This Week in TV News: Academy Awards and Presidential Campaign Ad Spend

Academy Award nominations are out. A slew of Super Bowl ads are getting buzz ahead of the Feb. 2 game. 

Oscar nominations are up. The nominees for this year’s Academy Awards show were published this week, with some saying the snubbery was off the charts. Adam Sandler’s performance in “Uncut Gems,” Jennifer Lopez’s performance in “Hustlers,” and Greta Gerwig’s direction of “Little Women” were all buzzed about prior to the nomination announcement, but they didn’t make the cut. Read Esquire’s wrap-up of who was overlooked. 

Super Bowl ad mania begins. A new Planters spot from VaynerMedia features “Veep” star Matt Walsh alongside with the brand’s character (spokesnut?) Mr. Peanut. Hyundai spots feature Chris Evans, John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch and David Ortiz. There’s a Bud Light Seltzer commercial, and Jonathan Van Ness is starring in Pop-Tarts’ first Super Bowl spot ever. Read The Drum’s roundup of returning Super Bowl advertisers and who’s new to the game this year. 

Marketing trends driving innovation this year. From voice technology and 5G to experiential marketing, find out what the brightest marketers think will be the most important trends in 2020. (Adweek)

Presidential campaign ad spend heats up. Led by Michael Bloomberg, who has spent $217 million or about 75% of what the other candidates have spent combined, ad spending is accelerating like never before. Bloomberg is No. 9 on Forbes’ list of the world’s top ten richest people. Other candidates’ spend totals $143 million for Steyer, $50 million for Trump, $26 million for Sanders, $24 million for Buttigieg, $20 million for Warren and $12 million for Biden. Other candidates spend totals $33 million. (WSJ)

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