’s posts and 19% do nothing but ignore the posts.

More than Half of Facebook Users Have Changed Mind after Liking Brand

Fifty-five percent of Facebook users have liked a company and then decided they no longer wanted to see its posts. In addition, 51% say they rarely or never visit a brand once they have liked it. A full 71% of fans say they have become more selective about what brands they like.

Unliking Not the End of the World

Report data show that a consumer’s decision to “unlike” a company has surprisingly little impact on the perceived likelihood that they will buy from that company in the future. In total, 63% of consumers said they were as likely or more likely to purchase something from a company after ending their Facebook relationship. Another 18% said they only “unlike” a company if they never bought anything in the first place.

3/4 of Online Consumers Have Facebook Account

Almost three in four (73%) online US consumers have opened a Facebook account. Sixty-five percent are active Facebook users, and 42% are fans. The fan percentage rises to 64% among
Facebook users.

comScore: Facebook Leads Top Website Engagement

Facebook represents the largest share of time spent by US internet users of the top five most-visited websites, according to a new white paper from comScore. “The 2010 US Digital Year in Review” indicates that Facebook increased its share of total US internet time 71% between December 2009 (7.2%) and December 2010 (12.3%).

Americans See Unemployment as Top Problem

Thirty-five percent of Americans name unemployment as the most important problem facing the US, according to results of a new Gallup Poll. This is the highest percentage since the economic slowdown began in December 2007 and higher than at any point since October 1983 (41%). Unemployment is the most important problem for the second month in a row, with the economy ranking second and healthcare third.

Unemployment Overtakes Economy

From the beginning of the economic slowdown through 2009, mentions of “the economy” in general were consistently the top issue. In the past year, as the government’s unemployment rate has stayed in the 9% range, the economy and specific mentions of unemployment have traded the top spot several times. This month, mentions of unemployment increased to 35%, and it now leads mentions of the economy by a significant margin (almost 21%).

Healthcare, Govt. Issues Also Prevalent Concerns

In addition to unemployment and the economy, three other issues are mentioned by at least 10% of Americans in the Feb. 2-5, 2011 poll : healthcare (16%), dissatisfaction with government (12%), and the federal budget deficit (11%). No other problem was mentioned by anywhere near as high a percentage of Americans. Education, the next-largest concern, was only mentioned by 6% of poll respondents.

All told, seven in 10 Americans mention some economic issue when asked to name the most important problem facing the country, and the top two problems Americans cite as the most important ones facing the country directly reflect on the economic situation in the US.

Consumers Stressed, Still Buy More

Consumers have a relatively flat financial outlook for the coming months as stress levels rise and financial difficulties increase, according to the Consumer Reports Index for February 2010. However, one bright spot is that retail spending for the previous and upcoming 30 days appear to be on the upswing.

About the Data: Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 2-5, 2011, with a random sample of 1,015 adults, aged 18 and older, living in the continental U.S., selected using random-digit-dial sampling.

Social Media and Young Adults

Young Adults and Social Media
by Amanda Lenhart, Kristen Purcell, Aaron Smith, Kathryn Zickuhr

Overview

Two Pew Internet Project surveys of teens and adults reveal a decline in blogging among teens and young adults and a modest rise among adults 30 and older. In 2006, 28% of teens ages 12-17 and young adults ages 18-29 were bloggers, but by 2009 the numbers had dropped to 14% of teens and 15% of young adults. During the same period, the percentage of online adults over thirty who were bloggers rose from 7% blogging in 2006 to 11% in 2009.

Much of the drop in blogging among younger internet users may be attributable to changes in social network use by teens and young adults. Nearly three quarters (73%) of online teens and an equal number (72%) of young adults use social network sites. By contrast, older adults have not kept pace; some 40% of adults 30 and older use the social sites in the fall of 2009.

Additionally, teens ages 12-17 do not use Twitter in large numbers – just 8% of online teens 12-17 say they ever use Twitter, a percentage similar to the number who use virtual worlds. This puts Twitter far down the list of popular online activities for teens and stands in stark contrast to their record of being early adopters of nearly every online activity.

However, even as blogging declines among those under 30, wireless connectivity continues to rise in this age group. “We often look to younger generations to see where technology use might be headed in the future,” lead author Amanda Lenhart noted. “People under 30 have often been in the vanguard of internet and cell-phone use, and it will be interesting to see how much of their enthusiasm for new gadgets is a time-of-life issue, and how much will ripple through the broader culture in the coming years.”

