The Zeta top 10 for 2010 was completely different from the list from last year, with one exception: Snickers. The Mars candy was the only brand to turn up on both lists. Snickers was in first place in 2009, for its “Snacklish” campaign, and in seventh place this year, for its campaign featuring Betty White and Abe Vigoda that began with a commercial on Super Bowl XLIV. One brand, Nike, turned up twice in the top 10 for 2010, Zeta reported, after not making the top 10 last year. The Nike commercial about and with LeBron James, “Rise,” came in No. 2 and the Nike commercial called “Human Chain,” which was introduced as the Winter Olympics began in Vancouver, finished in sixth place. Footwear brands made a strong showing in the top 10, Zeta reported, taking 4 of the 10 slots. In addition to Nike’s two, a spot for Adidas, called “Fast Don’t Lie,” finished in ninth, and a commercial for K-Swiss, called “Tubes,” came in No. 10.
The brand that finished No. 1 on the Zeta list for 2010 is Axe, the men’s grooming brand sold by Unilever. Axe won for a typically irreverent campaign that urges men to clean themselves all over when they shower. The campaign is focused on a specific part of the male anatomy that has a nickname, which is represented in the ads by athletic equipment. The double entendre, alas, cannot be repeated in a family blog.
“Talk about something that’s gone viral quickly,” said Al DiGuido, chief executive at Zeta, referring to the Axe campaign. A principal reason for that, he added, is the fact the campaign is “pushing the envelope big-time in terms of innuendo.” Among the terms that turned up the most often in the online chatter about the Axe campaign, Zeta reported, were “funny,” “hilarious,” “online” and “viral.” The rest of the Zeta top 10 for this year is, in descending order: No. 3, Google, for “Parisian Love,” a spot that made its debut during Super Bowl XLIV; No. 4, “Smell Like a Man, Man,” the humorous campaign for Old Spice, sold by Procter & Gamble; No. 5, “Making It Right” for Domino’s Pizza, part of a campaign that apologized for the products that Domino’s previously sold; and No. 8, Red Bull, for a commercial titled “Way Back Home.”
For the last six weeks, Jim Beam has been running simply designed ads (see image) intended to build its audience. Rob Mason, U.S. marketing director for parent company Bourbon, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, said the ads have helped quadruple the brand's "liker" base - from 85,000 to 296,000 - in less than two months. "Our current campaign ran for a couple of weeks in mid-August and resumed in early September," he said. "We're exercising a cost-effective system to acquire 'fans' and increase reach. By tapping into Facebook’s targeting capabilities and leveraging successful keyword groups, we have rapidly increased the fan base by [more than] 200K since the start of the campaign." While Jim Beam has also offered a football tickets giveaway contest for people who "like" the brand, Mason said the Facebook.com ads have spearheaded the audience growth. "Prior to this most recent campaign, we primarily built the [Facebook] 'fan' base largely through organic efforts," he explained. "We now drive consumers to our 'fan' page through communication on all of our online properties. The most successful fan acquisition tactics for us have been acutely targeted ad campaigns." The marketing director didn't go into detail on the user-profile-level targeting parameters used in the campaign. One example of the ad being served to ClickZ-based accounts included individuals if their friends had already liked the brand.
In terms of sheer numbers for new "likers," Baskin Robbins is producing a slightly bigger success than Jim Beam. The Canton, MA-based ice cream brand is wrapping a month-long Facebook.com ads campaign that's garnered 212,000 "likers." The effort ends on Oct. 15. Baskin Robbins' Facebook.com ads have been sought to entice viewers to form "Group Scoops." Viewers who click through are invited to "like" the brand and then invite three friends to join a Group Scoop. If the Facebook user successfully recruits a trio of friends - who can already be Baskin Robbins "likers" - to start a group, each of the four individuals will receive a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream. So far, the ads have propelled its audience from 637,000 "likers" to 849,000, said Julianna Bowman, spokesperson for 22squared, the Atlanta-based agency behind the initiative. And with a few days left in the campaign, 8,600 Group Scoops have been formed, which equates to 34,400 coupons getting distributed. If the campaign had been launched by mid-summer, it's reasonable to think it might have performed even better. Bowman explained the reasons behind the campaign's September run: "Group Scoop required adequate time for planning and Facebook application development. And its launch served as a way to maintain buzz generated by the fun- and flavors-focused animated summer TV campaign, while also refreshing the brand with a social media component."
Panda Express ran a Facebook.com ad from Sept. 22 through Sept. 29, offering a freebie for its new "Kobari Beef" entrée to people who "liked" the brand. It lifted the company's Facebook audience by 112,000. And 
