1. Art and Diseño

Canadian Auto News Watch - Tuesday February 3, 2015
General Motors Corporate News
GM expects more claims for ignition switch issues; So far, automaker to grant
compensation for 51 deaths and 77 related injuries
Byline: Tom Krisher The Associated Press, Page: S9, Edition: ONT
Toronto Star - Tue Feb 3 2015
Thousands of new claims tie GM switch to crashes; Flurry before deadline brings tally
to 4,180
Note: Also in Times Colonist (Victoria).
Byline: Tom Krisher, Source: The Associated Press, Page: B2, Edition: Early
Windsor Star - Tue Feb 3 2015
Ignition-switch claims pour in; 51 death and 77 injury payments so far in GM action
Byline: Tom Krisher, Source: The Associated Press, Page: D3, Edition: First
Waterloo Region Record - Tue Feb 3 2015
GM ignition switch death toll reaches 51 | Driving
Permalink: driving.ca...
driving.ca - Tue Feb 3 2015
Death toll from GM ignition switches rises to at least 51; many other claims will have
to wait; Death toll from GM ignition switches rises to at least 51
Byline: Tom Krisher
Canadian Press - Mon Feb 2 2015
GM looks at going head-to-head with Jeep Wrangler
Byline: Nick Tragianis, Source: Postmedia News, Page: A38, Edition: Final
The Province - Tue Feb 3 2015
Super Bowl ads keep us watching; Brady Bunch re-enactment got many laughs
Note: Also in Edmonton Journal.
Byline: Candice Choi And Mae Anderson, Source: The Associated Press, Page: B2, Edition: Early
Ottawa Citizen - Mon Feb 2 2015
Super Bowl ads from start to finish: Brady Bunch flashback, Nationwide startles
viewers; Running story: Super Bowl ads from start to finish
Byline: Candice Choi And Mae Anderson
Canadian Press - Sun Feb 1 2015
Burned by The Bolivar; U.S. companies face billions in losses
Byline: Tim McLaughlin, Source: Reuters, Page: FP5, Edition: National
National Post - Tue Feb 3 2015
Return to top
General Motors Product News
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 vs. 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo
Permalink: www.msn.com...
msn.com - Tue Feb 3 2015
2015 Equinox | Autonet.ca
Permalink: www.autonet.ca...
autonet.ca - Tue Feb 3 2015
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General Motors Corporate News
GM expects more claims for ignition switch issues; So far,
automaker to grant compensation for 51 deaths and 77 related
injuries
Toronto Star
Tue Feb 3 2015
Page: S9
Section: Business
Byline: Tom Krisher The Associated Press
More than 1,100 claims were filed in the week before Saturday's deadline to seek payments from the General
Motors ignition switch compensation fund. So far, 51 death and 77 injury claims have been granted.
But the fund's deputy administrator says the grants are very likely to rise as she and her boss, compensation
expert Kenneth Feinberg, sort through at least 4,180 claims that came before the deadline passed.
The last-minute flurry of activity is common in compensation cases, said Deputy Administrator Camille Biros.
Although most of the claims were filed electronically, some will "trickle in" in the coming days because they
were postmarked by the Jan. 31 deadline, she said.
"I can say that there will likely be more" death and injury claims granted, Biros said. "Until we sort through and
review the newly submitted documents, we can't make that estimation."
GM was aware of faulty ignition switches on Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for more than a decade,
but it didn't recall them until 2014. On 2.6 million of them worldwide, the switches can slip out of the "on"
position, causing the cars to stall, knocking out power steering and turning off the airbags.
As of last week, the fund had rejected 386 claims, most because the cars involved were not models covered by
the fund or because the airbags inflated in the crashes. If the airbags deployed, that means the cars had power
and the ignition switches were working and not at fault, Feinberg has said.
It likely will take until late spring for Biros and Feinberg to sort through all of the claims, she said.
GM has set aside $400 million to pay claims from the fund. Families and victims who take compensation from
the fund must agree not to sue GM. The company has said the cost could rise as high as $600 million.
© 2015 Torstar Corporation
Illustration:
• GM has rejected 386 claims related to its ignition switches. More than 1,100 claims have been submitted.
