Knock out or submission?
James Whitmore, managing director at Postar, wonders whether advertisers will go for the “old school” spectacular route when it comes to the Olympics, making a statement and splashing the cash OR get down and dirty on the ubiquitous screen, capturing data, creating “dialogue” and driving purchase?
On Wednesday, I fell down a lift shaft. It was an unforgettable experience and it got me thinking about the Olympics.
The Olympics fascinate me. Not so much the competition itself as the challenge that it presents to marketers.
It would be silly to present it as a face-off between “traditional” and “newer” media but there has to be an element of this.
What on earth do you do? If you believe the pre-publicity, this will be the most publicised, broadcast, streamed event that this country has ever seen. It will be with us all day long, wherever we look, for weeks on end.
I don’t envy the task of picking the winners. I imagine that many have already backed their favourites and have a nervous few months ahead as they consider the wisdom of their choices.
Do you go for what I imagine some may consider as the “old school” spectacular route? Dominate a medium. Make a statement. Splash the cash on an unforgettable dish of haute creative. Alter perceptions and leave a lasting impression.
Or do you get down and dirty on the ubiquitous screen? We all have them. (At least all of us who have a bit of cash and who live in cities.) Is it about using and capturing data, creating “dialogue”, offering discounts and driving purchase?
Of course it isn’t that cut and dried. I exaggerate to make a point. I do believe that there is a great opportunity to learn from such a concentrated period of media opportunity. The question is what to measure as much as how to measure it.
The present wisdom is a sort of short-term incrementalism. Sweat a brand for all it is worth. Gain the maximum return in the shortest possible time and make this month’s target. The future is the next person’s problem and good luck to them.
The more mature marketer will remember a time when brands were built to last. The long-term was the thing and promotions and offers were seen as terribly shabby. Games and competitions were trivial stuff for kids.
We move on.
That said, the only sporting occasions for which I have a clear recall, were watched on big screens with a crowd of people. I can remember the pubs and bars where I saw Linford Christie outpace the world, when we rowed to glory, when Beckham got his marching orders and so on.
My most vivid memories of related marketing are of the wonderfully bombastic Nike billboards. These seemed to dominate London any time someone was kicking a ball or hurling an object. There is something visceral about this sort of thing. It is “wow”. Done well, the juices are stirred. A feeling is logged in the memory.
It is more of a struggle to place specific online activity. The best stuff elicits a “cool” or “neat”. Sometimes it is simply “cheap”. It can be extremely engaging. It is also prey to something cooler, neater or cheaper. The connection is not necessarily emotional. It is rational and fleeting.
Earlier this week, I saw a silent film from 1928, “The First Born”. There is a spectacular sequence when a man falls down a lift shaft. The camera takes his place and plummets, twisting and gaining velocity until there is a sudden end. Reader, I nearly vomited. I’ll certainly remember the experience for a very long time and it has completely changed my view of silent cinema in the UK.
I wonder if any of the summer’s Olympic ads will match this level of intensity. Or will I be glued to my iPad, addicted to some compelling narrative?
Many brands will mix it up, using many manifestations of their message. I’d love to see the short and long-term contributions of each element. I can’t think of a better opportunity to look.