Advertising Age - March 5, 2012

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HOW THIS MAN MADE DOS EQUIS A MOST INTERESTING MARKETING STORY

Like Jonathan Goldsmith, the beer brand was once low-profile, but one ad campaign changed their fortunes

■ BY E.J. SCHULTZ ESCHULTZ@ADAGE.COM

IT’S AN UNUSUALLY WARM JANUARY day in Los Angeles, and Jonathan Goldsmith looks pretty uncomfortable in a turtleneck, wool sweater, thick black pants and ski boots.

But when the cameras roll he is instantly cool, smiling and laughing as if he’s at a cocktail party – not a TV-commercial shoot in a back lot at Universal Studios. With only a thin cable for a harness, Mr. Goldsmith skids down a 15-foot-high wooden structure filled with fake snow to look like a ski jump. He nails it. “Like the wind,” he says at the bottom.

After all, when you are The Most Interesting Man in the World, everything comes easily. Or at least it looks as if it does.

In reality, Mr. Goldsmith’s stardom—and the rise of the Dos Equis beer brand he represents—did not come easily. Both are success stories decades in the making. Mr. Goldsmith, 73, a longtime journeyman actor but never a star, is now so big that Michael Jordan recently

See MOST INTERESTING MAN on Page 10

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MARCH 5, 2012

Why a falling ‘Idol’ is bad for business on Mad Ave

Aging show is losing
ratings steam, but there’s
no other titan to replace it

■ BY BRIAN STEINBERG bsteinberg@adage.com

“AMERICAN IDOL” is falling, and advertisers desperately need the giant to get back up.

Fox’s veteran talent show has been
tops on TV for its past six seasons and
traditionally commanded the highest
price for a 30-second ad spot. But much
like “Idol” judge Steven Tyler, the show
is starting to show gray in its 11th sea-
son. As of Feb. 26, more viewers in
advertisers’ coveted 18-to-49 demo-
graphic tuned into NBC’s “The Voice”
(thanks to a post-Super Bowl launch),
while 18-to-49 ratings for ABC’s
“Modern Family” and CBS’s “The Big
Bang Theory” are approaching those of
“Idol.”
Though still a force, “Idol” is no

See AMERICAN IDOL on Page 21

Facebook warns scale in social won’t be free

■ BY COTTON DELO cdelo@adage.com

FACEBOOK IS ASKING marketers to double down on their investment in advertising and content in return for an assurance that they’ll reach a sizable share of the fan base they’ve been growing for years. It always wants them to rethink their very organizations and what an ad is.