A look back at Tiger and Buick

Posted by guest blogger Michael Chase

At first blush, I, as many others in the sports marketing world, was concerned about the news that Buick has chosen to end their relationship with Tiger Woods. Another chilling development with how the sports business world is being impacted by the current economic woes.

However, by most accounts, this is a no brainer for Buick and GM. The PGA will feel the economic downturn more directly than most major sports as the lion share of its sponsors are luxury brands and financial service companies. Tim Finchem is trying to boost confidence by stating the 2009 schedule is still intact, but there is little doubt the Tour will look and feel leaner.

All that said, Tiger has made the PGA what it is today by bringing in significantly more viewers, sponsorships and revenue streams that could have never been realized without him. And he will continue to do so for many years to come, barring any career threatening injuries. So, it is always alarming to see such a long standing sports marketing relationship go away, but this one makes sense.

I would also argue that Buick never realized the full potential of what they had with Tiger. The best thing that came of their relationship was being able to get Tiger to commit to a much larger number of their PGA sponsored events than he would have, helping the profile and profitability of these events. However, Buick failed to crack the code on how best to use Tiger as a pitchman.

Through the 9-year relationship, I thought there were only two advertising efforts that were done well. The first was the on-line campaign called Tiger Trap where Tiger randomly joined groups of golfers, much to their surprise. Tiger is the best golfer of all time. He is not the best actor of all time. In this effort, he was in his element and because he was not trying to force or carry a performance, he came across as very funny and enjoyable.

The other was actually a promotional TV ad where Tiger tackled a guy trying to steal his famous Buick staff bag. The physical comedy was shot well and it was even more impressive when it was revealed that not only did he perform the tackling himself, but it was an unplanned stunt that was hatched the day of production. Kudos.

Even though Tiger is one of the most sought after endorsers in sports, it is important to understand the best way to use him to create effective communication. Nike has done a great job and I would argue that Tiger's marketability has benefited tremendously from his efforts with them. Tiger had been seen as a very intense, unapproachable and somewhat aloof athlete. Thanks to commercials like Hacky Sack, his work with Charles Barkley and more recently seeing him win the British open as a child (see below), he has been taken off his pedestal and seen as likable and relatable. Not to mention, they found ways not to rely on Tiger as an actor.



Something the Buick advertising could only do in rare occasions.

What makes video viral?

Posted by guest blogger Greg Oreskovich

Do advertisers make a video viral? Or is it the viewer who does that. I think the latter.

"Ball Girl" was one of the most successful viral videos ever (8 million views and counting). Did this really happen? Did she really catch the ball?



The clip was discussed on hundreds of blogs, passed between tens of thousands of friends, talked about in mainstream media, from the Wall Street Journal to Good Morning America, ESPN and Keith Olbermann. It even fooled Ellen DeGeneres, who put out a public request for the Ball Girl to appear on her show.

But the most amazing thing, it was part of an ad campaign for Gatorade. Sure, agency folks can come up with a great idea and execute it flawlessly. But whether or not it catches on is ultimately beyond their control.

kevron5
Ok d bol, spit some sh*t at me cuz dis jank is fereal

Kevron, I couldn't have said it better.

Here we go again...

Posted by guest blogger Michael Chase

As we wait for the BCS Poll to come out this evening, the debates rage from fans across the country about who should round out the top 5, behind undisputed #1 Alabama. With Oklahoma's demolition of previous #2 Texas Tech, they have a legitimate claim. But, they lost to Texas, who is knocking on the door, as is Florida. Good arguments could be made for all three teams. And more than a few West Coasters are screaming for USC.

The BCS will apply its fuzzy math and we will know soon enough. But, this makes me want, as I do about this time every year, a better defined and straight forward approach.

A playoff system.

I won’t go into all the reasons why it would be good for college football. Or how it could work. Dan Wetzel did a great job of explaining this and how great it would have been last year. Would have been great in 2004 as well. Even President-elect Obama supports it.

Theories, opinions, politics and logistics aside, I just want to the see the teams and players settle it on the field, end of story.