New survey results also show that among adults 18 and older, Facebook has taken over as the social network of choice; 73% of adult profile owners use Facebook, 48% have a profile on MySpace and 14% use LinkedIn. “Blogging appears to have lost its luster for many young users,” said Lenhart. “The fad stage is over for teens and young adults and the move to Facebook -- which lacks a specific tool for blogging within the network -- may have contributed to the decline of blogging among young adults and teens.”

Lenhart also pointed out that many of the functions that blogging served for teens in the mid-2000s for communicating about their lives and updating their activities for their friends have become central activities on social networking sites. “Microblogging and status updating on social networks have replaced old-style ‘macro-blogging’ for many teens and adults,” she said.
About the Survey

Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next

This report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project is a part of a series of reports undertaken by the Pew Research Center that highlight the attitudes and behaviors of the Millennial generation, a cohort we define here as adults ages 18 to 29. The Pew Internet Project has conducted more than 100 surveys and written more than 200 reports on the topic of teen and adult internet use, all of which are freely available on our website: www.pewinternet.org. This report brings together recent findings about internet and social media use among young adults by situating it within comparable data for adolescents and adults older than 30. All the most current data on teens is drawn from a survey we conducted between June 26 and September 24, 2009 of 800 adolescents between ages 12 and 17. Most of the adult data are drawn from a survey we conducted between August 18 and September 14, 2009 of 2,253 adults (age 18 and over). At times, though, we draw from other adult surveys and we will note where that occurs. For more information, please see the methodology section.

This publication is part of a Pew Research Center report series that looks at the values, attitudes and experiences of America’s next generation: the Millennials. Find out how today’s teens and twentysomethings are reshaping the nation at: www.pewresearch.org/millennials

Did Social Media Kill the Superbowl Ad?

The Superbowl ad has long been the annual showcase for large brands and well-funded start ups. Many people have been predicting its demise, saying it’s only a matter of time before brands start moving their budgets into more efficient and effective media. Some brands have begun that process in earnest, driving marketing dollars into social media and other online properties. Mass media, it seems, is no longer an effective and efficient way to reach people.

But what if the complete opposite were true?

What if, instead, social media made the Superbowl ads more important and effective than they ever were? Consider the fact that a few short years ago, most of those ads were shown during the Superbowl, never to be seen again. Sure, they generated a lot of buzz and water cooler talk, but a 30-second campaign life is a pretty steep investment. So what if mass media wasn’t the campaign, but the catalyst for something much larger?

The one commercial that everybody has been talking about from this year’s game was the Volkswagen “The Force” commercial featuring an unbearably cute toddler dressed up as Darth Vader. I dare you to watch the commercial without a full ear-to-ear grin by the end (it’s impossible). In the last few days that video has racked up 22,356,617 video views from YouTube alone, generated over 100,000 “likes” and sparked countless discussions online.

What does this mean for your company and your marketing department?

The future of marketing and advertising is creating products, services and communications that people want to share. When you do it right, mass media can be an incredible catalyst for a longer, intricate online campaign. This means that your marketing team needs to understand how to conceive and execute ideas that can spread across multiple platforms.

By Steve Cunningham From Financial Post

Consumers Stressed, Still Buy More

Consumers have a relatively flat financial outlook for the coming months as stress levels rise and financial difficulties increase, according to the Consumer Reports Index for February 2010. However, one bright spot is that retail spending for the previous and upcoming 30 days appear to be on the upswing.

Consumer Sentiment Holds Steady
The Consumer Sentiment Index, measuring consumers’ overall financial sentiment, held steady, standing at 48.7, its highest level in two years. The most optimistic consumers are those age 18-34 at 55.5 (down from 57.2 the prior month), and households with income of $100,000 or more at 61.5 (up from 57.4 a month earlier). The most pessimistic consumers are households with income less than $50,000 at 44.2 (up from 42.7 the prior month), and those age 65 and older at 41.9 (down from 44.1 a month earlier).

The Consumer Reports Sentiment Index captures respondents’ attitudes regarding their financial situation, asking them if they are feeling better or worse off than a year ago. When the index is greater than 50, more consumers are feeling positive about their situation. When it is below 50, more consumers are feeling worse. The Sentiment Index can vary from a high of 100 to a low of 0.