Edition: ONT
Length: 299 words
Return to top
Thousands of new claims tie GM switch to crashes; Flurry before
deadline brings tally to 4,180
Windsor Star
Tue Feb 3 2015
Page: B2
Section: News
Byline: Tom Krisher
Dateline: DETROIT
Source: The Associated Press
general
motors
noted
Also in Times Colonist (Victoria).
on
Tue
Feb
3
2015
5:50
am
ET
The families of 51 people who died in crashes caused by faulty ignition switches in small General Motors cars
will get payments from a company fund, but others will have to wait months for decisions on thousands of new
claims.
Compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg has also deemed 77 people injured in crashes as eligible for payments
from the fund, which received at least 4,180 claims by a Saturday deadline, including more than 1,100 in the
past week.
But attorneys, lawmakers and at least one family member say some were forced to settle with Feinberg rather
than run the risk that they would not be able to sue GM because of its 2009 bankruptcy agreement.
Camille Biros, deputy administrator of the fund who has worked with Feinberg to compensate victims of the
9/11 terrorist attacks and the BP oil spill, said the last-minute flurry of activity is common in compensation
cases. She says the number of claims could rise, because those filed by mail had to be postmarked by Jan. 31.
More death and injury claims are likely to be granted, Biros said, but it could take until late spring to sort
through all of the paperwork.
GM was aware of faulty ignition switches on Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for more than a decade,
but did not recall them until 2014. On 2.6 million GM vehicles worldwide, the switches can slip out of the "on"
position, causing cars to stall, knocking out power steering and turning off airbags.
Plaintiff 's attorneys and some lawmakers have said the fund deadline should have been extended because
victims do not know yet whether they can sue General Motors Co., the new company that emerged from
bankruptcy protection in July 2009. The bankruptcy agreement sends claims from pre-bankruptcy crashes to
"Old GM," which has few assets. Some lawyers are seeking to overturn that, claiming that GM deceived the
bankruptcy court by hiding the switch defect. GM has asked the court to enforce the bankruptcy order.
© 2015 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved.
Illustration:
• The Associated Press Files / Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., ranking member of the House Oversight and Investigations
subcommittee, holds up a GM ignition switch. The death toll related to the switch failure is rising.
Edition: Early
Story Type: News
Length: 322 words
Return to top
Ignition-switch claims pour in; 51 death and 77 injury payments so
far in GM action
Waterloo Region Record
Tue Feb 3 2015
Page: D3
Section: BUSINESS
Byline: Tom Krisher
Source: The Associated Press
More than 1,100 claims were filed in the week before Saturday's deadline to seek payments from the General
Motors ignition-switch compensation fund. So far, 51 death and 77 injury claims have been granted.
But the fund's deputy administrator says the number of granted claims is likely to rise as she and her boss,
compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg, sort through at least 4,180 claims that came in before the deadline
passed.
The last-minute flurry of activity is common in compensation cases, said deputy administrator Camille Biros,
who has worked with Feinberg on funds for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the BP oil spill. Although most of the
claims were filed electronically, some will "trickle in" in the coming days because they were postmarked by the
Jan. 31 deadline, she said.
"I can say that there will likely be more" death and injury claims granted, Biros said. "Until we sort through and
review the newly submitted documents, we can't make that estimation."
GM was aware of faulty ignition switches on Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for more than a decade,
but it didn't recall them until 2014. On 2.6 million of them worldwide, the switches can slip out of the "on"
position, causing the cars to stall, knocking out power steering and turning off the airbags.
As of Sunday, the fund had received 455 death claims and 3,447 for injuries. Of the total, Feinberg has decided
that about 12 per cent, or 482, aren't eligible for payment.
Another 965 have deficient information, while 1,502 were turned in without documentation. Another 1,103
claims are under review, according to a posting on the fund's website.
People will be given several chances to provide information to back up their claims, Biros said. Most of the
claims that have been denied were not models covered by the fund or the airbags inflated in the crashes. If the
airbags deployed, that means the cars had power and the ignition switches were working and not at fault,
Feinberg has said.
About 40 claims have been paid thus far, but Biros would not say how much money had been paid out. GM
also would not say how much the company has paid thus far.
It likely will take until late spring for Biros and Feinberg to sort through all of the claims, she said. There is no
deadline for them to make decisions on the claims, Biros said.
