While viewing all the ads during last night’s big game, viewers could be forgiven for feeling like they were only watching car ads. There were quite a few. Some were even memorable ones (our personal favorites include VW’s “The Dog Strikes Back” and Chevy’s “Apocalypse“). Automotive was again the largest industry category in terms of number of advertisers (25% in 2012 vs 24% in 2011). Yet the largest category increase actually occurred in financial services which increased its share of voice from 2% in 2011 to 10% in 2012[...]

<img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-4302" src="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/autoshow-300×225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />In recent years the <a href="http://www.autoshowny.com/" target="_blank">New York Auto Show</a> showed signs of reduced investment from the major automakers as they tried to weather the financial crisis. Last year, many companies' exhibition areas had nothing more than a few lonely reps handing out brochures hoping <em>anyone</em> would come ask about their cars. Thankfully, this year's show expressed a vibrant sense of revival as a result of recovering auto sales and thus, a more enthusiastic cheerleading effort to get people excited about buying cars again. Usually marketing materials and show kitsch are a good indicator of the financial health of auto makers and so the following is a brief glimpse into this year's most interesting freebies to see how the patient is doing<a href="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/?p=4297" target="_blank">[...]</a>

Last night as the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers battled for a Super Bowl victory in front of a full house, Americans watched as Quarterback Aaron Rogers brought the Lombardi Trophy back to it’s original home in truly unforgettable fashion. Perhaps an even larger American tradition, when advertisers shell out the cash to battle for the hearts, minds and eyeballs of all of us who so intently watch these spots with the greatest of expectations. Below is a roster of the commercials that made our top picks list in 2011[...]

<img class="size-full wp-image-1805 alignleft" src="http://luminositymarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/alfa1.bmp" alt="" width="356" height="252" />I recently came across an article in <a href="http://www.economist.com/">the Economist</a> titled <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2010/08/alfa_romeos_revival">Another Chance for Alfa</a> which got me wondering– who would actually buy an <a href="http://www.alfaromeo.com/">Alfa Romeo</a> in America? <a href="http://www.volvocars.com/us/Pages/default.aspx">Volvo</a> and especially <a href="http://www.saabusa.com/">Saab</a> have seen their sales slide and they represent the alternative European luxury car makers for those that don’t want a Japanese or German car. And in the midst of all this market chaos, <a href="http://www.fiat.com/cgi-bin/pbrand.dll/FIAT_COM/home.jsp">Fiat</a> plans to return to the U.S. market in 2012 with the Alfa Romeo brand. Is there room for another brand in this crowded segment? And will consumers buy it or will it become just another trophy in <a href="http://www.vw.com/home.html">VW</a>’s collection if things go wrong?[...]