But, despite stories about how the NCAA may be getting closer to some type of playoff system, it looks like things won’t change that soon. ESPN just shelled out $500 million to secure the rights to broadcast the BCS series from 2011 to 2014. This is huge amount of money for a cable network to pay (although ABC will broadcast some of the BCS bowl games), but they would not have done it had they not seen the potential for big revenue. And they agreed to broadcast in the current BCS system.

Which means, why change what is still so profitable? It most likely won't.

I am sure I will be happy to have the kind of in depth access and ability to experience the games across multiple media platforms. And it will allow advertisers unprecedented opportunities to connect with the male 18-49 demo that ESPN delivers better than anyone.

But, I would give it all up in a heartbeat, if it meant the guys on the field, not a series of equations, could decide who wins it all. In the long run, it's better for everyone.

The not very best ad of the year

Posted by guest blogger Michael Chase

Last week Danny wrote about Bike Hero, a viral effort for the Guitar Hero World Tour campaign. Indeed, an innovative approach to driving awareness and appeal for Activision's video game franchise that is feeling the pressure from rival product Rock Band. With such a hit (over 1.1 million YouTube hits and counting), it is hard to imagine how the same campaign could yield a TV commercial that is just so bad.

I am referring to the Risky Business spoof featuring sports icons Kobe, A-Rod, Michael Phelps and Tony Hawk.



When I first saw it last month, I found myself physically squirming in awkward discomfort. The same way I felt when I first watched Meet the Parents.

I think it is fair to assume that Bob Seger is not on any of these guys' playlists. The way each of them jumped around in such forced, rhythmically-challenged ways, made me feel bad for them all. While I can appreciate the intent, this is yet another example of how NOT to use athletes in advertising.

Where so many brands go wrong, is failing to find the right intersection between their marketing objectives, their brand's attributes and perceptions, and the attributes and perceptions of the athlete they choose to represent them. Each of these three areas should be well thought out. Not just so a brand can choose the right athlete endorser to sign, but also to have effective criteria to develop, create and judge the resulting communication.

For every diamond (Nike "Fate" Leave Nothing commercial w/ LT & Polamalu)...



there are so many more pieces of coal (Gillette Champions commercial w/ Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Thierry Henry)...



And while I think the Guitar Hero commercial is a piece of coal, they did create an interesting Director's Cut...

Jerry, you had me at Hello

Jerry Maguire is one of my heroes. I know he’s a fictional character. But George Bailey restores the faith of millions every holiday season, simply because he did the right thing when the time called for it. And for all of those people, he’s about as real as they come.

Jerry stood for the same thing: doing right by people even when others in his same shoes were taking an easier, greedier path. And of course, in Capra-esque fashion, both George and Jerry win in the end. And so do we, for watching their stories.
But I digress.

I love Jerry, and the movie Cameron Crowe wrote about the fragile do-gooder, because Jerry gets It. The “It” being the difference between good and bad. He gets it in the beginning of the film, when his voiceover ticks off the future sports heroes of America:

“See, America sets the tone for the world. In Indiana—Clark Hodd. Thirteen. The best point guard in the country. Seattle, Washington. Dallas Molloy. Went to court to be allowed to box professionally. She’s sixteen.”

These, I’m sure, are based on real life scenarios. Which brings me to Milan Simon Tuttle, today’s media darling and Youtube sensation.



Look at her go. She’s the next Curly Neal! Or maybe the next Jordan McCabe.



Or Marquise Walker.

He’s proof that kids aren’t necessarily being raised as much as marketed.

Why? The almighty dollar, of course.

The massive moolah waiting to be scooped up by athletes is no secret. Talent is important, but marketability is paramount. Anna Kournikova, anyone? Sure. Why not (notice not much tennis in those pics…)

Marketers are willing to throw great gobs of money at potential stars of the future. It’s what spurred Jerry on. And what eventually led him to make a U-turn and become a truly decent man. In his words:

“Now, I’ll be honest with you. I started noticing it a few years ago and didn’t say anything. In the quest for the big dollars, a lot of little things were going wrong.”

He sees the light. So he writes his mission statement.



“…we must crack open the clenched fist and give back a little for the common good…we must simply be the best version of ourselves…that goodness will be unbeatable and the money will follow.”

