Search results matching tag 'Olympics'

A cheaper way to sponsor 2012

1715701 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:12:00 GMT

Feeling the crunch but want a piece of London 2012 action? Then visit www.benumber1.co.uk

The other day while filming a piece for marketingmagazine.co.uk on the London 2012 Olympics a passer by shoved a business card into my hand which offers you the chance to ‘sponsor a British athlete for just £20 a year’. Bet BT, Lloyds et al wish they hadn’t been so hasty with those £50m deals now…

Actually, I don’t mean to be condescending. It strikes me as a pretty neat way to raise much needed funds for some of our less well supported athletes and give the public a way of becoming a true part of any success we hope to achieve in 2012.

The card appeals to ‘individuals and businesses to offer financial support to British Olympic, Paralympic and world champion hopefuls' and according the website, Be Number One athletes include the Yngling girls (Gold in Beijing), David Davies (Silver medallist swimmer) and world champion gymnast Beth Tweddle.

A real sports personality of the year, please

1715701 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:13:00 GMT

In 2004, Olympic champion cyclists Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins were sat at in cheap seat watching BBC Sports Personality of the Year arching their necks to get a look at the winners.

While 10 minutes were dedicated to the deceased race horse Red Rum, the Olympians were not afforded a single mention all evening. In a recent interview Wiggins said it was pretty depressing to mean less to the British public than a dead horse. Who can blame him?

Last year, Joe Calzaghe was a worthy winner of sports personality of the year but all too ofton bores - like Michael Owen or Jonathan Edwards - have picked up this coveted prize. So I was glad to hear that this year Wiggins and team-mate Hoy have VIP tickets and will surely be among the nominees for this year's accolade.

I think we all applauded Joey Barton criticism of England's players' decision to bring out books following the 2006 World Cup. "I played like ***. Here's my book.' Who wants to read that?", he said. And even as a lifelong Chelsea fan I have to say that Didier Drogba's upcoming autobiography will not be on the Christmas wish list. But I hope the upcoming book by Wiggins - who having won Gold in Athens went on a 9 month bender - proves a rare exception.

So, here's hoping this year's prize goes to a true character. Before the Beeb unveils its nominations for this year's main award, here's how I think it should go...

BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2008

Chris Hoy (triple Beijing Olympic cycling gold medallist and world champion)

Bradley Wiggins (doulble Beijing Olympic cycling gold medallist and world champion)

Rebeccah Adlington (double Gold medal winning Olympic swimmer)

Lewis Hamilton (assuming he wins the Formula 1 driver's championship)

Shane Williams (inspirational in Wales' historic Grand Slam and nominated for IRB Player of the Year)

Ben Ainslie (record breaking sailing Gold medallist)

Andy Murray (US Open finalist)

Kevin Pietersen (England cricket captain)

Christina Ohuruogu (Gold medal winning athlete)

Who would you nominate?

Visit London Olympic ads

255762 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:41:00 GMT

I've just seen Visit London's Olympic ads created by RKCR/Y&R for the first time and have to say was impressed.

I must be coming over with Olympic spirit or something. Okay so the river Thames motif reminds me of the credits for 'Eastenders', but hey nice work all the same.

What's wrong with India?

2228399 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:40:00 GMT

This hasn't got anything to viral marketing, but why are India coming 40th in the Olympics (with 1 gold), when they have a population of over 1 billion? Mumbai 2016 anyone?

And the Olympic Gold in Social Media goes to...........

812253 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:03:00 GMT

Apparently the 12 global sponsors of the Olympics have spent over $6 billion for ads targeted at the Chinese market alone but according to the Wall Street Journal it is the brands using ingenious social network based activity that are showing some real results.

Guerilla activity from companies such as Volkswagen with "Honk for China", and Pepsi with “Everyone can be on the can for China” shows tha social media is fast becoming the experiential marketing of the Athens Games

Of course the Global sponsors are hitting back with Coca Cola's Design the World a Coke, McDonald's Lost Ring activity and Lenovo's Olympic competitors blogging platform as well as Samsung and Panasonic with photo and video uploads but according to Paul French, founder of Access Asia, a market research firm based in Shanghat, writing in the LA Times "Everyone thinks everyone is an Olympic sponsor,"

This dilution and clutter have left some analysts wondering whether Olympic sponsorship -- or even advertising at all during the Games -- was worth the hefty fees. Eastman Kodak Co., an Olympic regular for decades, said this would be its last Games sponsorship. Computer maker Lenovo Group also is dropping its global partnership after Beijing.

It will be very interesting to see what London 2012 brings !

Peta puts Jenna Jameson in ad talking about sex

255762 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:11:00 GMT

Animal charity Peta has another bunch of ads out recently and they all more or less have one thing in common. The latest features adult super star Jenna Jameson (with more on than usual) and they have her talking about sex. Go grab those headlines.

You've probably noticed it as well, it isn't just Jenna Jameson. There is a theme to Peta's attention grabbing headlines. They've used Pamela Anderson in the past and last week they had the US sports star Amanda Beard with even less clothes on than usual (she is a swimmer), whom they describe as the "sexiest and most compassionate US Olympic athlete of all time. Need proof? Check out the anti-fur ad that she did-naked-for Peta".

It's like Peta's ad department is run spin off from a lad's mag, I mean just read that last sentence and the emphasis on the word "naked". They must sit around thinking "who would we really like to get in here (naked)". Jenna Jameson, obviously sprang to mind.