Feb. ‘11 Stress on Par with Last Year
The Consumer Reports Stress Index indicates the level of stress consumers feel they are under is up to 59.3 from the prior month (55.4), but is on par with one year ago (59.9). The Consumer Reports Stress Index captures attitudes regarding the amount of stress consumers feel compared to a year ago. It asks whether they are feeling more stressed or less stressed. When the Stress Index is more than 50, consumers are feeling more stress and when it is below 50 they are feeling less stress compared to a year ago. The index can vary from 100 (total stress) to a low of 0 (no stress).

Financial Troubles on the Rise
Consumers faced more financial troubles this month than the month or year before. The index increased to 58.7 in February, up from January’s 54.2 as well as one year ago (53.4). Negative developments were led by an increase in consumers that were unable to afford medical bills or medications in the past 30 days to 17%, from 15.6% in January and 14.7% one year ago; and an increase in those that have lost or face reduced health-care coverage (9.3%), up from 8.6% last month and 7.5% the prior year.

Overall, the most prevalent consumer troubles include: Unable to afford medical bills or medications (17%); Missed payment on a major bill – not mortgage (9.7%); Lost or reduced health-care coverage (9.3%).

2010 was 'positive year for digital marketing'

A rebound in US e-commerce spending, important innovations and an increase in demand for online advertising ensured that 2010 was a positive year for digital marketing.

This is according to the comScore 2010 US Digital Year in Review report, which recaps key trends seen over the past year, with an emphasis on how marketers can capitalize on these in 2011.

Indeed, the independent analyst explained that the improving economic environment had helped to contribute to significant growth in the digital media industry.

New technologies and innovative marketing strategies ensured that there were “an unprecedented number of options to consumers as digital media continued to weave itself even tighter into the fabric of US consumers’ daily lives”.

“As we embark on a promising 2011, marketers must have a sound understanding of the digital media landscape and how it is changing if they hope to capitalize on key trends that can drive their business into the future,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

Posted by Paul Newman FROM www.qas.com

Facebook Leads Top Website Engagement

Facebook represents the largest share of time spent by US internet users of the top five most-visited websites, according to a new white paper from comScore. “The 2010 US Digital Year in Review” indicates that Facebook increased its share of total US internet time 71% between December 2009 (7.2%) and December 2010 (12.3%).

Facebook Only Top 5 Site to Boost Engagement

Facebook is the only one of the top five US internet sites by audience to significantly increase its share of total US internet time between December 2009 and December 2010. Microsoft remained roughly flat at around 6%, while AOL slightly dropped from a little more than 4% to a little less than 4%.

Meanwhile, Google Sites slightly increased its internet time share to wind up accounting for close to 10%, and Yahoo went from a little more to a little less than the 10% mark.

SocNets Gain on Portals

While US internet users continue to spend the largest percentage of their online time visiting portals, social networking is steadily growing as portals start to slip. Between December 2009 and December 2010, portals lost about 6% of their online time share, dropping from 21.6% to 20.4%. During the same time period, social networks increased their online time share by 36%, rising from 10.6% to 14.4%.

The entertainment category ranked third with a 12.6% share, up 7% from 11.8%. Web-based email followed with an 11% share, down 12% from 12.5%.

Web-based Email Use Declines

As communication platforms and devices continue to proliferate, the usage of web-based email has begun to decline, particularly among younger consumers who are increasingly shifting toward instant messaging, social media, and mobile communications. Total web-based email usage declined 8% in the past year, with the most precipitous decline occurring among 12-17-year-olds (down 59%).

Usage also declined marginally among 18-24-year-olds (1%), and larger declines were seen among 25-34-year- olds (down 18%), and 35-54-year-olds (down 12%).

In contrast, however, web-based email usage actually gained among 55-64-year-olds (22%) and among those age 65 and older (up 285). comScore analysis indicates continued internet adoption by these older age segments contributed to their increased usage of web-based email.

Americans Mobilize for Email

While web-based email has witnessed a general decline during the past year, other recent comScore analysis indicates email usage via mobile devices has experienced significant growth, driven largely by increased smartphone adoption. In November 2010, 70.1 million mobile users (30% of all mobile subscribers) accessed email on their mobile devices, an increase of 36% from the previous year. Daily usage of email showed an even greater increase, growing 40% as 43.5 million users turned to their mobile devices for email.