He distributes it to all of the agents at his firm. Which gets him fired and sends his career spiraling downward. But it eventually brings him love and success. Cool, huh? I love Jerry.

I love sports marketing, too. Not all parts of it, but enough of it to make it a major part of my life. Just because it’s more corporate business than personal pleasure doesn’t mean I can’t embrace it, learn about it, live it, and make a living off it.

More than anything, it reminds me of how lucky we are to be able to partake in our sports culture. Milan Tuttle, Marquise Walker, Frank Cushman, and the great Jerry Maguire; real or fictional, future stars or heartbreaking busts, they all feed our imaginations, demonstrate our potential, and remind us of what’s possible.

Because it’s not just about the money. It’s about the Kwan.

As Thanksgiving approaches, that’s a nice thing to keep in mind. Especially since we get to watch football all day between helpings of Tryptophan.

Hope you all have a great holiday week. I’m out of commission from November 22-29, and some of my extremely talented and Kwan-filled colleagues at Element 79 will be joining the SportsCentric fray. Enjoy.

Great ads in any language

Taking a cue from the unexpected “Bike Hero” video, let’s take a break from advertising that’s purely about sports, and travel around the globe for some fun stuff you may not have seen.

Starting in Romania, where, apparently, frat guys make ads:



Still, it's kind of funny. By the way, the end title means "Do as much as you can while you're young."

And on to Johannesburg, where a concept that’s arguably been done before surprises you into getting hungry for a burger.



There’s one word understood across the world for wonderfully simple ideas done well:

Cool.

The very best "ad" I've seen this year

This video should be presented in advertising classes tomorrow across the world as an example of how to make a piece of film that connects, entertains, surprises, and sells. In a sideways kind of way, it reminds me of Honda’s Cannes Lion winning “Cog” spot.

I don't know where it's going to be shown or how they're going to use it, but it'll get enough play from people sharing it that they may never need to buy a dollar of paid media.



Take note, marketing people. Not easy, but not expensive, and super unusual and smart.

Gee! No, G!

Sometimes a brand has to reinvent itself.

And sometimes a brand thinks it has to reinvent itself only to realize that the old way was working just fine. How do you know the difference?

So hard to know. Almost impossible. Just ask Nike. 10 years ago, they gave it a shot and strayed from “Just Do It.” Remember?



Probably not. And Nike hopes you don’t either. After their red faces regained their color, they quickly scrambled back to their vaunted tagline faster than you can say “Ooopsee!”

One thing that’s certain is that a brand that’s strongly established and firmly established in the consumer’s mind with a likeable, consistent campaign is a beautiful and rare thing and money in the bank, even for brands that depend on coolness and hipness to stay current and contemporary.

And another thing that’s certain is that change is good, especially for brands that depend on coolness and hipness to stay current and contemporary.

Gatorade is about to become the poster child for either change or constancy. They’re going through a massive overall of…well, just about everything, including positioning and advertising. We’re getting our first looks at the packaging, which is a radical departure from the classic bolt (this is just a redesign of the basic logo; extensive packaging do-overs are to come). The new logo is mostly getting raked over the coals. Mindy McCready would probably get a better reception at the Clemens house for Sunday dinner.

I have a particular interest in the saga, having worked on the brand for 15 years, writing some famous ads and having been very emotionally connected. So I promise, more to come on this one, for sure.

If you hear or see anything, please pass it on.

Focus groups' chilling effect on advertising

Wow, that must be one REALLY cold beer.



That, or what Bud Light has to say about Drinkability is so important, so relevant to my life, so time-stands-still interesting, that people are frozen right there in place, and of course, we’re supposed to stop whatever we’re doing and listen too. Hmm. Might this be a classic case of a brand telling people what the brand wants them to now, rather that what the people might want to know? Research will tell you that consumers want to know why they buy one product over another. Thank you, research, for giving us these wonderfully informative and dull ads.

Oh wait, the monologuers do funny things to the frozen people too, like pour hot sauce in their mouths. OK, that’s better. NOW I’ll pay attention to what they want me to know about the finer points of beer.

Here’s a spot that focus groups would’ve hated because they would’ve said it was too confusing.



