February 2020 - Vol 2. Issue 2
February 2020 - Vol 2. Issue 2
February 2022 Vol 2. Issue 2
SuperFebruary
Marketers were looking forward to February 2022. It promised to be a super month for advertisers.
With the Winter Olympics in Beijing leading off the month from the 4th to the 20th and the Super Bowl, the biggest advertising event of the year, right in the middle, on the 13th, marketers and NBCUniversal were looking forward to a double bonanza for their Brands. But a new Covid surge and geopolitical tensions with China, the Olympic host nation, are presenting additional challenges. Let’s dive into this.
Olympic athletes are trying to stay focused on their training while contending with covid restrictions, limited fan support, and whether or not to use burner phones. At the same time, pressure continues to mount for global sponsors to boycott the Beijing Olympics due to human rights issues in the host country. The leading global Olympic sponsors include Airbnb, Alibaba, Allianz, Atsos, Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Intel, Omega, Panasonic, P&G, Visa, Toyota, Samsung. Each pays at least $300 million to the International Olympic Committee for a multi-year sponsorship deal.
In return, these global Brands receive category exclusive rights to use the famous Olympic branding (5 rings) in their ads and marketing material as well as signage and events at the games. For example, Omega is always featured in any timed competitions. Visa offered innovative wearables to provide athletes with contactless payment options at the last Winter Olympics. For more examples, click Olympic sponsorships.
For a deeper understanding of the controversy, this WSJ article provides information on how these major Brands are responding or not responding and what is at stake being caught between Beijing and the US
Along with others, Fordham’s Associate Prof. Mark Conrad, Law & Ethics also provided his perspective in this AP article, IOC major sponsors mostly muted in runup to Beijing Olympics.
Superbowl LVI
Right in the middle but less controversial, is the Super Bowl also being broadcast by NBC Universal. Despite last year’s lowest levels of viewership since 2007, Brands are paying a record level of $6.5 MM for thirty seconds of air-time. Major Brands have already started to release their teaser campaigns. Ad agency pundits predict a return to themes that are celebratory, more humorous with higher entertainment value, a marked change from the more serious tonality of last year. Click on the link to check out the different Superbowl themes.
On Feb. 17 join us at 6 PM for a fun session as FGMS and MEA host a Post-Game Analysis Show with Marketing Instructor, Linda Luca. Stay tuned for more details.