The Most Innovative Consumer Packaged Goods of 2011 Revealed at Last Night's Product of the Year USA Awards Ceremony

60,000 Shoppers Select the Nation's 22 Most Innovative Products of the Year

Phil Lempert, The Supermarket Guru® and Herb Sorensen, TNS Scientific Advisor, Reveal Retail Trends at 2011 Product of the Year USA Awards Ceremony


NEW YORK, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, executives from Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Nestle USA, Colgate-Palmolive Company, S.C. Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Mars Petcare, as well as other consumer brands learned about retail and consumer insights at the 2011 Product of the Year USA awards ceremony.

Supermarket Guru® Phil Lempert and TNS Scientific Advisor for Global Retail & Shopper Practice Herb Sorensen, served as guest speakers delivering market trends while Chicago Improv comedians, Kate James and Greg Mills, served as hosts delivering laugh-out-loud jokes at the New York City event that honored this year's winners from Jimmy Dean®, M&M'S®, McCormick, Air Wick, Pantene Pro-V, U by Kotex, LYSOL®, Lipton, Gillette®, Pampers and The LISTERINE® Brand among other brands who were recognized by consumers for product innovation in the marketplace.

"Consumers are smarter than ever and watching what they spend more intelligently," said Phil Lempert, the Supermarket Guru®. "Even though mobile devices and social networks offer just about every product review possible, it is still the "human" social network that is the most powerful. With over 60,000 shoppers voting on the most innovative for a Product of the Year award, there is not a better recommendation."

As part of the nationwide survey with 60,000 shoppers conducted by TNS, Product of the Year winners receive a robust research study providing the latest insights into the mind of today's consumer. According to this survey, 80 percent of consumers are willing to try new products while 68 percent of shoppers say a consumer voted award means more for a new product than an expert's opinion. Recommendations from friends or family positively impacts purchase interest amongst close to half the population.

"Even though modern-day consumers are tasked with deciding which products to use on a regular basis, shoppers are willing to trust their peers when it comes to trying new products that provide great value," said Herb Sorensen, TNS Scientific Advisor for Global Retail & Shopper Practice. "The Product of the Year seal is a giant recommendation to consumers, by consumers."
Hosted in 28 countries, Product of the Year is the world's largest consumer-voted program that recognizes innovation in consumer packaged goods. 2011 marks the third annual round of Product of the Year in the United States with over 60,000 American shoppers voting on products in a survey conducted by TNS, the world's largest custom research agency. The following products were voted Product of the Year in their category:

• PERSONAL CARE - Speed Stick® and Lady Speed Stick® Stainguard® Antiperspirant Deodorant - Colgate-Palmolive Company
• TOOTHPASTE - Aquafresh® iso-active® Whitening - GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
• MOUTHWASH - LISTERINE® ZERO™, Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc.
• FEMININE PRODUCTS - U by Kotex - Kimberly-Clark Corporation
• CANDY & SNACKS - M&M'S® Pretzel Chocolate Candies - Mars Chocolate North America
• FROZEN FOOD - Lean Cuisine® Market Creations - Nestle USA
• SPECIALTY FOODS - BUITONI® Riserva Frozen Complete Meals for Two - Nestle USA
• COOKING SPICES - Recipe Inspirations - McCormick & Company, Inc.
• BEVERAGE - Lipton Brisk - Pepsi-Lipton Partnership
• HAIR CARE - Pantene Pro-V Customized Solutions - Procter & Gamble
• HAIR STYLING - Pantene Pro-V Customized Solutions Stylers & Treatments - Procter & Gamble
• BABY CARE - Pampers Cruisers & Swaddlers - Procter & Gamble
• MALE GROOMING - Gillette® Fusion® ProGlide Power Razor - Procter & Gamble
• AIR CARE - Air Wick Air Freshener - Reckitt Benckiser
• PERSONAL HYGIENE - LYSOL® Healthy Touch® No-Touch Hand Soap System - Reckitt Benckiser
• BREAKFAST - Jimmy Dean® Hearty Sausage Crumbles - Sara Lee
• COOKING - Olivari Mediterranean Olive Oil - Sovena USA
• INSECTICIDE - Raid Max® Bug Barrier - S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
• PET FOOD - TEMPTATIONS® MixUps Treats for Cats- Mars Petcare U.S.
• PET HEALTH - GREENIES® JointCare Treats - The Nutro Company
• COSMETICS - MD Lash Factor Eyelash Conditioner - La Canada Ventures, Inc.
• AT HOME BEAUTY TREATMENT - no!no! Hair 8800 - Radiancy, Inc.

