Sony introduces global campaign for PlayStation Now streaming service

Sony PlayStation has introduced the first global campaign for its streaming gaming service, Playstation Now. The spot is the first from Adam & Eve/DDB, which was named PlayStation’s global creative AOR in May after a six-month review.

The high-octane spot features characters from some of the console’s most popular titles, such as Uncharted and God of War, tumbling from a plane and crashing into gamers’ homes. Described as “peeper pleasing” by Campaign, the spot is soundtracked by the Platters song “Twilight Time.”

Jim Ryan, president and chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment, told Campaign that Playstation Now has coverage for more than 70% of the PlayStation’s global user base. Playstation Now offers subscribers access to more than 750 titles, 300 of which are available for download on PS4, for $12.99 a month or $79 a year in Canada.

Instagram launches in-app notification tool for product ‘drops’

Instagram is piloting a new in-app feature that enables users to set reminders for when companies launch new products, and purchase them as soon as they become available.

In a blog post announcing the launch, Instagram said that the initiative is part of its continued efforts to make it easier for people to shop within the platform.

The product launch sticker in Instagram Stories and product launch tag in feed lets people preview product details and buy as soon as it is available, all without leaving the platform.

Brands that are participating in the pilot include Adidas, H&M, Levi’s, MAC, Michael Kors and Warby Parker. “Once unconventional strategies, including creator collaborations and limited releases, are now being adopted by fashion, beauty and luxury brands,” said Instagram in the post.

More disappearing likes

Facebook began hiding likes on its main platform in Australia last week. The test follows similar moves on Instagram—first in Canada and then in other markets. As in those tests, Facebook users will see how many likes they get on their posts, but other users will not see the total.

The changes are an attempt by Facebook to address growing concerns about the harmful effects of users becoming fixated on getting likes.

“We are running a limited test where like, reaction, and video view counts are made private across Facebook” said Facebook. “We will gather feedback to understand whether this change will improve people’s experiences.”

Peyton Manning, Kenan Thompson negotiate truce in ‘Laundry Night’ capper

Tide has wrapped up its four-week “Laundry Night” campaign, in which former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and stars from NBC shows including The Voice and Saturday Night Live squared off over which night is the best for doing laundry.

The campaign’s final spot is built around an in-store showdown between Manning and SNL‘s Kenan Thompson, in which they trade barbs like “old man,” “supporting actor” and “never was…or will be,” before former Parks & Recreation star Nick Offerman steps in to negotiate a truce between the two.

“People enjoy doing doing laundry while watching TV,” he explains. “It gives them the illusion of doing something while actually doing next to nothing.” When Thompson asks if the reality is that they actually want people during laundry during their shows, Offerman responds “Only if you like attention. And clearly, you both do.”

According to an Ad Week report, the campaign from Saatchi & Saatchi New York garnered 50 million brand impressions, 520,000 social engagements and a 58% share of voice on Sunday nights within its first three weeks.

Marketers still confident though budgets dipped in 2019

Marketing budgets dropped below 11% of company revenue this year for the first time since 2014, but marketers are still confident about their budgets going forward, according to new research from Gartner. Marketing budgets equaled about 11.2% of revenue in 2018, but dropped to 10.5% this year. Gartner surveyed more than 340 marketing executives in North America and the U.K.

Despite “perplexing external and internal environmental signals,” 61% of CMOs expect their budgets to rebound in 2020, said Ewan McIntyre, vice-president analyst in Gartner’s Marketing practice. “While we’re not yet witnessing a precipitous drop in budgets, this year’s downtick presents a counterintuitive scenario. You could call this confidence in the face of adversity,” said McIntyre. “Or you could call it hubris.”

Other key findings:

• 63% of marketers have moved some aspects of their delivery from third-party agencies to in-house teams;
• Marketing technology investments dropped 3 percentage points, falling to 26% of marketing budgets in 2019; and
• Marketing spend on paid media has increased from 23% in 2018 to 26% in 2019—digital takes the lion share at 16% of overall marketing budgets.

Pitbull performance bites Advertising Week

It took just one ill-advised concert by Pitbull, accompanied by some twerking, and scantily clad dancers, to undermine Advertising Week‘s efforts to address the gender inequality issues that have bedevilled the industry for decades.

Gender parity and diversity were front and centre during the week-long event in New York, which included seminars bearing titles like “The Business Case for Female Inclusion,” “The State of Women’s Representation in Advertising” and “Raising the Stories of Women Who Came Before Us.”

Pitbull closes out Advertising Week #AWNewYork pic.twitter.com/8F6LaFgRgB

— Ad Age (@adage) September 27, 2019

All of which made the decision by organizers to have Pitbull close out the event—in a performance that, according to Ad Age, included choreography “full of booty-spanking and objectifying gestures”—so baffling.

The industry wasted no time in calling out Advertising Week organizers, with Matt MacDonald, group executive creative director at BBDO, writing:  “Advertising industry closes week of diversity and equality panels with an empowering display of twerking and booty-slapping.”

But perhaps the best reaction came from Mark Lewis, founder and dean of London’s School of Communication Arts, who summed it up the way only an Englishman can: “Fucking hell. We work so hard to move into enlightened times, so that the best talent will want to help raise our game. And then this…. You morons. You dinosaurs. You rocks of mouldy lard. Shame on you.”