Posts from ‘12 Trends for 2012’
Low Latency Activity
Our series of key marcomms trends for London 2012 continues with a look at how quickly brands are turning round sports related activity
Two campaigns from Beijing that caught our eye had more to do with the swiftness in which they were delivered than for outstanding creative work. The ads – chronicling the euphoria and despair that the Olympics constantly deliver – came from Visa and Nike and featured their star endorsers Michael Phelps and Liu Xiang.
Visa ran a pretty-ordinary Michael Phelps spot as part of its Go World campaign prior to and during the games, however after Phelps clinched his seventh gold medal of 2008 in the 200m freestyle, which made him the most decorated Olympian of all time with a staggering 10 gold medals, the brand was quick to trumpet his remarkable achievement.
In the immediate commercial break after the record breaking victory had aired on US TV, Visa rolled out a promo congratulating Phelps on his accomplishment which included footage from Beijing and Morgan Freeman exclaiming: ‘Congratulations Michael, on having won more gold medals than anybody…ever’
While the ad was of course pre-planned by Visa (had Phelps not won gold it planned to show another from the campaign) it was undeniably pertinent and captured the celebratory mood not only of a proud nation, but of a world amazed by one man’s sporting prowess. What was also impressive was that footage of Phelps from the previous day had been incorporated into the commercial.
And proving how on the ball it was with its Olympic marketing strategy, it produced another low latency campaign when Phelps secured his eighth gold medal of Beijing the next day. Again, capturing the mood superbly, Freeman, rather like the rest of the world, was somewhat lost for words by Phelps’ astounding medal haul.
Nike was confronted with the more arduous task of responding to Olympic failure – that of star Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang who limped out of the Birds Nest Stadium, unable to compete due to injury. The brand’s response was prompt, running ads in all the major Chinese papers the following day, which featured a solemn looking Xiang alongside the copy ‘Love Sport Even When it Breaks Your Heart’. While Nike probably knew about Xiang’s injury and may have had the execution ready in case this situation arose, it nevertheless adeptly capitalised on the country’s collective grief and disappointment.
And with more brands producing low latency campaigns (such as Bet 365 with its in-play football odds), we expect this to be a feature of the marketing surrounding London 2012 as brands look to connect with sports fans in almost real-time.
Those who’ve had enough of hearing about or seeing Tiger Woods recently should perhaps pay attention when the commercial breaks on American TV start to roll.
This is the one place you can currently be assured of not seeing him as there have been no prime-time TV ads featuring Woods since a 30-second Gillette spot on November 29, two days after the car crash which ultimately exposed his ‘transgressions’. The Woods saga has prompted many to speculate on his declining brand value and whether he’ll ever be the same draw to sponsors who helped him become the first sports (dollar) billionaire.
Woods-fronted marketing campaigns from the likes of Gillette, Nike, Tag Heuer, Accenture and AT&T have more often than not been modelled on his immaculate performance both on and off the golf course. Can any of these brands use his indiscretions to their advantage? Nike has never been shy to back a ‘bad boy’ (think Cantona, McEnroe) but even it may be hard pressed to turn this one around, especially when Woods is being mocked by comedians, newspapers and even mascots at sports grounds. Will he issue a grovelling public apology as Michael Phelps did in China following the ‘bong-gate’ scandal?
While there is undoubtedly always an element of risk involved, brands must always choose sporting ambassadors deftly and ensure they are the right fit, while scandals, such as adultery or brushes with the law, a loss of form, or long-term injury can all hamper public appeal. This is particularly pertinent when it comes to 2012. Can a brand be sure their investment will pay dividends (a la Puma and Bolt) or could a well structured campaign fall flat because of an endorser’s injury or, worse still, a failed drugs test?
When Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang had to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics due to injury, it wasn’t just the Chinese public who were distraught. Xiang was the nation’s poster boy and was backed by a staggering 17 brands by the time the Games began. While some stood by him as he battled backed from injury (notably Nike and Amway), others failed to renew deals. Marketing wise, Xiang was unquestionably over exposed and his numerous deals led to profile clutter that many brands couldn’t cut-through. Indeed, consumer research in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics suggested that the Chinese could not decipher who he promoted as he was fronting so many campaigns. Could the same thing happen to our own Sir Chris Hoy? Cycling’s golden boy from Beijing is currently racking up the endorsement deals, including adidas, Asda, Highland Spring, Bran Flakes and BT.
