-Smokey Bear is still voiced by forever cowboy Sam Elliott but the Ad Council has been letting other actors take over Smokey’s animated avatar since the character’s 75th birthday, including Betty White and Al Roker, to help get Smokey’s message of wildfire prevention out to the world.
The latest non-bear-like voice to take over Smokey is Isabella Gomez, the young Colombian actor who starred in the reboot of One Day at a Time. In her message, she implores people to be conscious of their barbecue fires and help save the world “one day at a time.” Yes, we see what they did there.
-Household cleaning giant Reckitt Benckiser has lopped off its last name and rebranded as Reckitt.
-Toy brand Fisher-Price, with the help of Wieden+Kennedy Portland, has made a joyful ad showing how kids make toys out of everything, from hair brushes to brooms and bananas.
-Canvas, Adweek’s 2020 Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year, has promoted Madhavi Tadikonda to evp, chief investment officer. Tadikonda previously served as svp, national video investment for Canvas.
-Streaming services mean fewer ads are being seen by viewers, which has driven brands to make movies with non-traditional branding, according to The New York Times.
–Old Spice has tag teamed with the WWE for a multiweek content series and storyline integration to support the launch of its NightPanther deodorant scent.
-Burger King tried to pull one over on its customers with its latest campaign from David São Paulo. It blurred out the burger and bleeped what appears to be the ‘Mac’ in Big Mac as it touted the size of its Whopper. In a follow-up ad, it turns out the burger chain was making fun of its own Big King, which looks a lot like a Big Mac when pixelated. You decide if it’s effective or an elaborate rug pull of a campaign.
-Have you gotten in on the bracket action yet? Adweek has its own single elimination tourney, “March Adness,” and we want you to vote for your favorite to see who reigns supreme.