About half the death and injury claims that have been granted involve people 25 years old or younger, Biros
said. The Cobalt, Saturn Ion and other small cars with the bad switches were sold largely to younger people
because they were inexpensive and marketed by GM as being safe. But experts say younger, inexperienced
drivers would be less able to handle a car that had stalled and lost its power steering.
Initially, GM had said at least 13 people had died in crashes caused by the switches, but the company has
always said the toll would rise. Legislators have estimated that at least 100 people were killed.
Last year GM set aside $400 million to make payments, but conceded that could grow to $600 million. The
company's chief financial officer told analysts earlier this month that those numbers have not changed.
Compensation for deaths starts at $1 million.
GM has placed no cap on the amount of money he can spend, Feinberg has said.
The GM ignition-switch debacle, which brought congressional and Justice Department investigations and the
maximum $35 million fine from the government's auto-safety agency, touched off a companywide safety
review. That brought a total of 84 recalls involving more than 30 million vehicles.
As of last week, GM had fixed just over 56 per cent of the 2.19 million cars with faulty ignition switches that are
still on the road in the U.S., according to documents filed with federal safety regulators. The company said it
could not reach about 80,000 of the car owners.
Still, even with letters, telephone calls and Facebook messages, GM hasn't been able to get all the owners to
have their cars repaired about a year after the recalls started. It's not unusual for some car owners to ignore
recall notices.
The average completion rate 1 ½ years after a recall begins is 75 per cent, according to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration.
© 2015 Torstar Corporation
Illustration:
• This photo from April 1, 2014 shows a key in the ignition switch of a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. General Motors is dealing with claims
for payments in connection with accidents in vehicles with faulty ignition switches. The Associated Press file photo
Edition: First
Length: 690 words
Return to top
GM ignition switch death toll reaches 51 | Driving
driving.ca
Tue Feb 3 2015
View original item at driving.ca...»
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Death toll from GM ignition switches rises to at least 51; many
other claims will have to wait; Death toll from GM ignition switches
rises to at least 51
Canadian Press
Mon Feb 2 2015
Section: Business
Byline: Tom Krisher
DETROIT - The families of 51 people who died in crashes caused by faulty ignition switches in small General
Motors cars will get payments from a company fund, but others will have to wait months for decisions on
thousands of new claims.
Compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg has also deemed 77 people injured in crashes as eligible for payments
from the fund, which received at least 4,180 claims by a Saturday deadline, including more than 1,100 in the
past week.
But attorneys, lawmakers and at least one family member say some were forced to settle with Feinberg rather
than run the risk that they would not be able to sue GM because of its 2009 bankruptcy agreement.
Camille Biros, deputy administrator of the fund who has worked with Feinberg to compensate victims of the 911 terrorist attacks and the BP oil spill, said the last-minute flurry of activity is common in compensation cases.
She says the number of claims could rise, because those filed by mail had to be postmarked by Jan. 31.
More death and injury claims are likely to be granted, Biros said, but it could take until late spring to sort
through all of the paperwork.
GM was aware of faulty ignition switches on Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for more than a decade,
but it did not recall them until 2014. On 2.6 million GM vehicles worldwide, the switches can slip out of the "on"
position, causing the cars to stall, knocking out power steering and turning off the air bags.
Plaintiff's attorneys and some lawmakers have said the fund deadline should have been extended because
victims do not know yet whether they can sue General Motors Co., the new company that emerged from
bankruptcy protection in July 2009.
The bankruptcy agreement sends claims from pre-bankruptcy crashes to "Old GM," which has few assets.
Some lawyers are seeking to overturn that, claiming that GM deceived the bankruptcy court by hiding the
switch defect. GM has asked the court to enforce the bankruptcy order, and a hearing is scheduled for later this
week.
Ken Rimer, whose 18-year-old stepdaughter, Natasha Weigel, was killed with two other women in a 2006
Cobalt crash in Wisconsin, felt the legal system was stacked against his family, almost forcing them into a
"take-it-or-leave-it" situation with Feinberg.
The family, he said, was not sure if the bankruptcy ruling would prevent a lawsuit against the new General
Motors. Also, the case could have been caught up in the federal court system, avoiding a hometown jury. Then
it would be returned to Wisconsin to set damages, and he says that state has a cap on the amount that can be
awarded in a child's death.