Of course the big stars will always attract the attention from the big brands, but sponsors and guerrilla marketers would be wise to start doing their homework now as to who the potential stars of 2012 may be. And once ambassadors have been decided, the next phase is to ensure star-fronted campaigns stand out from the abundance of sport-themed marcoms that will dominate the advertising landscape in 2012.
Another in our series of 12 Trends for 2012, looks at how some brands are investing in specific Olympic sports to create cut-through and build equity.
At this week’s Battle of Big Thinking, an event created by Campaign Magazine and the APG (this edition was the fourth), Andrew Hogan of British Gas told the attendees about his company’s recent moves to support swimming in Britain.
Whilst the Olympics weren’t directly referenced in his speech, it’s undoubtedly no coincidence that the 2008 Games not only saw the swimming team better its target set by UK Sport by winning six medals, but aso witnessed the birth of a new ‘national treasure’ in double gold medal winner Rebecca Adlington.
As a non-sponsor of LOCOG, British Gas stands nonetheless to benefit from the rising profile of the sport through its Olympic successes. Capitalising on the potential and future expectation for 2012, the former national energy supplier is now the principal sponsor of British Swimming, a partnership which sees the company involved in both professional and grassroots initiatives (the deal is said to be worth £15 million over six years). During his presentation, Hogan spoke proudly of the brand’s investment in ‘pop-up pools‘, an initiative designed to help schools that can’t afford to bus children to and from local pools with the opportunity to provide pupils with a swimming experience (swimming is part of the national curriculum).
Ten schools nationwide benefited from a pop up pool in 2009 – a number that might leave you feeling underwhelmed given the coverage that has been generated. But it does demonstrate the power of creative and inclusive grassroots initiatives (especially those that can highlight apparent shortcomings in public policy).
Hoy and Pendleton
Similarly, Sky (which is also not a LOCOG sponsor) is a sponsor of British Cycling, leveraging the ongoing successes (from the likes of Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton) in the velodrome and on the streets. Its logo now adorns the national colours of British cyclists at UCI events, whilst like British Gas it has taken activity to ‘grassroots’ levels with its well known city centre ‘Skyrides‘.
Building equity in these two sports that offer potential and (vitally) personality has provided a route for these two brands to piggy-back Olympic success, whilst also avoiding clutter. Their challenge now is to continue to build and then maintain the momentum for when summer 2012 arrives.
Our series of key marcomms trends for London 2012 starts with a look at why an effective out-of-home campaign could ensure cut-through during the Games
With a significant lack of advertising opportunities around the live Olympic coverage on the BBC, other media will play a more pivotal role in the run-up to and during the London games. While many brands will base strategies around digital, distinctive poster activity should ensure brands stand out from the undoubted sporting-themed clutter which will abound in 2012. adidas is a notable example of a brand which constantly gets it right with OOH. Its pre-Beijing campaign hinged on outdoor work and the visually jaw-dropping executions (interwoven into a hugely successful overarching integrated campaign) caught the imagination of an expectant, supportive and immensely proud nation. Not only was the activity visually stunning and ensured immediate cut-through and brand recognition, it was also intrinsically linked to experiential activity which saw thousands of consumers happily queuing on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai to ‘appear’ as a Chinese athlete in their own personal execution. adidas is perhaps the master of creating impact with OOH.
The 2008 European Football Championships in Austria saw a 138ft Octagon-armed Petr Cech placed on the Giant Ferris Wheel in Vienna’s Prater Park, while giant inflatable adidas ambassadors greeted commuters at Vienna’s main train station. Such activity garnered huge media interest, not to mention huge consumer interaction, with massive value that more than covered the cost of the activity.
OOH offers vast worth if the activity stands out and demands media coverage. Nike’s ‘Rooney St George’ has become an iconic image for many English football fans and is almost common football image currency – despite the fact that it was only ever one single billboard poster out on the M4 motorway going out of London.
Staying with football, Manchester City created worldwide news when they greeted new signing Carlos Tevez with a poster ad with his image and the copy ‘Welcome to Manchester’. Designed partly to irritate the fans of more successful local rivals Manchester United, the poster became widely discussed, not just in Manchester, but across the footballing world, even invoking disparaging comments from United manager Sir Alex Ferguson which ensured even more media attention. Both campaigns comprised a single execution but the ripple effect they created was astonishing and their reach went far beyond the number of people who actually saw the posters for themselves.
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