Breaking News

• Lessons from American Airlines' "turbulent" logo rollout
  Massimo Vignelli, the 81-year-old designer behind the 1967 "Silver Bird" design recently scrapped by American Airlines, is among those questioning the brand's logo change. "Clients without [a] sense of history could not understand the value of equity. ... It seems to me that there was no need for American Airlines to undertake such a change, but many people do not understand the difference between design and styling, and believe in change for the sake of change," he told CreativeReview. Calling the logo rollout "turbulent," writer Robert Klara says the lesson is a simple one: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Adweek (1/18)     

Company News

• Can HP convince brands to pay for augmented reality?
  HP's Autonomy division hoped to get marketers hooked on augmented reality by offering its services for free -- for more than a year -- to large and small brands. With 15,000 or so campaigns under its belt, HP's AR team has built up an impressive library of case studies, but some marketers say that while they're happy to use free tools, they aren't yet ready to pay for augmented-reality campaigns. "If I had to pay, I wouldn't -- not right now," says Chad Labass, marketing manager for Freestyle Watches. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (1/18)     

• Wieden+Kennedy looks to add to its Super Bowl triumphs
  Wieden+Kennedy is the agency Super Bowl champ again, writes Andrew McMains, with two spots for Coca-Cola and one for Mondelez International's Oreo cookies this year adding to a big game total of 21 in the past six years. "The greatest challenge for brands and agencies is to not buckle under the pressure. More than ever, it's the time to not overthink it, be courageous and go for it. And I think that's the culture of Wieden+Kennedy," says W+K Creative Director Jason Bagley, a veteran of five Super Bowl spots, and a member of this year's Oreo team. Adweek (1/21)     

• Mercedes-Benz teases CLA-Class introduction with eerie ads
  Mercedes-Benz used the NFL playoffs to tease its upcoming Super Bowl spot and new CLA-Class automobiles. The teaser shows hints of the car careening through New Orleans and the eerie effects it has on a diner. The teaser campaign will continue on social media and in print in ESPN The Magazine and USA Today. "It's our new gateway car; it's a very seductive design, very sporty and aggressive, and it's for a younger audience -- and the young at heart," says Vice President of Marketing Bernie Glaser. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (1/20)     

• Other News

• Sports drink Isopure uses "real athletes," not professionals, in new campaign
  MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (1/18)     

Market Trends

• Magazines ramp up prices for digital editions
  Some major publishers are charging readers more to access their magazines online than to subscribe to their print editions, in a bid to reset the ultra-cheap subscription pricing that left print editions vulnerable to shifts in advertising trends. "This represents an opportunity for the magazine business to become more leveraged toward consumer revenue and a little less dependent on advertising," said David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines. The Wall Street Journal (1/18)     

• Soft-drink makers try to market their way out of industry decline
  Beverage industry analysts are worried that a recent decline in soft drink revenue -- following an eight-year pattern of less U.S. consumption -- isn't going to be easily reversed. PepsiCo is responding with increased marketing, and Coca-Cola ads are addressing the obesity issue, which could be responsible for recent poor sales. Those companies, along with Dr Pepper Snapple Group, have also "aggressively expanded their portfolios to include faster-growing products like sports drinks and fruit juices," writes Mike Esterl. The Wall Street Journal (1/18)     

Interactive

• Coke, Unilever sign on for Millward Brown facial-recognition metric
  Unilever and Coca-Cola are among the brands signing on to a recently beta-tested method of using facial-recognition technology to study the emotional impact of ads. The service, by WPP's Millward Brown working with Affectiva, creates a proprietary metric called Affdex that examines the face for cues on emotional response to creative and information such as product claims. MediaPost Communications/MediaDailyNews (1/18)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AAF SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• American Airlines reveals new logo, look for its fleet (Advertising Age (tiered subscription model))

• Google wins USA Today competition for best print creative (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• The Atlantic offers regrets over advertorial deal with Scientology (The Wall Street Journal)

• Nike signs Rory McIlroy as heir apparent to Tiger Woods (Bloomberg Businessweek)

• AAF looks to build its brand with ad campaign in airports (Advertising Age (tiered subscription model))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

AAF Spotlight

• Mosaic Career Fairs
  The objective of the Mosaic Career Fairs is the same as the Most Promising Program -- to connect top minority talent with leading advertising/marketing and communications companies that are seeking to hire entry-level candidates. Minorities are encouraged to participate; however, this career fair is open to everyone! Mosaic Career Fairs are free for AAF College Chapter members. The 2013 Mosaic Career Fairs will be held on Feb. 6 in New York and on Feb. 21 in Chicago. Read more details.     

SmartQuote

Energy and persistence conquer all things." --Benjamin Franklin, member, Advertising Hall of Fame