It’s become a wallpaper of British athletes.
Few campaigns have stood out so far. P&G’s emotive ‘Mum is the hardest job in the world’ ads. British Airways’s surprising ‘Stay and support Team GB’ campaign. And Cadbury’s quirky fact-based choc-fest.
As the Games get into their stride, perhaps we should pause and review the last big sporting event. Who won the Euros? I’m not talking about the glory that is Spanish football, but which advertiser?
These days, creative briefs feature a post-digital lexicon. ‘Like’, ‘share’, ‘buzz’ and the rest. Or if you’re a bit old-school, simple ‘talkability’.
Well, amongst my mates, this TV commercial created the most chat:
It starts in typical fashion, with three blokes in a pub, clutching bottles of WKD, watching the big match. But one of them then gets a call from his other half. Instantly, the publican and regulars swing into action. Everything is made quiet as our hero explains that he’s working late in the office. The barman even has a dustbuster to hand for convincing background SFX.
Much funnier than I can describe it, WKD has captured a tongue-in-cheek male fantasy. From chuckling to sharing, the audience must have added many thousands to the value of WKD’s limited media budget.
From the beautiful game back to the modern Olympics. And while most of the 2012 advertising has fallen as flat as British medal hopes (as I write this), Danny Boyle’s breathtaking opening ceremony has given adland a lesson in true creativity.
Simon S Kershaw is a creative consultant and a former creative director at Craik Jones