It won the biggest advertising award in the world.

Sneaker wars jump to a new level

What makes you better at what you do? How do you best get up for a challenge?

Do you follow the Bobby Knight bejeezus-scaring school of motivational theory? WARNING: THIS IS EXTREMELY EXTREMELY EXPLETIVE LADEN.



Or are you a joyful follower of the Dick Vermeil school, sponsored by Kleenex®, (where your coach is your friend, mentor, and hugbuddy all wrapped into one)? Either way, there’ll be tears.

Maybe it’s simply good enough to look across the battlefield and stare into the eyes of a fierce opponent.

If you believe that stiffer competition makes you do better work, then there’s good news for Nike, Adidas and Reebok.

Puma has hooked up with Droga 5.

Given their history for creating ideas that make people notice, there’s no doubt they’ll do the same for Puma. It's generating much discussion and healthy debate. Big question is, what kind of a brand Puma will be?

They do sports ads now.



Nothing to write home about. Not even done all that well. Although the shoes seem pretty damn cool.

They also have seemingly endless styles of cool looking shoes in wonderfully crazy colors and designs.

So what do they focus on? Sports? Fashion? Both? Youngsters? Hipsters? Chicks? Dudes? US? Europe? Asia?

My bet is, all of the above. Can’t wait to see it.

Don't pet the messenger

Bad economy got you down? With marketers struggling to find the right messages to encourage optimistic attitudes at the cash register and beyond, here are some thoughts and suggestions to provide a bit of impetus to get folks motivated again.

The first comes from the last President to broadly inspire Americans to work for change, John F. Kennedy. He borrowed from the Chinese to make his point.

If you work at Procter and Gamble…or are in the do-it-yourself hair dye racket, then the sight of stocks plummeting makes your spirit soar.

And if, perchance, you just can’t get away from the badness out there, and have to face up to some unavoidably unpleasant facts, then you do have a good option: Send a puppy to do your dirty work.

You know what they say: The cuter the messenger, the less likely he’ll get shot.

Just don’t let him in the sausage race at Miller Park

I love guerilla marketing, and I love the smell of bacon, so it’s no surprise that I love Bacon Salt Boy. He’s the linchpin behind the new campaign from J&D’s Bacon Salt (check out their yummy smelling blog). Beside the fact that it’s calorie and fat free, it’s a great case study in effectively using new media to launch and support a new product.

BSB isn’t a big hit with the official sports entities who paid significant sums of sponsorship cash, but he’s making waves. Any time you can get a strip of bacon in the mayo ring with a giant jar of mayonnaise, you’re bound to get some attention.



I'm getting hungry.

Image of the weekend

And this was just in the first quarter.

The flying spit screaming session didn’t work, unfortunately. Ron Zook’s Illini suffered a loss to Western Michigan that was much worse than the 23-17 score, mainly because it could wind up costing them a trip to a bowl game.

Coach Zook is a genuinely nice guy, and a good coach, but he has a penchant for winding up in phun photos.

Hope you win your two last games convincingly and get to a bowl game, Coach Zook.

Celebrity endorsing gone horribly wrong, Part 1

In my rush to praise the awful yet buzzworthy Toyota "Saved by Zero" commercials, I did a terrible disservice to another commercial that is nauseatingly deserving of similar recognition.



Emmitt Smith, Clyde Frazier, and Keith Hernandez. Three athletes who have nothing to do with each other, and seemingly nothing in common, other than the fact that they’re older than young people. That, and/or they’re all terrible card players and they gambled away their pride.

And everything they say rhymes. Even the announcer! How awesome is that?

For what it’s worth, using ex-pro athletes for a men’s lose-the-grey-hair product absolutely makes sense. Might make more sense to use someone who is known for having grey hair, like Brett Favre. Maybe he’s too good a card player.

Hey Nike: Adidas is still on your tail

As far as I know, there’s no Mr. Nike. No one person in Beaverton, OR who’s given his heart and soul and name to a company, who thought up designs for his products and sketched possibilities and wrote entries in his journal that started with “The parcel of aviation gasoline and albatross feathers arrived today…I’m not certain of whether the winged chariot will fly, but then again, if I knew all the possibilities, there would be no point in trying.”

