Hasta La Creative!

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. becomes the latest entrant to join the budding streaming video war with the launch of its own direct-to-consumer platform, dubbed Stirr.

The rollout of the service begins with 20 networks, including Cheddar and the Dove Channel, with plans to grow to more than 50 channels by year end. Users can also access national and local news channels where Sinclair has existing stations. The introduction of Stirr underscores the growing necessity to catch up to changing viewer habits as digital and mobile media emerge as go-to options.

The ad-supported platform comes to market free for viewers, and Stirr general manager Adam Ware doesn’t anticipate any changes to pricing for at least a year. Roku stands as Stirr’s most-direct competitor, Ware says, with an honorable mention to CBS’s All Access offering.

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Marzieh Hashemi, an anchor for Press TV, was arrested on Sunday in St. Louis, the network said. U.S. officials have not confirmed her arrest.

Every weekday we bring you the Ad Age/iSpot Hot Spots, new TV commercials tracked by iSpot.tv, the real-time TV ad measurement company with attention and conversion analytics from more than eight million smart TVs. The ads here ran on national TV for the first time yesterday.

A few highlights: State Farm shows how family station wagon “Beige Betty” becomes a rite of passage when handed down to the next generation. Parsons Xtreme Golf promotes the “explosive power” of its 0811 GEN2 drivers in an operatic ad. And Metro by T-Mobile makes otters the stars of two new spots, with voiceovers imagining conversations between the cute animals on how much they’ve saved since switching to the phone network.

Today’s TV Ad Highlights

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Marriott is saying ahoy to Bonvoy. The global hotel chain announced Wednesday that it is rebranding its rewards program as Marriott Bonvoy and retiring its exisiting loyalty brands Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest. The repositioning follows the disclosure late last year of a data breach at Marriott’s Starwood brandaround 383 million customer records were hacked in what the New York Times reported as the largest breach in history.

The new Marriott Bonvoy is not just a loyalty program, according to Stephanie Linnartz, global chief commercial officer at Marriott International, but also unifies the hospitality company’s portfolio, which is in 129 countries and territories. The new logo and branding will begin appearing in consumer-facing materials on Feb. 13. The rebranding comes after Marriott folded its namesake, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood brands into one loyalty program in August.

Bethesda, Maryland-based Marriott has been working with Mother Design for two years on the rebranding.

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competitive:

Creative Circle:
Our client, a growing digital agency, is currently seeking a client-facing SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER to join their team FULL TIME!In this role, the SENIO
New York, New York

At CES last week, Adweek got an inside look at the tech that’s making our homes smarter than ever. Belkin’s products, including everything from Phyn leak detectors to remote sensors and smart speakers from Wemo, are helping consumers save money, conserving precious resources and preventing potential disaster. We took a tour of Belkin’s smart home…

No último dia 13 de janeiro, a Skol divulgou sua campanha de lançamento da nova cerveja Skol Puro Malte. Mas o conceito da peça é justamente “o primeiro não lançamento da história”, o que dividiu a opinião do público. A campanha mantém a linha bem humorada que fez parte da “não confirmação” sobre a criação …

O post Skol divide opiniões com comercial que “nega” lançamento da Skol Puro Malte apareceu primeiro em B9.

Category: Beyond Madison Avenue
Summary: Companies that sell junk food, from fast food to unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, are spending billions of dollars on ads targeting black and Hispanic youth.