Hasta La Creative!

Grey New York launched a new campaign for DirecTV called “Peyton on Sunday Mornings.” As you might expect, the Peyton in question is (unfortunately) Peyton Manning.

What you might not expect is Lionel Ritchie retooling his 1977 hit with the Commodores, “Easy,” changing the lyrics from “easy like Sunday morning” to “Peyton on Sunday Mornings.” Each spot opens with Ritchie sitting at a piano playing the revamped song, followed by Manning pitching DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket offering in a scenario that makes playful use of Manning’s retirement.

In the spot “In a Park Watching NFL Sunday Ticket,” for example, a robe-clad Manning meanders his way onto a park bench. While watching a game on his phone, he tells the man next to him about NFL Sunday Ticket letting him watch any game. The man tells him that he’s retired but misses work and that Peyton should “Work as long as you can.”

In “Phone Call,” Peyton invites his little brother Eli Manning over to watch some games, but he’s a little busy quarterbacking the New York Giants. “Groceries” let’s us know that Manning now has time to clip coupons for groceries (as if he’d need them with all that Papa John’s money). The 30-second broadcast spots will be supported by print and social components.

Would it be too much of us to suggest that at a time when advertising’s gender equality issues and sexual harassment scandals are making headlines, perhaps hiring a retired NFL quarterback who is an alleged perpetrator of sexual assault might come across as a little tone deaf? Is there even an upside here?

The riff on “Easy” comes across as a bit too, well, you know. But Manning is undoubtedly a big name, even if he presumably comes with a price tag to match.

Ogilvy&Mather is unveiling a revamped Nationwide logo with a new campaign starring Peyton Manning.

The campaign will debut Thursday with a new spot (featured above) during the NFL’s first regular season game on NBC. Nationwide’s new logo, which features an eagle as a revamped nod to the company’s original logo, appears on a flag at the start of the 30-second spot. Entitled “Jingle,” the spot features Manning repeatedly humming Nationwide’s jingle, as well as setting it to different words in varying situations, such as calling an audible, taking an ice bath after a hard practice, and chowing down at home. It’s straightforward but memorable, allowing the focus to be on the new logo.

In addition to the logo change, AdAge reports that the rebranding effort from Nationwide also includes switching to a “one brand approach.” Services the company previously marketed under names such as VPI Pet Insurance, Allied Insurance and Harleysville Insurance will now all be sold under the Nationwide name.

“We need to align the entire company behind the most powerful brand asset we have, which is ‘Nationwide’ and ‘Nationwide is on Your Side,’” Nationwide Chief Marketing Officer Matt Jauchius told AdAge.

While McKinney remains Nationwide’s lead creative agency, Ogilvy & Mather was brought in to handle a multi-year marketing agreement with Manning which kicks off with this campaign. Last month, Nationwide also signed an agreement with the NFL, which allows for more authentic NFL imagery in the company’s advertising. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Papa John’s is releasing a new ad promoting their Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza today starring Indiana Pacers all star Paul George alongside Papa John’s founder, chairman and CEO, John Schnatter. While John’s named Grey its national agency of record back in February, this spot comes to us via ZGroup, an arm of Zimmerman Advertising.

The cheesy spot features typically terrible acting from Schnatter, who trades lines with George. “Here’s how I make my dough,” George retorts, before the spot cuts to footage of him dunking. “Sweet,” says Papa John, “like my new Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza,” in some of the most transparent copy we’ve seen in awhile. In a surprise move, George then dunks his slice in one of Papa John’s artery-clogging dipping sauces. The spot is the latest in Papa John’s line of sports-themed advertising that in the past has included the likes of Peyton Manning and Joe Montana. It’s a shame they couldn’t go a less obvious route with the Pacers star, but the Papa clearly likes to play it safe. The new ad will run nationally on cable entertainment and sports channels, as well as syndicated shows, until May 11th.

“Papa John’s is about fresh new tastes, which is why we love our partnership with Paul George,” said Schnatter in a painfully rehearsed statement. “Paul brings a fresh approach to basketball as one of the game’s new stars, which works perfectly with Papa John’s because new and fresh is the message we’re delivering with our partnership and with our new Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

TBWA/Chiat Day celebrates Peyton Manning breaking the NFL single-season touchdown record with an inspirational campaign for Gatorade.

At the heart of the new campaign is the thirty second spot, “51 And Counting.” The simple spot shows photos of Peyton unleashing each of his 51 touchdown passes, set to inspirational narration about ignoring those who tell you what you can’t do. It’s a timely response to Manning’s record-breaking season, and the association with Peyton is sure to win Gatorade some points with fans. That TBWA/Chiat Day couldn’t follow up the last photo with footage of the record breaking pass being completed is something of a letdown, but I imagine logistical/legal concerns are to blame. The campaign also includes a celebratory print ad in Sports Illustrated, congratulating Manning on winning the Sportsman of the Year award “by painting a picture of what it means to win from within using only words and Manning’s number, 18.” Stay tuned for the print ad, and credits, after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

On the football field, Peyton Manning runs the Denver Broncos with a robotic efficiency fitting of a man with a giant, shiny forehead. His younger brother Eli roams the sidelines for the New York Giants with the mopey glare of a six-year-old who wants to pick his nose but can’t because cameras are watching. Usually, the funniest thing about the Manning brothers is that they’re so unfunny. They’re stiff and white. But every once in a while – don’t forget the acclaimed “Football Cops” – they unleash some comedy genius for a football-related commercial.

The newest addition to the Manning oeuvre is a fake R&B music video created by Grey for DirecTV and NFL Sunday Ticket. #footballonyourphone. Remember that hashtag. It’s going viral, because a company that deals with an incredibly popular sport got two huge stars to subvert their normal personalities and completely buy-in to a goofy campaign that could’ve been an abandoned Lonely Island digital short. In the first 12 hours or so after it hit Youtube, the clip reared in 100k views.

Everything about the spot is smart, right down to the tiny Archie Manning cameo and the best/worst hair design you’ll see this year until American Hustle, starring Bradley Cooper’s curled terribleness, hits theaters. Peyton may be known as the more gregarious of the two brothers, but Eli is a vastly underrated comedian in his commercials. He ends up stealing this show with some odd riffs on milk, blouses, and Alexander Graham Bell. Pay attention, brands: This is how you go viral.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.