The guy who wrote that, according to a campaign from Lifelounge in Melbourne, was Adi Dassler, the man who started (with his brother Rudolf) the Adidas company.

“Adidas” has become a retronym for “All Day I Dream About Sports,” and this web campaign combines that retronym with Adi’s passion for design to showcase all kinds of crazy and wonderful possibilities in the world of athletic (ish) footwear.

Nike has kicked serious ass in the world of sports for what seems like forever, but Adidas has been nipping at their heels for years with really smart, fresh tactics like this website, including this extremely cool animated 3:00 ad featuring Adi’s story.



Adidas has something powerful with Mr. Dassler. They’d be wise to keep using him.

Maria Sharapova is about to start stripping

Maria Sharapova’s legs are so long, if we stood side by side, they would reach my Adam’s Apple. She is gorgeous. I saw her up close and her gamma ray countenance burned my forehead. Did I mention her legs are really long?

And keep in mind, she’s won Wimbledon and the Australian and US Opens. She’s got athletic cred. So it’s no surprise she's a highly sought after endorser.

In addition to Gatorade, she pitches or has pitched Nike, Motorola, Tag Heuer, Canon (“Make every shot a power shot!”), and of course Speedminton: The extreme racket sport that combines the best of tennis, badminton and racquetball!



Thank you, Maria, for promoting the sport of the future.

She’s as terrible an actress as she's always been, so she’s probably most effective in her print work. Her best performances on moving film are when she’s just playing tennis or holding her yappy little dog. Please don’t make her speak any more!

And now, as reported by Darren Rovell in his Sports Biz blog, she’s leaving Gatorade for Enlyten SportStrips, a new rehydration product similar to the way Listerine breath strips work.

Smart or not? We’ll see. She didn’t make a lot of waves pitching Gatorade. Maybe she’ll do better for an upstart. One word of advice to Enlyten: Don’t make her say anything, or at least let her hold her dog.

Quit your yappin’: Saved by Zero is brilliant

OK, I’ll pile on. But only to disagree with all of the Saved By Zero haters.



No, it’s not a good ad. Not at all. But it’s not all that different from the local auto advertising drivel, much of which consists of the following: cheap graphics, shiny cars, and a somewhat memorable '70’s or ‘80’s song that illustrates the point of the sale...and is affordable.

What’s different about SBZ is how often it has run on very visible programming and how much negative blogging it’s received. Not just one site, but another and another. People must have been saving up their hatred for a while because there’s been boatloads of it heaved at SBZ.

But in one respect, it’s awesome: You remember it.

And that’s a collective You, not just us highly refined ad watchers, but the real people of America who wouldn’t mind some good ole’ zero APR financing.

I’d put SBZ into a very special category of advertising, along The Clapper, Head-On, and our friend Ron Popiel, and hell, let’s throw in Sales Genie. Strictly based on the usually agreed upon purpose of advertising.

Sell stuff.

I’m not saying they’re good ads. They’re terrible ads. But great ads aren’t always effective, and effective ads often suck. And sometimes, legends are made out of ickiness. It just happens.

So whether you meant to get there or not, welcome, SBZ, to greatness.

Mark Cuban for Vice President

A continuation on the leadership theme. Have to go there today, considering yesterday’s historic events. And I don’t mean Daunte Culpepper possibly becoming the new Lions’ QB.

How long has it been since you’ve seen a leader with the strength, fire, conviction, and intelligence of our new President? It’s pretty impressive stuff. He might even be qualified for the second toughest job in the world right now: coaching the Michigan football team.

The best commentary I’ve seen on the President-elect and his innate ability to not just motivate, but electrify, came from Mark Cuban. His blog Maverick is often long and thoughtful, mostly about economic issues, but once in a while, he cuts to the chase with a ridiculously insightful POV, which he would probably say is nothing more than his opinion. In this case, his support of Obama was anything but economically motivated—it was a direct result of his pride in being an American. And a great observation on what Obama’s election means to this country. Check it out.

If it’s true that confidence shows itself as generosity, Obama/Cuban might be just the ticket in ’12.

