TV Ad Spend Weekly: Don't be afraid, it's just tax season ads during NFL Wild Card Weekend
Brands continue to invest heavily in above-the-line content, and television is still seen as the place brands want to be. Each week, in partnership with Kantar Media, The Drum looks at which brands have been investing the most on newly-launched creative on US national broadcast and cable TV.
Nothing to be afraid of in the first week of the year, just brands reminding you to do your taxes and make resolutions
TV ad spending is off to a strong start in 2018. The week of January 1 brought in $249 million for new ad placements on national TV, an increase of 92 percent from the previous week and increase of 42 percent from the similar time period in 2017. A large portion of new ad spend was placed during NFL playoff games ($37 million) and the 75th Annual Golden Globes ($19 million). Together, these two programs made up almost a quarter of all new spend for the week.
Some of the same trends we've seen from last week's Ad Spend Weekly come into play. Nutrisystem - and Subway, long holding itself as "healthy" fast food - target consumers looking to start their year healthier. McDonald's gives an interesting angle, formally boosting its new value menu, where customers can build their own meals (and also, portion control). Microsoft, an NFL sponsor, has been promoting the benefits of its Surface computers in the real world.
And then there's Intuit's TurboTax, making its annual push to remind everyone that tax day comes sooner than you think, and the entire process is scary for Americans everywhere with the impending tax reform. The brand's "There's nothing to be afraid of" TV campaign, made up of three spots, plays off all the things we're afraid of in a quirky, effective way.
Worth noting that TurboTax does have a Super Bowl spot on the horizon, undoubtedly a big buy in peak accounting season.
The campaign kicked off on January 1, and so far has run nationally more than 3,000 times. Spend during the first week of the campaign was heavily concentrated in NFL games ($2 million) and the Golden Globes ($1 million).
Intuit 010118b from Kantar Media US on Vimeo.
Intuit 010118a from Kantar Media US on Vimeo.
Intuit 010118c from Kantar Media US on Vimeo.
See all of the new creative submitted from around the world in The Drum's Creative Works section.
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This data is part of ongoing reporting released on a weekly basis with Kantar Media using its AdScope tool.