Oscars ad inventory reportedly priced at US$2m completely sold out

With three days to go, the Oscars has reportedly sold out all of its ad inventory, according to numerous media outlets such as CNBC, Adweek and Hollywood Reporter. Some of the advertisers for this year’s show include names such as Expedia, Verizon, General Motor's Cadillac, Starbucks, Google, Rolex, Verizon, AARP, Adidas International, Apple, Corona, Eli Lilly, GSK, Honda, Kellogg, Keurig, Mars, Procter & Gamble, Power to the Patient, and Subway, among others.

According to Variety, ABC was charging US$2 million for every 30-second ad. Meanwhile, media reports also say that this year's show also attracted several first time advertisers such as Airbnb, Grey Goose, Apartments.com, Accenture, Freshpet and Credit Karma.  Jerry Danillo, senior vice president, entertainment brand solutions, for Disney Advertising Sales, confirmed that the ad inventories were sold out in an interview with Variety earlier this week and also explained to that some of the first time advertisers were “COVID-thriving brands.” He also added that one of the challenges for the Oscars this year was in figuring out what the show would look like.

Despite its success, some  previous advertisers who will not be returning this year include Microsoft, Indeed and Molson Coors-owned Peroni will not be returning this year. The Oscars has seen a fluctuation in viewership over the years with last year's viewings being one of the lowest ever for the show. Reports from Nielsen revealed in 2020, 23.6 million watched the telecast, which was a massive drop from 2019's 29.6 million viewers. In 2018, the number stood at 26.5 million. This year’s Oscars also saw a delay in the ceremony, with it normally being held in February.

In 2019, Lux, one of Unilever’s largest beauty and personal care brands has announced a new brand purpose - "Inspiring women to defy judgements and to dare to express their femininity unapologetically". Lux's media agency Mindshare also worked with E! on a regional partnership to drive real-time content and conversations celebrating women who defy judgements.

The brand, in a press statement, said the red carpet has become a platform for female celebrities to advocate social change and inspire female empowerment and equality. Tapping into this, media agency Mindshare developed a strategic partnership between Lux and E! to gain access to red carpet moments as they happen at international award shows to create real-time content. The partnership was kicked off at the Oscars with the campaign #LuxDefyingJudgements where a digital hub was set up to capture conversations live from the red carpet. These were then developed into “#LuxDefyingJudgements Moments” – a series of content and editorial stories that own the moment by capturing and celebrating women defying judgements about their femininity during the Oscars. 

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