"You either take it or you're done," he said. "That was our best opportunity with the cards that we had been
dealt."
Once he got to Feinberg, though, he felt the family was treated fairly. The family has not disclosed how much
money it received.
Bob Hilliard, a Texas attorney who represented Weigel's family and has more than 1,100 other clients suing
GM, said there was no way he could advise those with post-bankruptcy crashes to reject Feinberg's offers.
"You're not playing at a fair table when you don't know the consequence of your turning down an award," he
said.
Although Biros said the settlements were comparable to what people would get in a lawsuit, Hilliard disagreed,
saying a jury verdict would be substantially higher.
She said that families often want closure rather than worrying about the uncertainty of a lawsuit. She said the
deadline was previously extended by a month, and more than 1,600 claims were filed in January, the most of
any month.
As of Sunday, the fund had received 455 death claims and 3,447 for injuries. Of the total, Feinberg has decided
that about 12 per cent, or 482, aren't eligible for payment. Another 965 have deficient information, while 1,502
were turned in without documentation. Another 1,103 claims are under review, according to a posting on the
fund's website.
People will be given several chances to provide information to back up their claims, Biros said. Most of the
denied claims were not models covered by the fund, or the air bags inflated in the crashes. If the air bags
deployed, that means the cars had power and the ignition switches were working and not at fault, Feinberg has
said.
About 40 claims have been paid thus far, but Biros and GM would not say how much money had been
awarded.
Around half the death and injury claims granted so far involve people 25 years old or younger, Biros said. The
Cobalt and other small cars with the bad switches were sold largely to younger people because they were
inexpensive and marketed by GM as being safe. But experts say younger, inexperienced drivers would be less
able to handle a car that had stalled and lost its power steering.
Initially, GM had said at least 13 people had died in crashes caused by the switches, but the company has
always said the toll would rise. Legislators have estimated that at least 100 people were killed.
Last year GM set aside $400 million to make payments, but conceded that could grow to $600 million.
Compensation for deaths starts at $1 million. GM has placed no cap on the amount of money he can spend,
Feinberg has said.
Copyright © 2015 The Canadian Press
Length: 872 words
Return to top
GM looks at going head-to-head with Jeep Wrangler
The Province
Tue Feb 3 2015
Page: A38
Section: Trucking
Byline: Nick Tragianis
Source: Postmedia News
GM is still looking at returning to the off-road-worthy SUV market with the help of its GMC division.
The rumours have been floating around for a while, but a new report from The Wall Street Journal says GM is
currently gauging demand from its dealers for an off-road ready SUV that would directly compete with the Jeep
Wrangler.
No other details about the model have trickled out, but it's possible GM could draw inspiration from the longdefunct Hummer in terms of capability.
2017 Ford Raptor promises 450hp
Armed with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 instead of a 6.2-litre V8, we now know how much kick to
expect out of Ford's next-generation F-150 Raptor.
Speaking with Fox Sports during the recent 2015 24 Hours of Daytona, Raj Nair, Ford's chief of global product
development, says the 2017 Raptor will pump out 450 horsepower from its boosted V6 engine.
The figure lives up to Ford's promise at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, where it said the new Raptor's
engine will be more powerful than the outgoing 6.2-litre V8.
For comparison's sake, the current Raptor is rated at 411 horsepower and 434 lb.-ft. of torque.
Nair didn't offer a specific torque figure in the Fox interview, but in its most powerful application, the 3.5-litre
EcoBoost V6 is good for 380 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque.
Combined with anti-lag technology, port-and direct-injection, and - of course - the lighter aluminum body, the
2017 Raptor should be a very serious truck once it hits dealers late next year.
Porsche will allocate more Macans to N.A.
Unsurprisingly, the Macan is proving to be a hit for Porsche - which is why the German automaker will be
increasing its Macan allocation to North America.
According to Automotive News, buyers interested in the Macan have seen wait times of six months or more in
the U.S. ever since it went on sale last May. Joe Lawrence, COO of Porsche Cars North America, didn't specify
or estimate just how many Macans will be sent our way to meet the demand. That being said, Porsche did sell
7,241 copies of the Macan in the U.S. by the end of 2014.
Porsche's initial goal was to sell 50,000 vehicles annually by 2018. But after selling 47,007 cars by the end of
2014 in the U.S. and a full year of Macan sales, Porsche is expected to exceed its targets.
