The Golden Globe Awards show was listed in neither the top ten events of the year by ad revenue nor in the top four TV events’ advertisers (August 2017 – July 2018).
Even so, the revolutionary nature of the 76th Golden Globe Awards made the show more salient this year.
The awards team generated change by hiring its first Asian host: former Grey’s Anatomy star, Sandra Oh. Then, on Sunday, January 6th, that same actress won a “Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Drama” award for her role in Killing Eve, becoming the very first woman of Asian descent to win multiple Golden Globes.
We understand how momentous and epoch-making this event was. That’s why we want to take a look at the top brands that spent the most in total advertising during the 76th Golden Globe Awards and some of their early January commercials.
Top 10 Brands that Spent the Most on TV Advertising During the 2019 Golden Globe Awards
1. L’Oreal SA – “Blended Makes Us Better: Whole Blends Repairing Haircare Honey Treasures”
Coming in first place is the Paris company that specializes in makeup, cosmetics, hair care, and perfume. L’Oreal SA spent approximately $4,935,000.00, so that their TV ads could appear on January 6th, 2019 for the Golden Globes.
2. Walmart – “Grocery Pickup – Famous Cars”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGrSw7wK4no
This TV advertisement made it into our hearts and minds, making it one of our favorite commercials.
It stirred up a sense of nostalgia in viewers by recreating the cars from some of their favorite movies while also highlighting Walmart‘s free grocery pickup service.
The commercial soon became widely discussed too, especially on Twitter, because it connected people to some of their fondest memories and allowed them to recognize and name vehicles, almost like a game.
Viewers could see the Batmobile from Batman, the limo from Ghostbusters, a Hot Wheels race car, the Mutt Cutts van from Dumber and Dumber, a Lou Glutz Motors car from National Lampoon’s Vacation, Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine, the Jurassic Park truck, Cinderella’s ride (both her pumpkin and fancy carriage), the Flinstone’s car, the buggy from Transformers, and, finally, the infamous car from Back to the Future.
Walmart paid $4,230,000.00 for four TV spots during the 76th Golden Globes, so viewers got multiple chances to find a car they missed or remember the name of one they simply forgot.
3. General Motors Company (GM) – “Chevy Surprises Competitive Owners When It Comes To Reliability”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2xrEGkIdWs
The American multinational corporation, General Motors Company (GM), spent about $3,525,000.00 in total advertising on TV for the 2019 Golden Globe Awards.
While it didn’t come in first place in this list, MediaRadar’s In-Depth Look into the Current State of TV Advertising report actually noted that the company did place number one in the auto product category between August 2017 and July 2018.
4. Pfizer, Inc. – “Robitussin Honey Commercial”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YCMi0Tur-o
The American pharmaceutical corporation, Pfizer, Inc., spent around $3,172,500.00 on TV ads for the 76th Golden Globes.
5. Verizon Communications, Inc. – “Awards”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIiey8Dg8cg
The American telecommunications company, Verizon Communications, Inc., threw approximately $3,172,500.00 ad dollars into the ring in order to promote itself during the 2019 Golden Globes.
Despite being mid-tier in this list, the company did top the technology product category between August 2017 and July 2018, according to MediaRadar’s In-Depth Look into the Current State of TV Advertising.
6. Amazon.com, Inc. – “Dad’s Favorite Song”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQBcJ-ZIieE
For the 76th Golden Globe Awards ceremony, the multinational technology company spent roughly $2,820,000.00 on TV ads to promote its products like the Amazon Echo Dot.
7. Discover Financial Services, Inc. – “Freak Out Spread the News Cashback Match Discover it Commercial”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKpIikS2Oik
This corporation, which owns and operates Discover Bank, Discover and Pulse networks, and even Diners Club International, spent roughly $2,115,000.00 to advertise during the 76th Golden Globe Awards on TV.
8. Deutsche Telekom AG – “Deals to Bring the Family Together”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIUNhH6ZuFg
Deutsche Telekom AG is a German telecommunications company. While it does not spend as lavishly as the other telecommunications corporation in this list, Verizon Communications, Inc., it still spent roughly $1,410,000.00 on TV ads during the 2019 Golden Globes, pushing it to eighth place.
9. PepsiCo, Inc. – “Dallas Cowboys Pepsi Field Goal”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8SyA2Jh_-o
Similar to Deutsche Telekom AG, this food, snack, and beverage corporation spent approximately $1,410,000.00 on TV ads for the Golden Globes this year.
10. Procter & Gamble – “Just Landed: Pantene Rescue Shots, Straight from Brazil”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgpoy-3OA7I
In last place is the American multi-national consumer goods corporation. It also threw roughly $1,410,000.00 worth of ad dollars to show its TV commercials between breaks in the 76th Golden Globes Award ceremony.
Additional Highlights
Fiji Water Girl
While Fiji didn’t run any TV ads during the 2019 Golden Globes, the brand did generate buzz in another way.
As a long-running publicity stunt, Fiji hires several brand ambassadors to serve water to hydrate those on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards.
This year was no different, except for one thing: Kelleth Cuthbert, a Los Angeles-based model and new Fiji Water brand ambassador. Wearing a blue dress and distinct facial expressions, Cuthbert photobombed multiple actors, quickly stealing their spotlight and becoming a viral meme overnight.
Overall, watching a TV ad is almost like watching a mini-TV show or movie nowadays. It shines a light on the true advertising power that commercials (and publicity stunts) can have, and how much can still be left for viewers to discuss and imagine.
