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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!

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In the world of advertising, understanding who you are marketing to can be the difference between creating a hit ad for your client, and throwing a pile of cash out the window.

Radio One, one of the largest radio broadcasting companies in the U.S. (it owns and/or operates 53 radio stations located in 16 urban markets), recently hired research company Yankelovich to further understand its large black market. Radio One says they conducted the study “to better understand the rich diversity among Black Americans and to help Radio One better serve this large, diverse, often misunderstood group.”

“You can’t look at Black Americans as a monolithic group,” said Radio One president, Barry Mayo (see video below).

The study broke down black America into 11 segments: Black is Better, Black Onliners, Boomer Blacks, Broadcast Blacks, Connected Black Teens, Digital Networkers, Faith Fulfills, Family Struggles, New Middle Class, Sick and Stressed, and Stretched Black Straddlers.

Along with discovering that the majority (44%) of Black Americans prefer to be called “African Americans,” the study also found nearly a third of Black Onliners admit that if they see something they like, they have to have it - even if it costs more than they would like to spend; 8 out of 10 Broadcast Blacks prefer businesses that give back to the community; and that 54% of all blacks are “optimistic about the future of blacks.”

Even though Radio One commissioned the research because of its commitment “to demonstrating the power of the black community,” the applications are helpful to marketers too. 

Brogan & Partners has been using a technology developed by Claritas Research called PRIZM to do the same sort of segmentation used in the Black America Study for almost 15 years. PRIZM, or PRIZM NE as it is now called, breaks the population down into 66 distinct segments, including Black, as well as, Latino and Asian American populations.

The segments, like Young Digerati, Pools & Patios, and Park Bench Seniors, are then used to discover where best to place an ad for our clients, how to market to different segments, and figure out whom our clients should be targeting.

“We go way beyond using PRIZM for market research and for direct mail. We created a process to mine the 30,000+ variables for the various segments in order to do PRIZM-based media planning and buying. We can show the client exactly who their best segments are and exactly which network shows, cable programs, print media, billboards, and interactive vehicles reach them,” said Brogan Media Director, Misi McClelland.

“Hopefully, the Radio One study will give us another level of understanding of the African American audiences. I am eager to get my hands on it.”

Brogan’s media team discovered they could use the technology not only to turn broadcast into narrowcast but also to use the depth of research for public relations, political campaigns, promotional partnerships and more. 

For example, Brogan used PRIZM to discover how to best reach segments most likely to on to vacation in Michigan from Chicago, Cleveland, and Indianapolis for its successful Michigan.Org campaign. Brogan’s work helped increase traffic to the site dramatically; visits increased to 3.6 million from 2.6 in the previous year.

“I know a lot of other agencies own PRIZM technology, but really understanding how it works is the key to success,” said McClelland, whose team has spent significant hours in formal training, retraining, updating, and self-training.

“Let’s not even talk about the cost of the licenses we need to maintain,” grumbled agency CEO Marcie Brogan. “Although the competitive edge it gives us and the success and cost savings it gives our clients are well worth the time and dollars.”

Radio One’s full report can be read at http://www.blackamericastudy.com/

You can read more about Brogan & Partners’ Travel Michigan work here: http://www.brogan.com/results/tm_website.htm

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