In addition to the increased allocation, Porsche is expected to add a diesel engine to the North American
Macan lineup by the end of the year.
In North America, the Porsche Macan is available with your choice of two turbocharged gasoline engines, but
Porsche is expected to add a turbodiesel V6.
© 2015 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved.
Edition: Final
Story Type: News
Length: 442 words
Return to top
Super Bowl ads keep us watching; Brady Bunch re-enactment got
many laughs
Ottawa Citizen
Mon Feb 2 2015
Page: B2
Section: Sports
Byline: Candice Choi And Mae Anderson
Dateline: NEW YORK
Source: The Associated Press
general
motors
Also in Edmonton Journal.
noted
on
Tue
Feb
3
2015
5:57
am
ET
The Super Bowl ad games delivered a nod to the Brady Bunch, voice-overs from Muhammad Ali and John F.
Kennedy and Mindy Kaling trying to steal a kiss from fellow actor Matt Damon.
Skittles, a first-timer to the big game, got some extra publicity early on when Marshawn Lynch popped some of
his favourite candies into his mouth on the sideline. And Chevrolet grabbed some attention with a fake-out
before the game even started.
NATIONWIDE IS FUNNY, THEN CREEPY
First, Nationwide made viewers smile with an ad featuring Mindy Kaling trying to kiss Matt Damon while
thinking she was invisible. Then, the company got a lot more serious. Another ad by the insurer showed a
young boy riding a school bus and lamenting that he'll never learn to fly, or travel the world with his best friend,
or even grow up, because he died in an accident. The ad was aimed at stopping preventable childhood
accidents.
WEIGHT WATCHERS SENDS MIXED MESSAGES
Is Weight Watchers trying to make Super Bowl fans put down the guacamole and chicken wings?
The first Super Bowl ad by the struggling weight loss company featured tantalizing food ads and marketing.
The company says it wants to help people lose weight, but for some viewers, the ad may have just triggered
cravings for more junk food.
NISSAN'S TEARJERKER
Nissan returned to the Super Bowl after 18 years with an ad featuring the storyline of an upand-coming race
driver and his wife struggling to balance work and raising their son. In a jarring detail, the ad was set to "Cats in
the Cradle" by Harry Chapin, who was killed in a car crash.
FIRST QUARTER, TWO HISTORIC VOICEOVERS
Toyota's first spot featured Paralympic medallist Amy Purdy snowboarding and dancing, set to a speech by
Muhammad Ali that ends with: "I'll show you how great I am." A little while later, Carnival cruises aired its first
Super Bowl ad, which featured an audio clip of John F. Kennedy expressing his love of the sea.
MARCIA, MARCIA, MARCIA!
Snickers scores some laughs early in the first quarter with an ad recreating a famous Brady Bunch scene.
Actor Danny Trejo plays an agitated Marcia Brady with a broken nose, continuing the Snickers advertising
theme that people aren't themselves when they're hungry.
The kicker comes when the camera cuts to Steve Buscemi as he stands on the Brady's familiar staircase,
reciting middle sister Jan's line of exasperation: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" "This isn't about you Jan," says
Florence Henderson, the actress who played Carole Brady. This prompts Buscemi to run away, exasperated,
while shouting: "It never is!"
PRE-GAME SCORES
Two ads immediately preceding the game grabbed viewers' attention. Chevrolet's ad "Blackout" appeared to be
a live game feed that turned into static and a blank screen. But Chevrolet used the trick to show that its
Colorado truck has 4G LTE Wi Fi, so you could stream the game live in the truck. Then an Esurance ad
showed celebrity Lindsay Lohan trying to pick up a boy from school. When he protests that she's not his mother
she says she's "sorta" his mom because they're the same age range and have seen a lot of miles.
"When it comes to the big things (like your mom or your car insurance) sorta just doesn't cut it," a voice-over
states.
© 2015 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved.
Edition: Early
Story Type: News
Length: 553 words
Return to top
Super Bowl ads from start to finish: Brady Bunch flashback,
Nationwide startles viewers; Running story: Super Bowl ads from
start to finish
Canadian Press
Sun Feb 1 2015
Section: Business
Byline: Candice Choi And Mae Anderson
NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Super Bowl ad games have so far delivered a nod to the Brady Bunch, voiceovers
from Muhammad Ali and John F. Kennedy and Mindy Kaling trying to steal a kiss from fellow actor Matt
Damon.
