AN ATTEMPT AT OLYMPIAN POSITIVITY

As a London resident, I haven’t been able to avoid Olympic frenzy – from Games Lanes to the helicopters that are permanently stationed over our house (well, the Olympic Park probably) night and day.

In an attempt to dispel frustration and Olympic fatigue, I thought I’d hopefully encourage a more positive outlook by sharing two TV commercials which don’t smack of big brand commercial exploitation.

The first is from Aldi. True to form it is understated and funny – how could you not have a warm, fuzzy feeling about the Olympics after watching this?

 

And secondly, something completely different: Channel 4, has extensive coverage, (sponsored by Sainsburys), of the Paralympics. Their film to advertise the activity is beautifully made and completely engaging. I watched it and felt more than a stir of patriotic pride – now I am definitely looking forward to making use of my Paralympic swimming tickets!

It was really refreshing to watch an emotive piece which was about real sporting endeavour instead of a means to sell mobile phones or razors:

Let me know if you agree.

OLYMPIC CHANNELS

My bus journey from Hackney to work this morning took a lifetime as we ground to a halt in the centre of town. I was reliably informed by the delivery guy who entered the office with me, that it was “due to the Olympics and by tomorrow London will be totally gridlocked with no-one able to go anywhere”.

Rather apt then that my partner discovered last night that the BBC is providing  25 video channels on Freesat and Sky dedicated to the Games, in addition to its traditional TV channels, extensive online and mobile content.

As a man of the 3 channel generation (BBC1, BBC2, ITV), he doesn’t know why we need so many live video streams.

I’d like to say it is an example of the revolution in the way we now engage with events, the total immersion, multi-platform experience offered by providers.

However, when I missed most of this morning’s departmental meeting, I found myself wondering if the BBC know something we don’t?

Are they making the most of the leap forward in digital technology to provide a way for us all to enjoy the Games even if we can’t actually leave home and physically get anywhere? (even possibly the Olympic Park?)

I hope they are proved wrong, but after this morning’s journey I fear they might be on to something.

 

BOOM IN DIGITAL MEDIA AD SPEND

I’ve been laid low with a horrible summer cold over the past few days (I say “summer” but could really have been any other season given this weather). Whilst I was lying in my sick-bed, Julian Simpson sent me an email with a link to a Guardian article which rather neatly follows on from my last post.

Sir Martin Sorrell’s Group M estimates that TV and press advertising income will fall by over £350m in the UK during 2012, despite the presence of Euro 2012 and the much-hyped London Olympics.

However, the media buying network predicts that this downturn in traditional print and broadcast will be eclipsed by a boom in digital advertising.

Internet spending is expected to hit £5.35bn this year, an increase of more than £650m over the amount Group M calculates was spent in 2011, with a forecast of a 14.2% increase in 2012.

So, time to get creative. Time for brands and their agencies to embrace all the exciting new ideas they might have rejected in the past as too innovative or risky.

I certainly know lots of people at UA more than capable of revolutionising the way companies communicate with their consumer-base online.

 

6 MONTHS TO THE OLYMPICS

Just in case you missed it: the opening ceremony of the Olympics is in 6 months’ time and the build-up is just going to get bigger.

Instead of writing about it though, I thought I’d provide you with a haven away from all that with a look at Adweek’s Freakiest Ads of 2011. After all it is Friday and I’m sure everyone could do with a little light relief at the end of the week.

Here are the top 30.

Their choice of Number 1 is actually a series of commercials for an American product called “Help I can’t Sleep”.

With the description on the company’s website as:  A cheese sandwich contains pickles and if you don’t feel like eating pickles, you can open up your cheese sandwich and remove the pickles. But when a sleep aid contains pain medication, and you don’t feel like taking pain medication, you can’t open up your sleep medication and remove the pain medication. Help I can’t sleep contains 16 uncoated and uncolored diphenhydramine caplets. No pain medication, and no pickles, you just know their commercials are going to be weird.

Have a look here.

Not nearly as odd as Number 2 though. A four-minute film of David Lynch talking to a dismembered Barbie head in the palm of his hand to advertise his own range of coffee …. I kid you not – you can watch it here.

My personal favourite is Number 26 for a pest control company called Orkin featuring two very cool rocking rats and a frightened family.

Let me know which one you think should have gone to Number 1.