"Consumer packaged goods continue to demonstrate a need for the market to create products that enhance both consumer confidence and product loyalty," said Colleen Kelly, Managing Director of Product of the Year. "Product of the Year is pleased to offer consumers the ability to easily sift through and distinguish those brands that stand apart in the consumer packaged goods sector."

Shoppers nationwide will be able to recognize the winners starting in February of this year by looking for the red 'Product of the Year' stamp on packaging, in advertising and in-store displays. Last year's winners included products from Coca-Cola, S.C. Johnson, Tide, Clairol and Sprite among others who promoted their wins by efficiently wearing the red stamp.
For additional information / hi-res images of the Product of the Year USA winners for 2011, please visit www.productoftheyearusa.com

TV Remains Dominant Global Medium

In 2011, TV will retain its global leadership of all media forms in terms of total revenues, including ad revenues, subscriptions, pay-per-view and license fees, according to a new white paper from Deloitte. “Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions 2011″ forecasts this year, TV will account for about 41% of all ad revenues, and grow its share to 42% by 2012. TV ad revenue share grew close to 10% between 2007 and 2010, from 37% to more than 40%.

TV, Newspapers Grow in Opposite Directions

TV’s expected 10% five-year growth in ad revenue, from $174 billion in 2007 to $191 billion in 2011, contrasts sharply with newspapers’ expected 26% decline in the same time period, from $126 billion to $93 billion.

A forecast 6% increase in TV ad revenue during 2012 would take it beyond $200 billion, more than twice that of newspapers, which still represent the number two global advertising medium.

TV Audience Attention Climbs

Deloitte also expects TV will grow its share of audience attention. In 2011, aggregate TV viewing is expected to total 4.49 trillion hours. The global TV audience is expected to increase about 1%, from 3.66 billion to 3.7 billion viewers, still leaving about half the world population as a potential growth market.

Average daily TV viewing time per person in 2011 is expected to reach three hours and 12 minutes.

DVR Owners Check Broadcast TV First

Although DVR penetration is expected to surpass 50% in the US and UK TV markets this year, Deloitte predicts this will have no impact on TV advertising viewing or revenues. Looking at the behavior of 958 DVR owners in the UK, Deloitte data indicates 70% always check to see what is on broadcast TV first before playing their DVR. Only 16% always check their DVR first.

In addition, Deloitte analysis suggests that viewers will retain from advertisements even when they are fast-forwarded at 12 times their normal speed.

Nielsen: DVRs Help, Not Hinder, Commercial Viewing

Data from a recent Nielsen Company study indicates DVRs actually contribute significantly to commercial viewing. In May 2010, the average rating for a primetime commercial minute among persons age 18-49 in DVR households rose from 1.54 in live viewing to 2.21 three days later –a 44% lift. This degree of lift to the viewing of commercials has remained steady for several years. On a total US basis, DVR playback added a 16% lift to the average minute of primetime commercials.

Six Consumer-Created Doritos and Pepsi MAX Ads Crash the Super Bowl Advertising Stage, Now Compete for $5 Million in Prizes

'First Date,' 'House Sitting,' 'Love Hurts,' 'Pug Attack,' 'The Best Part,' and 'Torpedo Cooler' Vying for First-Ever Top-Three Sweep of USA TODAY Ad Meter

PLANO, Texas and PURCHASE, N.Y., Feb. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo's Doritos and Pepsi MAX brands gave six of their fans the chance to showcase their talent on the world's biggest advertising stage when they aired three consumer-created Doritos commercials and three consumer-created Pepsi MAX commercials during today's Super Bowl XLV broadcast. This year marked the first time in the five year history of the Crash the Super Bowl consumer-created ad contest that a total of six ads received airtime during the big game.