Skittles, a first-timer to the big game, got some extra publicity early on when Marshawn Lynch popped some of
his favourite candies into his mouth on the sideline. And Chevrolet grabbed some attention with a fake-out
before the game even started.
Here's a look at the ads so far. Check back throughout the night for updates.
___
JAMES BOND DRIVING A KIA?
In Kia's ad, Pierce Brosnan is pitched a movie role where he doesn't get to play the typical action adventure
hero. Instead of dodging snipers and missile launchers, the role has him driving up a snowy mountain at 30
mile-per-hour for a romantic getaway.
___
DODGE CENTENNIAL
Dodge celebrated its 100-year anniversary by sharing words of wisdom from people who are around the same
age. Among the tidbits:
-"There are miracles all around you."
-"Keep your eyes open, and sometimes your mouth shut."
-"Live fast."
-"Never, ever forget where you came from."
___
DID THEY JUST CALL YOU AN (expletive)?
In a not-so-subtle message to Verizon and AT&T, Sprint calls its two wireless competitors a not-so-nice word
for a donkey - without actually saying the word, of course.
The company writes a letter to its rivals that starts with "We apologize for calling you ..." and then shows a clip
of a donkey. Then, it offers to cut its customers of Verizon and AT&T's bills in half.
___
RUNNING LIKE A GIRL
Procter &Gamble's Always feminine products brand is among the advertisers taking a more serious tone this
year by addressing social or family issues.
The company's 60-second ad featured young girls upending the idea of what it means to do things "like a girl."
It's a version of a previous video that had gone viral.
By aligning themselves with feel-good causes, companies are playing it safe while hoping to engender goodwill
from consumers.
___
NATIONWIDE IS FUNNY, THEN CREEPY
First, Nationwide made viewers smile with an ad featuring Mindy Kaling trying to kiss Matt Damon while
thinking she was invisible. Then, the company got a lot more serious.
Another ad by the insurer showed a young boy riding a school bus and lamenting that he'll never learn to fly, or
travel the world with his best friend, or even grow up, because he died in an accident. The ad was aimed at
stopping preventable childhood accidents.
"At Nationwide, we believe in protecting what matters most, your kids. Together we can make safe happen," a
voiceover said.
___
MCDONALD'S WANTS LOVING
Taking a page from Coca-Cola, McDonald's recently launched an ad campaign seeking to tie its brand with the
uplifting emotion of loving.
For its Super Bowl ad, the fast-food chain featured a promotion that lets randomly selected customers pay for
their orders with small acts of love, like a high-five or a call to a relative. The promotion starts Monday and runs
through Feb. 14
Deborah Wahl, chief marketing officer for McDonald's USA, declined to say how much the promotion is
expected to cost the company.
"You can't put a price on love," she said.
___
WEIGHT WATCHERS SENDS MIXED MESSAGES
Is Weight Watchers trying to make Super Bowl fans put down the guacamole and chicken wings?
The first Super Bowl ad by the struggling weight loss company featured tantalizing food ads and marketing, an
apparent illustration of the constant temptations facing dieters.
The company says it wants to help people lose weight, but for some viewers, the ad may have just triggered
cravings for more junk food.
___
NISSAN'S TEARJERKER
Nissan returned to the Super Bowl after 18 years with an ad featuring the story line of an up-and-coming race
driver and his wife struggling to balance work and raising their son.
In a jarring detail, the ad was set to "Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin, who was killed in a car crash.
__
COKE FIGHTS INTERNET TROLLS
Coca-Cola says it's standing for happiness in the face of Internet trolls.
The 60-second ad was a modern-day twist on Coke's long-running strategy of getting people to associate its
soft drinks with happiness.
In addition to the "Make It Happy" TV ad, Coca-Cola has been releasing online clips featuring testimonials from
those who say they've been the victims of online negativity, including football player Michael Sam.
Coca-Cola and other big brands have also been targets for online negativity; health advocates frequently
criticize Coke for its marketing of sugary drinks.
