JC Penney Ads Win Big at Oscars -- Spots Starring Ellen DeGeneres Score High on Effectiveness

By Shareen Pathak
Advertising Age

Is JC Penney's big refresh already starting to see a payoff?

The retailer's ads starring Ellen DeGeneres were among the most effective commercials to debut during the Oscars, according to ad-effectiveness firm Ace Metrix.

Four spots, which saw Ms. DeGeneres going back in time to a variety of eras to see whether befuddling return policies and pricing strategies have always been the norm, each scored between 630 and 552, above the average department store Ace score of 510.

Ace Metrix results are presented on a scale between 0 and 950.

The spots, created by San Francisco-based creative firm Brand Advisors, also marked a series of personal bests for the retailer, whose average Ace Score is 516.

The most effective was "Roman Returns," which saw Ms. DeGeneres attempting to return a toga in Ancient Rome, only to be thwarted by lack of a receipt.

It especially struck a chord among women aged 21 to 35 and was the fourth most-effective Oscar ad, and the second-best new Oscar ad, with an Ace Score of 630. The most effective ad of the Academy Awards was for Samsung Galaxy Note, with an Ace score of 686.

"The returns ad especially had all the markings of a great spot," said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix. "It was funny, everyone likes Ellen, and it was well-produced, with some of the comments saying that it was like watching a great movie."

Mr. Daboll added that the spots scored exceptionally high on relevance, because they were communicating relatable frustrations felt by shoppers, as well as change, marking the company's move in a new direction.

Previous ads that teased the overhaul, created out of Mother New York, didn't do so well, said Mr. Daboll, especially a series of short spots that featured customers screaming when they encountered coupons and sale signs. "The Ellen ads told a story and had a clear message that resonated," he said.

The work marks one of the biggest campaigns for the retailer since it announced a major marketing overhaul in late January. The company rolled out a series of sweeping changes, including announcing Ms. DeGeneres as its spokesperson, a logo redesign and a "fair and square" pricing strategy that eliminates door busters and 99-cent add-ons in favor of flat pricing.

The retailer also ended its five-year relationship with agency Saatchi & Saatchi in December, choosing instead to divide its creative needs between multiple shops, including Brand Advisors, Peterson Milla Hooks and Mother.

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Davy Jones of the Monkees Dies

Singer Davy Jones of the Monkees has died, NBC News reports. The medical examiner’s office in Martin County, Fla., confirmed that the former teen heartthrob died of a heart attack. He was 66.

The British-born Jones was named the top teen idol of all time by Yahoo Music in 2008.

Jones was one of the four original members of the Monkees, along with Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith. The group was put together in 1965 to star in the TV show “The Monkees,” which became a huge success for NBC.

The group went on to sell more than 50 million records, with hits including “I’m a Believer,” “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “Daydream Believer.”

After the Monkees broke up in 1971, Jones had a solo career and participated in a series of Monkees reunion tours over the years.

The story notes: “He also acted on stage and screen, with his most famous TV appearance as himself on ‘The Brady Bunch,’ in an episode where Marcia Brady was the president of his fan club and tried to get the singer to appear at her school dance. He also played Fagin in ‘Oliver!’ on Broadway.”

He also recently played himself in an episode of “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Davy Jones

Lifetime Lands a Palin for New Series

Lifetime has picked up a new reality series that will star a member of the Palin family, USA Today reports. Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol, will be the focus of “Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp.”

Lifetime describes the series as a look at Palin’s life as a single mom, “forging her own way in the world while living under the constant spotlight as a member of one of America’s most high-profile families,” the story reports.

The report adds: “Lifetime says it will have ‘never-before-granted access’ to Palin's life in Alaska, and it sounds like we'll probably be seeing her folks, Sarah and Todd Palin, too. Look for 10 half-hour episodes of the program to air this year.”

New JC Penney Ads Win Big at Oscars

Retailer JC Penney’s new ads starring Ellen DeGeneres were among the most effective commercials to debut during the Oscars, Advertising Age reports, citing ad-effectiveness firm Ace Metrix.

“Four spots, which saw Ms. DeGeneres going back in time to a variety of eras to see whether befuddling return policies and pricing strategies have always been the norm, each scored between 630 and 552, above the average department store Ace score of 510,” the story reports.

The choice of DeGeneres as the spokesperson for the retailer sparked protests over her sexuality, as previously reported.

Fresh Off Win at Oscars, Writer/Actor Lands Lead Role in Fox Project

When you’re hot, you’re hot: Just a few days after winning an Academy Award for best adapted screenply for “The Descendants,” Nat Faxon has landed the lead role in a new Fox comedy pilot.

Faxon will play the title role in “Ned Fox Is My Manny,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"The project revolves around Abby Elliott's Kate, a single mother who gets an assist from her brother who moves in with her to help her raise her baby in the project previously known as ‘Ben Fox is My Manny,’" the story says.

Faxon will play Ned Fox, Kate’s brother, who is based on writer Dana Fox's brother, Ben Fox, the story adds.