The six winning ads included (in alphabetical order):

• "First Date" (Pepsi MAX) by Nick Simotas
• "House Sitting" (Doritos) by Tynesha Williams
• "Love Hurts" (Pepsi MAX) by Brad Bosley
• "Pug Attack" (Doritos) by JR Burningham
• "The Best Part" (Doritos) by Tyler Dixon
• "Torpedo Cooler" (Pepsi MAX) by Brendan Hayward

The six winning ads were among 10 finalists selected by the Doritos and Pepsi MAX brands from more than 5,600 submissions received as part of the contest – the most ever in a single year of competition. Four of the six spots that aired during the Super Bowl broadcast were selected through consumer voting – two for Doritos and two for Pepsi MAX. In addition, Doritos and Pepsi MAX executives each selected a winning spot for their respective brands.

Now, as Crash the Super Bowl enters its final phase, the creators of the six winning ads have their eyes set on achieving Super Bowl advertising history – achieving a full sweep of the top-three rankings of the USA TODAY Ad Meter by consumer-created commercials. If three of the consumer-created Doritos or Pepsi MAX ads accomplish this goal, their creators will take home a shared $5 million prize. In addition to the potential payout, the fan who creates the highest-ranking Doritos or Pepsi MAX ad in the USA TODAY Ad Meter will win a guaranteed contract to create an additional ad for the two brands in 2011.

"Year after year, our fans have proven they have the creativity and talent to match up against the best in the advertising business, and this year was no exception," said Rudy Wilson, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay. "We're excited to be sharing this career-defining moment with our winners tonight, and hope this is just the beginning of many more accomplishments to come."

This year's contest marked the first time Pepsi MAX has partnered with Doritos for the groundbreaking contest. In addition to attracting a record-setting number of fan submissions, this year's Crash the Super Bowl also generated an unprecedented level of consumer votes.

"Being a part of Crash the Super Bowl this year has allowed us to share Pepsi MAX with a huge consumer audience in one of the best ways possible – through the passion and creativity of our fans," said Angelique Krembs, vice president, Pepsi Cola Marketing. "We are extremely proud of all six Crash the Super Bowl winners this year, and especially thrilled to have been able to showcase the creativity of the creators of our Pepsi MAX spots."

Potential grand prizes are based on how each of the winning Doritos and Pepsi MAX ads rank on the USA TODAY Ad Meter:

• $1 million for an ad that scores the No. 1 ranking on the USA TODAY Ad Meter
• $600,000 for an ad that scores the No. 2 ranking on the USA TODAY Ad Meter
• $400,000 for an ad that scores the No. 3 ranking on the USA TODAY Ad Meter

If the consumer-created Doritos or Pepsi MAX ads sweep all top three rankings of the USA TODAY Ad Meter, an additional $1 million bonus will be awarded to each winner for a total prize giveaway of $5 million.

"First Date" (Pepsi MAX) – Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, 29-year-old Nick Simotas now resides in Southern California where he is an editor of a television program for kids. For his Crash the Super Bowl submission, he and his friend and co-creator wanted to do something completely different from their G-rated day jobs. The two decided to enter Crash the Super Bowl just one week before the submissions deadline after coming up with the concept for "First Date" while in the car, stuck in traffic. Clearly, a good idea can come from anywhere, and this one just might lead Nick to a cool million-dollar payout.

"House Sitting" (Doritos) – A working mother of two, 34-year-old Tynesha Williams says the idea for "House Sitting" came to her in the middle of the night while feeding her infant. The creative concept centers on a desperate house-sitter seeking to undo his damage before his friend returns home. When he discovers the intense healing powers of Doritos tortilla chips, he magically brings to life more than he bargained for, making for a most unexpected punch line.

"Love Hurts" (Pepsi MAX) – Growing up in Leawood, Kan., 28-year-old Brad Bosley always knew he wanted to be behind the camera directing. When he heard about Crash the Super Bowl, Brad felt this could be just the creative challenge and big break he was looking for. In "Love Hurts," a girlfriend resorts to unsympathetic tactics to keep her boyfriend from indulging in unhealthy foods. One day she is pleased to find him enjoying a zero-calorie, maximum taste Pepsi MAX ... until he steals a glance at another woman and she unleashes an unexpected conclusion to the spot that delivers maximum laughs.