___
FIRST QUARTER, TWO HISTORIC VOICEOVERS
Toyota's first spot featured Paralympic medallist Amy Purdy snowboarding and dancing, set to a speech by
Muhammad Ali that ends with: "I'll show you how great I am."
A little while later, Carnival cruises aired its first Super Bowl ad, which featured an audio clip of John F.
Kennedy expressing his love of the sea.
___
PUPPY LOVE ... AGAIN
Budweiser's "Lost Puppy" ad was a winner before it even aired during the Super Bowl. The ad, which shows a
puppy running away to find his Clydesdale buddies, already had 18 million views on YouTube ahead of the
game.
It's a tried-and-true formula. Last year, Budweiser broke records with its Super Bowl spot, "Puppy Love," which
was a Top 10 branded content video and Top 10 video overall on YouTube. Some fun facts about this year's
spot:
-Eight puppies are featured in the ad, all of which were just a few months old at the time of filming
-Seven Budweiser Clydesdales underwent training for three months to fine-tune their skills for the ad.
___
MARCIA, MARCIA, MARCIA!
Snickers scores some laughs early in the first quarter with an ad that used clips from the Brady Bunch.
Actor Danny Trejo plays an agitated Marcia Brady with a broken nose, continuing the Snickers theme that
people aren't themselves when they're hungry.
The kicker comes when the camera cuts to Steve Buscemi standing on the Brady's familiar staircase, reciting
middle sister Jan's "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" line.
"This isn't about you Jan," says Florence Henderson, the actress who played Carole Brady. This prompts
Buscemi to run away while shouting: "It never is!"
___
TIME TRAVEL WITH BMW
Somehow, TV journalists Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel seem to know what "twerk" means.
The former "Today" show hosts poked fun at themselves in an ad for BMW's new all-electric car. The ad
features a clip from 1994 when Couric and Gumbel express puzzlement over the "at" symbol in email
addresses.
Fast-forward to present day, and they're expressing similar confusion about BMW's i3 car. Toward the end of
the commercial, Gumbel asks Couric if she can twerk.
"Maybe," Couric says.
For those who aren't familiar with the term, Urban Dictionary defines it as "the rhythmic gyrating of the lower
fleshy extremities in a lascivious manner with the intent to elicit sexual arousal."
___
PRE-GAME SCORES
Two ads immediately preceding the game grabbed viewers' attention. Chevrolet's ad "Blackout" appeared to be
a live game feed that turned into static and a blank screen. But Chevrolet used the trick to show that its
Colorado truck has 4G LTE Wi Fi, so you could stream the game live in the truck.
Then an Esurance ad showed celebrity Lindsay Lohan trying to pick up a boy from school. When he protests
that she's not his mother she says she's "sorta" his mom because they're the same age range and have seen a
lot of miles.
"When it comes to the big things (like your mom or your car insurance) sorta just doesn't cut it," a voiceover
states.
__
NEWCOMERS ABOUND
There will be 15 newcomers to advertising's biggest stage on this year, including Loctite glue and website host
Wix.com. That's the highest number of newbies since 2000.
Advertising experts say the interest from first-time advertisers is a sign companies are feeling good about the
most recent economic recovery.
Still, Super Bowl ads are a big gamble for small companies. Some succeed in becoming a household name;
Godaddy.com established itself with a racy Super Bowl spot 11 years ago. But others misfire; Groupon's first
and only Super Bowl effort in 2011 aimed to be a tongue-in-cheek take on public service announcements, but
was criticized for being insensitive
___
Follow Candice Choi at www.twitter.com/candicechoi
Copyright © 2015 The Canadian Press
Length: 1383 words
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Burned by The Bolivar; U.S. companies face billions in losses
National Post
Tue Feb 3 2015
Page: FP5
Section: Financial Post
Byline: Tim McLaughlin
Source: Reuters
At least 40 major U.S. companies have substantial exposure to Venezuela's deepening economic crisis, and
could collectively be forced to take billions of dollars of writedowns, a Reuters analysis shows.
The companies, all members of the SP 500 and include some of the biggest names in Corporate America such as auto giant General Motors Co. and drugmaker Merck Co. - together carry at least US$11 billion of
monetary assets in the Venezuelan currency, the bolivar, on their books.
