Dive Brief:
- Two consumer brands — Chipotle and Build-A-Bear — are pushing more into TV following recent struggles with health safety and sales, respectively.
- Chipotle dabbled in TV advertising last year, but its "As Real as it Gets" campaign is the brand's first foray into a national broadcast campaign, according to a press release. The spots, which star comedians like Jillian Bell and John Mulaney, were made with the help of Venables Bell & Partners and emphasize the authenticity of Chipotle's food ingredients in a "world full of fakery and half-truths," said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer for Chipotle, in a statement.
- Build-A-Bear's CMO departed after a "disastrous" holiday showing last year, but the toy brand is now sponsoring two PBS shows — "Curious George" and "Wild Kratts" — with 15-second spots, according to Ad Age. President and CEO Sharon Price John recently mentioned in a conference call that she regretted her brand's moving away from traditional TV, a channel she characterized as "historically effective." Build-A-Bear has no plans currently in place to fill its CMO role, Ad Age said.
Dive Insight:
Digital spending might finally be on track to surpass TV for the first time, but mounting controversies with the channel, from a lack of brand safety to ineffective ads, are causing some marketers to recalibrate their strategies.
That's not to say digital is being dumped from anyone's marketing mix — it has its place in Chipotle's campaign, with the spots available on platforms like YouTube — but the fact that both Chipotle and Build-A-Bear are putting a premium on TV for their turnaround efforts speaks to its power and guaranteed audience, even as ratings decline.
Taco Bell is another brand looking to put more budget toward TV following a down period, with CMO Marisa Thalberg recently telling an audience at 4A’s Transformation conference that digital marketing led her brand down some "garden paths" last year. Coca-Cola's currently-exiting Global CMO Marcos de Quinto has also said that TV beats digital in terms of return on investment across channels.
