Diagnosis: Olympic Fever

I have all the symptoms: Those familiar nervous sweats watching television, unexplained competitive edge for really non-competitive things (like walking up the stairs), and an urge to start chanting “U-S-A” at inappropriate times.

Yep, you guessed my affliction: Olympic fever.

As long as I, and a bunch of other people (a few billion), still have this affliction, advertisers will be using every single break in the action to sell us their products. As if the whole event were some drawn out Super Bowl, the same Olympic-themed ads keeping playing over and over.

So, what makes a good ad? Well, here is what I've got so far...

Visa:
When asked what ads they remember from the Olympic games, 2 out of 3 (67%) Brogan & Partners employees mentioned Visa’s “Go World” ad first. In these spots we get Morgan Freeman speaking about the wonders of Olympic glory as we see, what looks like old newsreels, of previous Olympics.

If there is one ad campaign that fully grasps the amazing feeling of human achievement and pride those who suffer from Olympic fever truly enjoy, it’s this. I’m not sure what Visa’s Go World thing is all about, but I just love how great these ads make me feel about humankind.

I posted one of the best below. Morgan Freeman talks about how Michael Phelps is like a dolphin. Just classic!



Coca-Cola:
As an official sponsor, no one business could possibly spend more than Coke on advertising on TV, and in Beijing. NPR reported last week that Coke has spent an estimated $70 million to be one of the top 12 Olympic sponsors — and perhaps $5 million to $15 million more sponsoring the controversial torch relay (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93389797&ft=1&f=1001).

The Coke TV ad we’ve been seeing most is one with people rollerblading around in, what looks like, southern California, drinking coke, and the music plays in the background: “Dance all night, we’re gonna dance all night, dance all night to this DJ.”

The ad might have nothing to do with the Olympics, and only a vague sport theme, but it is one of the most memorable ads because the song (Paul Oakenfold’s “Starry Eyed Surprise”) is catchy, fun to watch, and, most importantly, the ad is so short you aren’t worried that you are going to miss the next event.

If you are like me, and having a hard time getting “Starry Eyed Surprise” out of your head, just go over to Paul Oakenfold’s myspace page for a free listen: http://www.myspace.com/pauloakenfold

NBC:
As with any sporting event, the only way the station can actually benefit from broadcasting them, is if they advertise heavily for their own shows. One thing unique about all the ads for returning shows, like Chuck and 30 Rock, is that they are emphasizing NBC’s website and telling viewers to “chime in.”

Unsure of what that exactly “chime in” meant, I decided to investigate. I found nothing on NBC.com about chiming in and chimein.com does not exist. So, I checked out You Tube and found a longer NBC “chime in” commercial. The only clue I could find to the message’s meaning was the guy from The Office saying, “when you hear the chimes, you know it’s going to be good” in some apparent reference to the upcoming fall season.

Well, if anyone can tell me what this campaign is all about, I’d love to know.

AT&T Wireless:
In one of the funniest ads I’ve seen in a long time, a huge Michael Phelps fan, Mary, is seen walking around her apartment in a “Phelps Phan” T-shirt, kissing a huge Phelps poster, and watching him competing on TV. Mary’s phone (represented by the same actress) complains that it doesn’t get any wireless signal in her new town and, because of this, missed Phelps when he came to town and told funny stories about eating Chinese food. Mary’s phone then turns to her and says, “One day we’ll look back at this and laugh…or cry!”

Prepare to laugh:



McCain/Obama:

With the added exposure of viewers, it’s only natural that the wealthiest presidential candidates are spending millions on advertisements. Obama’s ads have focused on using the word ‘change’ over and over, showing him meeting with “real people”, focus on his plans for the environment, and pretty much bore you to death. His campaign would be better off playing the hit You Tube video, “I got a crush…on Obama”, by Obama girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU).

Taking the controversial route, McCain’s now famous (it’s been out for two weeks –so that’s like two years in political advertising), “Celebrity Obama” ad shows Paris Hilton and Britney Spears superimposed over Obama. The ad is supposed to use subtle clues to show that Obama is just another celebrity, and not someone you want as president. Well, the clues are hardly subtle, and the ad itself has been made into a huge joke - commented on by everyone for Brian Williams to David Letterman. Yet, McCain’s campaign keeps using it. Watch the ad here:



I know I’m treading dangerously on this topic, but I did find a Republican blogger, Richard Bliss, slamming the ad as “stupid” and benefiting Barack Obama (http://gwbliss.blogspot.com/2008/08/olympic-advertising-good-and-stupid.html). I can’t tell you exactly how effective or ineffective this ad is without a lot of market research, but I will say that it is my opinion is that people aren’t as dumb as an ad like this would have you believe; TV viewers know when an ad is trying to trick them and this one couldn’t be more obvious.

Well, that’s all for now. The Olympics aren’t over yet and I’m sure I'll still have a lot more to comment on before it is all said and done!