The official rate is at 6.3 bolivars to the U.S. dollar and there are two other rates in the government system known as SICAD 1 and SICAD 2 - at about 12 and 50. The black market rate, though, was at about 190
bolivars to the U.S. dollar on Sunday, according to the website dolartoday.com.
The problem is that the dollar value of the assets as disclosed in many of the companies' accounts is based on
either the rates at 6.3 or 12 and only a limited number of transactions are allowed at those rates. The assets
would be worth a lot fewer dollars at the 50 rate in the government system and the dollar value would almost be
wiped out at the black market rate.
The currency system is also about to be shaken up following an announcement by Venezuela President
Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 21, leading to fears of a further devaluation.
Some leading American companies have already decided that the stronger exchange rates - the official rate at
6.3 and the SICAD 1 exchange market at 12 - are not reflective of the currency conditions they face in the
South American country.
Diaper and tissue maker Kimberly-Clark Corp. recently announced a charge of US$462 million for its
Venezuelan business, leading to a fourth-quarter loss for the company, after it concluded that the appropriate
exchange rate was the SICAD 2 exchange rate at 50 rather than the 6.3 it had previously used.
Using the stronger exchange rates is unrealistic because of how hard it is to repatriate profits earned in
Venezuela back to the U.S. at any rate, let alone those rates, securities analysts say. Citigroup Inc. says it has
not been able to buy U.S. dollars from the Venezuelan government since 2008.
Companies can seek dollars at the official rate if they are using those dollars to import raw materials for
production of priority goods such as food and medicine, and some can buy dollars at the SICAD 1 rate at about
12 bolivars to the U.S. dollar through auctions that are typically held several times per month but are only
targeted at specific sectors. As tumbling oil prices have left Venezuela with fewer dollars, its currency board
has steadily reduced approval for repatriation of dividends at the official rate - leaving companies with growing
quantities of bolivars trapped by currency controls.
"It's a huge deal and companies will get hit big," said Ali Dibadji, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein Co Inc.
"Take a look at what Kimberly-Clark did last week and what Clorox did a few months ago by getting out of
Venezuela."
Cleaning and household products maker Clorox Co. last year decided to exit Venezuela altogether. Its chief
executive Don Knauss said at the time: "We saw no hope that we could create a sustaining business in that
country."
The currency issues are hurting many U.S. companies much more than their sales might suggest. Many of the
companies in the analysis have been getting between 1% and 3% of their global revenue from Venezuela.
Ford Motor Co. and oil services company Schlumberger NV took big-ticket hits to their quarterly profits because
of their Venezuelan operations. Ford took a fourth-quarter charge of US$800 million and Schlumberger
US$472 million.
Another SP 500 company to switch to the 50 rate from 6.3 in recent weeks was industrial gases producer
Praxair Inc., which took a fourth-quarter charge of US$131 million as a result. It also said the switch will hurt its
revenue and earnings in 2015.
Those changes don't reflect the prospect of another currency devaluation in Venezuela, recently telegraphed
by Mr. Maduro, who is struggling to keep a lid on consumer prices amid a 64% inflation rate and a plunge in oil
revenue. The official rate was last devalued by 32% to the current 6.3 from 4.3 in February 2013, then the fifth
devaluation in a decade.
Mr. Maduro said in the Jan. 21 announcement he would merge the two existing SICAD rates (the ones at 12
and 50 per U.S. dollar). He also would introduce another new rate to offer dollars via private brokers to vie with
the black market rate.
Currency uncertainties aside, foreign companies face a myriad of other problems in Venezuela, from weak
demand to shortages of many goods, difficulty in importing parts and products, and relying on the government
to approve price increases to keep pace with hyperinflation.
Most of the SP 500 bolivar exposure is concentrated among 10 companies that have disclosed about US$7.3
billion in assets linked to the country's currency system, according to the Reuters analysis of their latest
quarterly financial statements.
But if those companies used Venezuela's SICAD 2 currency rate, the one at about 50 bolivars to the dollar,
their assets would decline by as much as US$5.8 billion. All of these companies currently use either 6.3 or 12
rates.
© 2015 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved.
Illustration:
• Ariana Cubillos, The Associated Press Files / Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has hinted that he may devalue the bolivar
again, making it the sixth devaluation in the past decade.
Edition: National
Story Type: News
Length: 861 words
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General Motors Product News
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