International round-up: Nike’s branded bandages & PepsiCo’s media review
Plus Special K takes legal action to stop tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis using the brand name commercially and Shell pilots new tech to sync YouTube ads with TV spots.
PepsiCo reviews media buying and planning in Australia
PepsiCo has begun a closed media review in Australia placing its current agency PHD on notice, according to AdNews.
The global soft drink and snack food giant is reviewing media across all its business divisions – Pepsi beverages (Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Pepsi Next, Mountain Dew, 7Up and Gatorade); Smith’s Snackfoods (Smith’s, Doritos, Twisties, Red Rock Deli, Nobby’s Nuts and Grain Waves) and the Quaker oats range.
It is believed the regionally-led review is not an attempt to consolidate the business within one media holding group and each country will have a say in who wins the business locally.
The combined annual media spend across the group is around $25 million. PHD has held the account since 2010.
READ MORE: PepsiCo reviews media buying and planning requirements
Nike releases branded bandages to encourage kids to take up sport
Nike has released branded bandages in China that aim to put sporting focus on commitment and dedication rather than the risk of injury. Created by Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai, four different sets of 14 bandages were created for sports including basketballs, soccer and running. They are accompanied by comics that show falling down and picking yourself up are what sport is about.
This is a particular issue in China, where parents are worried about their children injuring themselves. But its also a neat way to get the Nike brand on kids without them having to buy its sports clothing.
READ MORE: Nike Made Branded Bandages To Fight A Sports Injury Stigma In China
Special K takes legal action to stop tennis player using brand name
Cereal company Kellogg’s has taken legal action to stop Australian tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis from using his nickname Special K commercially.
It initiated court proceedings to defend the Special K trademark, which it has owned in Australia for 59 years. Kokkinakis wants to use the brand on clothing and other merchandise, according to The Advertiser newspaper.
A hearing in Adelaide at the Federal Court of Australia sent the case to a mediation conference in August.
A spokesperson for Kellogg’s told the BBC: “The Kokkinakis Company has applied to register Special K as a trademark and we are defending our trademark.”
Kate Swaine, partner at law firm Gowling WLG, tells Marketing Week: “The issue here is not Thanasi Kokkinakis’ nickname but the fact that he is seeking a trade mark for that nickname and therefore to commercially exploit it. Kellog’s decision to oppose Kokkinakis’s application is not surprising.”
READ MORE: Tennis player faces legal action over Special K nickname
Russian vending machines sell Instagram likes and followers
A vending machine selling Instagram followers and picture ‘likes’ has been spotted in a Moscow shopping centre.
The machine, which features a giant touch screen, offers to boost your Instagram follower count by 100 for 100 Russian rubles, which is approximately £1.40. Alternatively, users can opt to receive 100 likes on one of their photos for 50 rubles.
As well as likes and followers – which are likely to be fake and automated ‘bot’ accounts, not real people – the machine has a camera for taking an impromptu shopping centre selfie, and a printer for making physical copies. The machine also works with Vkontakte, a popular Russian social network.
READ MORE: Russian vending machines sell Instagram likes and followers for pennies
Shell looks to target consumers who second-screen during ad breaks
Shell is piloting a new technology in the US that targets consumers who second screen on YouTube during TV ad breaks.
Figures supplied by the brand show that more than a third (35%) of people turn to another device when TV ads begin, which is why Shell is keen to synchronise its TV and digital advertising activity in order to capture consumer attention.
The brand is launching a real-time YouTube campaign to build brand awareness for its Fuel Rewards loyalty programme. Working with its media agency MediaCom, technology provider TVTY will serve an in-stream YouTube video whenever it detects a Fuel Rewards programme or competitive TV spot.
TVTY monitors TV ads running on more than 400 channels in 25 countries. The technology uses a combination of automated “video fingerprinting” and human analysis to trigger a client’s ad on YouTube within seconds of the start of a TV ad.
“It’s a unique opportunity to be able to serve that message just as a competitive ad is running. That’s great for us and offers more options for consumers,” says Anna Bellamy, US advertising manager for Shell Retail.
Pharmacy brand Watsons Malaysia criticised for ‘blackface’ ad
Watsons Malaysia has come under fire for using a “blackface” model in one of its commercials. The 15-minute video, which has since been pulled, tells the story of “princesses and beauties” trying to win the heart of a rich merchant. The merchant falls in love with one of the women after hearing her sing.
He is shocked when it turns out that the woman has dark skin, but all is well again after she “washes off” her face. The ad ends with the quote: “Only at Watson’s you’ll be beautiful.”
The ad was pulled shortly after it went viral, and Watsons Malaysia apologised for the video saying it was not their intention to offend. The company said the ad was about the legend of Dayang Senandong, which is a Malay folklore about a lady “cursed with black skin but blessed with a beautiful voice”.
Its statement added: “We stand firm on the belief that unity and fairness plays an important role, and we respect people from all nationalities. The video was shot to highlight the Legend and its moral values of inner beauty and that true love exists.”