"Pug Attack" (Doritos) – For aspiring filmmaker JR Burningham and his fiancee/business partner Tess Ortbals, entering Crash the Super Bowl meant the possibility of turning their shared dream into a reality by creating a winning ad together. With little time and money, 31-year-old JR created "Pug Attack," which features a Doritos tortilla chip-obsessed pug whose master completely underestimates the dog's ability to get a taste of its favorite snack. A friend's goofy pug Oko-nono is featured in the ad, and in fact inspired the spot which took several "pug wranglers" and takes to complete.

"The Best Part" (Doritos) – As a satellite TV salesman, 35-year-old Tyler Dixon has been dreaming of making a living as a writer and filmmaker, and this win puts him one giant step closer to realizing that dream. With the help and encouragement of his friends, he decided to enter Crash the Super Bowl in hopes of achieving the big payout. "The Best Part" was inspired by what Tyler loves most about Doritos tortilla chips: the condensed flavor each chip leaves on his fingers. In the winning ad, an awkward office worker seeks out the coveted Doritos cheese dust in unconventional ways.

"Torpedo Cooler" (Pepsi MAX) – An SAT tutor by day and aspiring director by night, 33-year-old Brendan Hayward has always dreamed of directing commercials and films. A Crash the Super Bowl finalist in 2010, his ad, "The Smackout," fell just short of making it to the big screen. Brendan is back again and plans on using any contest winnings to create additional speculative commercials. This year, Brendan created "Torpedo Cooler" – a slapstick take on the "bully vs. nerd" scenario, where a man sticks it to a bully with a volatile Pepsi MAX cooler.

The USA TODAY Super Bowl Ad Meter tracks the second-by-second responses of a panel of viewers to ads during the national broadcast of the Super Bowl and ranks them favorite to least favorite. Created in 1989, USA TODAY's Ad Meter has been regarded as the most influential Super Bowl ad rating in the advertising industry.

Doritos tortilla chips is one of the billion-dollar brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Pepsi MAX is one of PepsiCo's billion-dollar global brands and is part of Pepsi Americas Beverages. To learn more about Pepsi MAX, visit the Pepsi Max tab on Pepsi's Facebook page at: www.pepsimax.com or on Twitter at: twitter.com/pepsimax. To learn more about Doritos, visit its website atwww.doritos.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DoritosUSA.

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visitwww.pepsico.com.

BROADCAST / PRINT / TV MEDIA: Broadcast quality video, photo stills and press information is available to preview, download and share at www.magicbulletmedia.com/MNR/crashthesuperbowl

SOURCE PepsiCo

Best Super Bowl ads: A doggone tie for Ad Meter

For the first time, two ads tied for the top Super Bowl commercial as selected by consumer panelists rating the ads as they aired in the game for USA TODAY'S 23rd annual exclusive Ad Meter.

Both starred dogs acting like, well, people.

Doritos struck marketing gold Sunday night by using its now-familiar formula for creating best-liked Super Bowl spots: let its customers make them. All its ads were consumer-created, and the winner featured a guy who pays big-time for teasing a hungry pug dog with Doritos. It was rated as the co-winner by the Ad Meter panelists.

• AD METER RESULTS: How all the ads ranked

• YOUR OPINION: Readers sound off on the Super Bowl commercials

• DRIVE ON: Behind the auto ads, Darth Vader and more...

• YOUR LIFE: Parents recoil at Super Bowl 'test baby' ad

But never count out a king — at least, not one with a funny bone.

After losing its Midas touch for two years, Anheuser-Busch, the King of Beers and a longtime Ad Meter leader, is back on the throne as co-reigning king of Super Bowl advertising. A Bud Light ad featuring a dog sitter who gets the canines to cater his party tied for the top spot. It aired late in the fourth quarter.

For Anheuser-Busch, which has watched its brands' images and market share erode in recent years, it was a return to glory. A-B used to win Ad Meters the way Vince Lombardiwon football games. A-B won 10 consecutive Ad Meters from 1999 through 2008.

But the brand has had to watch from the sidelines the past two Super Bowls as upstarts Doritos and Snickers took the Ad Meter crowns.

The No. 3 spot was a highly professional spot for VW's Passat, about a huggable kid in a Darth Vader costume who — with an unknown assist from his dad — thinks he has started the car with "the Force."

It tied for the highest finish ever by a car ad in the Super Bowl, tying a Nissan ad in 1997.

Even then, the night arguably belonged to the unknowns. Fourth and fifth place went to more consumer ads, one for Doritos and one for Pepsi Max.

