Kozlen Communications

At this this year’s Super Bowl, some advertising are betting $2 million or more on ads created by consumers.  Doritos is putting their $2 million behind an ad that cost just $12.97 to create.  The creators claim that it could set all sorts of records for a Super Bowl ad:

• Smallest Budget ($12.79)
• Smallest Crew (Cast/Crew = 5 people)
• Shortest Production Time (4 days… including concept development)
• Youngest Crew (age 22 and younger)

Check out the ad yourself.

Several months ago we told you about the guys who made elaborate fountain displays putting Mentos in Diet Coke. Mentos had paired up with the team and created a website. However, Diet Coke politely dismissed the publicity, sending the gentlemen a couple hats and t-shirts. What Coke didn’t realize is how far their viral video had reached. The video racked up 7.5 million viewers in a couple weeks. With all the publicity surrounding the viral video, and many TV appearances by the two men, Coke has finally come around to the idea of viral videos. They have created a new section on their website called The Coke Show, which asks users to submit their videos featuring the product to the site. Maybe now Coke can teach the world to make good viral videos along with teaching them to sing in perfect harmony.

A quarter of all TV households were able to access Video on Demand (VOD), and nearly 16% had a DVR in 2006, according to research firm eMarketer. The firm also says that DVR and VOD penetration will rise through 2010. The established wisdom within the TV and advertising sectors is that increasing usage of digital video recorders (DVRs) and video-on-demand (VOD) will reduce the effectiveness of the traditional TV advertising model, with a commensurate drop in ad spending. So far, this has not been the case. Any potential TV advertising spending foregone as a result of DVR usage will be more than offset by spending in other areas. Online advertising spending is certainly one area that has benefited from changing TV dynamics.

In 2005, General Motors experimented with Comcast’s Video On Demand (VOD) service in Philadelphia, showing 2-4 minute previews of its new vehicles. After racking up some impressive numbers (including the fact that Philadelphia moved to become GM’s largest growing market during the test), GM committed to doing more to show their vehicles in this medium. Since then, DriverTV, a VOD service available on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, and Insight Cable systems has emerged to let potential auto buyers browse virtual showrooms. The VOD channel recently signed new deals with BMW, Lexus, Porsche, Volvo, and Suzuki.