The "Ned Fox" cast also includes Lucy Punch, Maggie Jones and Echo Kellum. The single-camera project is from Chernin Entertainment and 20th Television.

Video Game to Become TV Series -- Again

A video game that was popular in the 1980s -- and was made into a short-lived TV series back then -- will return to television, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Disney XD is developing a show tentatively titled “Pac-Man: The Adventure Begins,” an animated action comedy, the story reports. The arcade game was on TV before, as Hanna Barbera’s “Pac-Man: The Animated Series,” which ran on ABC from 1982-83.

The new show will be executive produced by Avi Arad (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” “The Avengers”) and Rick Ungar (“X-Men: Evolution,” “Biker Mice From Mars”).

The series is being prepped for a fall 2013 debut on Disney XD.

News Corp.'s James Murdoch Steps Down as Executive Chairman of U.K. Publishing Unit

News Corp. announced today that James Murdoch, the son of News Corp. Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch, has resigned from his position as executive chairman of the company’s U.K. publishing unit News International.

News International CEO Tom Mockridge will retain his post and will report to News Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey, the company announced.

James Murdoch has been under pressure in the phone-hacking scandal that has focused mainly on News Corp.’s U.K. tabloids, as previously reported. Information surfaced in the past few months that indicated he may have known more about the extent of the phone-hacking activity than he had previously admitted.

In the past few days, news broke that News Corp. had settled a lawsuit filed by singer Charlotte Church in connection with the phone hacking for close to $1 million, as reported earlier this week.

Commenting on James Murdoch’s announcement, Rupert Murdoch said in a press release: “We are all grateful for James' leadership at News International and across Europe and Asia, where he has made lasting contributions to the group's strategy in paid digital content and its efforts to improve and enhance governance programs. He has demonstrated leadership and continues to create great value at Star TV, Sky Deutschland, Sky Italia, and BSkyB. Now that he has moved to New York, James will continue to assume a variety of essential corporate leadership mandates, with particular focus on important pay-TV businesses and broader international operations.”

James Murdoch added: “I deeply appreciate the dedication of my many talented colleagues at News International who work tirelessly to inform the public and am confident about the tremendous momentum we have achieved under the leadership of my father and Tom Mockridge. With the successful launch of The Sun on Sunday and new business practices in place across all titles, News International is now in a strong position to build on its successes in the future.”

Co-Creators of 'Glee' Have Upcoming Project With This Dream Cast: Beyonce, Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow and Andy Samberg

The three co-creators of "Glee" have an upcoming project that will star Beyonce, Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow and Andy Samberg, reports Mike Fleming at Deadline.com.

The project is a musical comedy called "One Hit Wonders," and Sony is interested in making it into a feature film.

According to the story, "[Ryan] Murphy is attached to direct, and he will write the script with his 'Glee' cohorts Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan."

Murphy previously made the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" with Julia Roberts for Sony.

'Downton Abbey' Producer Has a Follow-Up Series in the Works

Following in the footsteps of its “Downton Abbey,” ITV has announced plans for a new 10-part drama series, “Mr. Selfridge,” based on the life of American businessman Harry Gordon Selfridge, Deadline.com reports.

"’Mr. Selfridge’ will trace the life of the flamboyant and visionary American entrepreneur, Harry Gordon Selfridge, who created the famed London department store Selfridge’s," the story says.

The UK's ITV is seeking an American actor for the title role.

"Contrary to ‘Downton,’ which is made by NBCUniversal’s Carnival Films, ‘Mr. Selfridge’ will be an in-house ITV Studios production," the story says.

The series is based on the book “Shopping, Seduction and Mr. Selfridge” by Lindy Woodhead and is created by writer Andrew Davies (“Brideshead Revisted,” “Bridget Jones’ Diary”).

"’Mr. Selfridge’ is set in London in 1909 at a time when wealthy women were enjoying a new sense of freedom," the story says. "'Mile a Minute Harry’ wanted to indulge, empower and celebrate these women, making shopping as thrilling as sex."

Chrissy Skinns is producer with Kate Lewis executive producing. Jon Jones will direct.

CBS's Moonves Expects Double-Digit Upfront Price Increases

CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves said he expects the network’s advertising prices to rise by double digits in the next upfront, B&C reports.

"I think we're in that kind of marketplace and we've got that kind of ratings story," Moonves said at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference.

"A year ago, in a strong marketplace, CBS held onto some inventory to maximize pricing and got increases of about 13%," the story says.

"We sold somewhere in the high 70s last year -- 77-78%. The year before that, we were probably 10 points less because pricing was down, so we bet more on scatter," Moonves said. "You know what? Once we establish our pricing where we think is the fair marketplace, we would probably go to the low 80s, but not much more than that."

Moonves cited some softness in the fourth quarter of 2011, but said the ad market had firmed by the first quarter of this year, with prices in the scatter market topping upfront levels by more than 15%, the story says.

"Demand had increased greatly. It is wonderful to see the auto companies coming back, and they're coming back in force," Moonves said.