This week it is the world's most famous porn star or "adult film icon" Jenna Jameson, who apparently might be pregnant.

In Jenna Jameson's ad for Peta, the porn star is talking about birth control. Not for humans, dummy, for animals. See it's a gag. You get Jenna Jameson, the world's most famous porn star, and you get her to talk about "animal birth control" or ABC as they call it. Who would have guessed animals practice birth control. Do you think they are Catholics?

Jenna Jameson poses nude alongside the tagline "Sometimes Too Much Sex Can Be a Bad Thing". Boom boom. Clear those people from the aisles right now.

There is a serious side to this campaign: every year, nearly 7m dogs and cats are abandoned at animal shelters in the US, and the shelters are forced to put almost half of these animals down because they can't be given good homes.

"The good news is that you can help as Jenna Jameson has-and you don't even have to take your clothes off! It's as easy as ABC: animal birth control."

Apparently if you get your pet spayed or neutered we can end the animal overpopulation crisis.

"Until dogs and cats can go on the pill or wear condoms, we need to help them practice safe sex-by spaying and neutering," says Jenna Jameson. "Millions of homeless animals are turned in to shelters every year because there simply aren't enough good homes for them all. The answer is as easy as ABC: Animal Birth Control, which means get your Fido or Fluffy fixed!"

I'm just trying to work out who is going to feature in Peta's next ad campaign. Is Traci Lords available? The criteria seems to be looking good undressed (and all that does is remind me of a Lloyd Cole song: Undressed).

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Brands and the Chinese Olympics

255762 — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:00:03 GMT

Are there any brands taking a principled stand over the Chinese Olympics? Not that I have noticed. Steven Spielberg has just withdrawn from his role as an artistic adviser to the Olympic Games in Beijing over Darfur, but Sudan is only part of the problem with China, which is after all a brutal totalitarian state - a fact that many are (trying to) neatly brush under the carpet.
If you look at Nike or Coca Cola's website you'll find nothing but smiles about the games. Other firms are rushing to join the bonanza that is China's bountiful market for consumer goods. I see even Sports Direct is on its way, selling great store fulls of knock-down sporting goods.

Spielberg explained that he was withdrawing from his involvement in the games because his conscience would "not allow me to continue with business as usual", while China continued to back the murderous Sudanese regime (for whom China is customer number one for its oil) that has cost the lives of 200,000 plus people and has resulted in much talk but little action. The arrival of a UN protection force to replace the under-resourced African peacekeeping force in Darfur has been endlessly delayed by Khartoum.

Spielberg said: "Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes, but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more to end the continuing suffering there.

"China's economic, military and diplomatic ties to the government of Sudan continue to provide it with the opportunity and obligation to press for change," Spielberg said.

China has proved the huge stumbling block to action over Sudan’s actions in Darfur, but meanwhile our athletes head to Beijing to celebrate the Olympian spirit in a country that oppresses its own people and lends a helping hand to similar brutal regimes like the Sudanese government, which has been complicit in forcing 2.5m out of their homes in an act of ethnic cleansing.

Hopefully Spielberg's decision will lead others to cut any ties with China and take a principled stand so lacking. This is the moment, if there was ever was one, to challenge China and persuade it to change its position and stop what is going on in the Darfur region. Liberal hand ringing alone has had little affect.

Spielberg's decision follows the row where the British Olympic Association tried to gag athletes and stop them saying anything political sensitive (just the word Darfur could do it, I'm guessing).

UK Olympians had been asked to sign a document prohibiting political demonstrations or propaganda, but after being publicly embarrassed by its clumsy efforts, the BOA is looking at the issue again.

China deserves this scrutiny and hopefully all the press and media who descend on this far from freedom-loving nation will have some positive outcome, but the BOA is not the only body that needs to look again at its conduct.

Supporting the logo

255762 — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:06:02 GMT

It's true I saw it yesterday, at the 02 Wiresless Festival, support for the Olympic 2012 logo is growing. People are wearing the t-shirt.

Here you have it Agency.com's business development director, Nick Corston, with the t-shirt. And he says it has nothing to do with one Omnicom agency supporting another (Wolff Olins).

And to be honest as a t-shirt it doesn't look half bad...wait that can't be right can it?

Talking of the 02 Wireless Festival James Cooper was there and he's done a nice post on it, the White Stripes and mobile brands.

London 2012 rebrand. Oh dear.

255762 — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 08:15:57 GMT

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games has unveiled its new 2012 branding today and what a total disaster.

The new logo was designed by Wolff Olins, I get that it is supposed to be a representation of London, but still I hope they say sorry . It apparently took a year to design ...and it looks like its broken.

The London 2012 bid team put the future of young athletes at the heart of its bid two years ago and consulted with children during the creation of the new logo. It seems the kids put one over on the adults. I mean seriously. This is absolute rubbish.

UPDATE: What can it be like to be at Wolff Olins today?

The national newspapers have not pulled their punches. The Daily Express calls it "a mess, a scribble...yes it's own £400,000 new olympic logo.

The Times asks is it an excuse for a logo? There is already an online petition calling for it to be scrapped and almost 15,000 people have already signed.

Marketing's editor Craig Smith on his blog says that this is exactly what you get when you involve the public.

The newly unveiled logo for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games sums up, in one excrutiatingly awful piece of design, what is wrong with asking the public to get involved in the creation of brand communications.