The fella behind the winning Doritos ad: a 31-year-old part-time designer of websites for kids. He says he filmed the spot for about $500.

The pattern has become disconcerting for Madison Avenue executives, whose high salaries are sometimes linked to creating the most-liked Super Bowl commercials. This is the second time in three years that consumers chose as best commercial an ad by a regular Joe. Two years ago, Doritos won Ad Meter with a consumer-made spot, and last year it finished as a runner-up with an ad made by an outsider.

• 2010 AD METER: Revisit last year's Super Bowl ads

• PHOTOS: See all the previous winners of USA TODAY's Ad Meter

• SUPER GALS: Photos of top female celebrities in Super Bowl ads

• PHOTOS: Take a look back at Budweiser's top Super Bowl ads

The consumer admakers' secret recipe isn't in the chips — it's in the humor of the ads.

"I just like it to be funny. Sometimes I don't even pay attention to what the ad is about, just that it is funny," says Brenda Moore, 51, of Bakersfield, Calif., an Ad Meter panelist. She has reason to want to laugh. There are rumblings about cutbacks at her company. "My philosophy is pray on it and hope things turn out your way."

Many of the top-scoring ads shared another common bond: They'd been widely seen onFacebook and YouTube for days — and even weeks — before the game.

The Doritos and Pepsi ads had been posted for weeks among groups of finalists for online voting that picked the ads for the game.

By kickoff, nearly 13 million people already had viewed the Darth Vader ad on VW's YouTube channel. That is certain to soar in the next few days.

Such success throws a monkey wrench in a long-held and apparently faulty belief by Super Bowl advertisers that they need to keep their secret until game day.

One panelist who'd seen the Darth Vader ad on Facebook before the game was Daphne Steinberg, a 41-year-old housewife from Brooklyn, N.Y. "I was anticipating it and kinda waiting for it," she says.

The Web designer who made the winning Doritos ad, JR Burningham, earned a cool $1 million from Doritos' parent company, Frito-Lay, for his No. 1 finish in Ad Meter. (USA TODAY has no connection with Doritos or to the online contest.)

Talk about winning big. Last Friday, Burningham, a Burbank, Calif., resident, got engaged to girlfriend and fellow filmmaker Tess Ortbals, who helped create the pug ad. The inspiration for the ad is a friend's playful, goofy pug named Oko Nono.

This amateur filmmaker was having doubts that he'd actually make it after all in the film industry but decided to invest $500 in making the Doritos ad.

"This commercial was a last-ditch attempt to make things happen," he says. He had attended the University of Southern California film school but says, "It's just a very difficult industry."

"We only had $500 to spend, so we had to come up with something that would be affordable and funny," he says. "We (he and Ortbals) thought about what makes us laugh, and the first thing that came to mind was my friend's pug."

Production was halted after 20 takes when the pug got too tired from running and chose to lie down on the camera.

Some 61 commercials that cost up to $3 million per 30-second slot for the air time (yes, that's $100,000 per second) were in the Fox broadcast watched by more than 100 million viewers. But space was at a premium this year with marketers sensing that a nation of consumers who were still recession-shellshocked last year are now primed to buy stuff.

How Ad Meter works

USA TODAY assembled 282 adult volunteers in Bakersfield, Calif., and McLean, Va., and electronically charted their second-by-second reactions to ads during the Super Bowl. Shugoll Research and Trotta Associates chose the volunteers, who used handheld meters to register how much they liked each ad. A computer continuously averaged the scores. Scores are the highest average for each ad.

USA TODAY staff Ad Meter contributors: Robert Ahrens, John Bedell, Jenny Brown, Anne Carey, David Carrig, Sonja Foster, Annette Hartman, Christopher Hartman, Tim Hartman, Lisa Hitt, Allie Hsiao, Henry Hsiao, Kris Kinkade, Lisa Kiplinger, Liza Koon, Joyce Lamb, David Martin, Christopher Manning, Elga Maye, Ian McCabe, Fred Meier, Jim Norman, Dennis Peters, Laura Petrecca, Jennie Preston, Kathryn Robison, Jim Sergent, Julia Schmalz, Leslie Smith Jr., Pat Walkup, Jeff Williamson, Chris Woodyard, Heidi Zimmerman.