Hmm...why does this version work?

Same product, same gag, different casting, a world of difference. I’m trying to put my finger on why this version of Guitar Hero’s Risky Business parody works so much better than the one with A-Rod, Kobe, Tony Hawk and Michael Phelps. It’s so hard to figure out…

No it’s not. And it has nothing to do with skin.



She made not be a pro athlete, but Heidi Klum is most definitely athletic. And smart, too, by choosing to star in this ad. She gets to show off her moves, have some fun, and deflect some of the ice princess criticism she’s received for her role hosting Project Runway. It’s an entertaining ad for an entertainment product. And Monday Night Football is the perfect media placement. Hell, run it on every sporting event for the next month. She plays much better in this ad and for this brand than the superstar quartet in and pink tops and barely visible undies. Interestingly enough, fans seem to be agreeing. Go figure.

Maybe Kobe should’ve taken his top off too.

How Sports And Marketing Are Oddly Similar, Part 1

I know it’s somewhat clichéd. But by their definition, clichés are overused truths, so while it may try your patience to endure them, it also means that there’s some value in them to begin with. So I offer this to you:

Creativity is nothing without leadership. In sports, as in marketing.

The marketing part, as in all business, seems pretty obvious, right? Even the strongest business people in the world can flounder without strong leadership.

But I’d suggest that even the most creative people will flounder, too. Great ideas are one of the single most important factors in business success, but without someone to nurture, refine, and sell them, they'll meet the same fate as a Brooks Bollinger pass. Nowhere, fast. Most ideas that come out looking like diamonds take a lot of polishing to get there. It's a team effort.

Same’s true in sports. Even more so. A strong collection of athletes is just that until someone shapes them into a Team, puts the idea of Winning into their collective head, and leads them. One example of this is the current squad that use to be called “America’s Team,” but now should be called “Where the hell is Tony Romo’s team?”

The key line from yesterday’s stats:

PASSING_Dallas, B.Johnson 5-11-2-71, Bollinger 9-16-1-63.

Ouch. The projected division champs fall to the bottom of the division. Looks like the Cowboys miss their leader.

The other side of the coin is, when one leader falls, sometimes, another rises up. That’s how Mr. Romo got his break (sorry, Drew Bledsoe).

In Chicago, Bears fans are hoping that Rex Grossman is the next Tony Romo, not the next Brooks Bollinger.

Peyton Manning: the best endorser in the business

There’s a reason Peyton Manning is in so many commercials. Like his fellow Gatorade endorser Michael Jordan, he’s money in the bank.

He’s got comedic chops and great timing. The man is funny. As proven by his latest effort for Mastercard.



He’s reliable. He’s sincere. And he’s just so damn likeable.

And more important, he’s got cred from winning the Super Bowl. That way, he can make people laugh without being a joke.

And having worked with him a couple of times, I know that he’s truly a good guy.

He’s living proof that you get what you pay for.

$1 billion for a plumber's smile?

The new Pepsi logo is popping up everywhere on Ad blogs. The corporate Mega Giant took five months to develop it and will spend a billion dollars to update their 21 year old wavy thing.



That means repainting trucks, rewrapping vending machines, replacing stadium signage and sending out new point-of-sale materials…and that’s just the beginning; picture anything with a logo. Letterhead, briefcases, those slick polo shirts and all of their wonderful corporate clothing, even the napkins in the cafeteria. All will need to change. I still see trucks with logos from the late ‘90’s on one of the brands I used to work on. The is a massive undertaking.

According to Pepsi leadership, each brand has it’s own version:

Pepsi’s logo is a smile, Diet Pepsi looks like a grin, and Pepsi Max will be a full laugh. Hmm. It’s so…what’s the best way to say this…well intentioned, yet horribly unclear, and more confusing than memorable.

It’s a great example of a marketer telling us what they want us to know, not what we might be interested in.

In general, I think change is good, but this is very expensive, very corporate change. If Pepsi thinks people are going to remember the smile distinctions between the different products, they’ve been to one too many logo design presentations.

Some have described the new logo as asscrack. I wouldn’t go that far, but Coke has been kicking ass in the marketing world. And I think Pepsi blinked.