Posts Tagged ‘Olympic Games’

One Golden Rule of Publicity

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

When you’re hot – STRIKE.

Athletes and celebrities have a very short time span in the scheme of things to maximise their earning potential.

In a world that moves at a staggering pace, keeping up with sport, music, fashion and entertainment news and trends becomes a game of move on or get left behind.

Consumers are very quick to latch onto something and they’ll doit with tremendous vigor (think Harry Potter and Twilight or any big sports star).

But just as consumers are quick to latch on, they’ll move on. This means when you’re in the spotlight, work it, work it, work it!!!

You would be surprised that some talent don’t get this concept. I’ve had athletes compete at Olympics and Commonwealth Games overseas, their name and image strewn across every newspaper back here in Australia. At this point in time, the best thing they can do is get their butt on a plane and come home.

If they can do that, then I can leverage their name which is already in lights. TV, radio and print will line up for me.

However, what do most athletes do? They decide they deserve a break after years of training and book a holiday directly after their major competition. Bad idea. They just missed a golden opportunity.

I totally understand the need for a break and I’ve experienced first hand how draining major events are for athletes. After competing, they just want to let their hair down, do nothing and switch off. I get this.

But if you’re an athlete that is serious about promoting your brand to attract sponsors then you’ve got to maximise this valuable window of opportunity.

Compete at Olympics, fly home for a week of media, then go holiday. It’s that simple.

It’s no good coming home a month later when news are no longer interested and everyone else has moved on.

This applies to anyone who is experiencing a flush of publicity. Milk it. Be available. Work hard. You can always rest later when you’re not so hot.

Australia & The 2010 Winter Olympic Games

Monday, May 18th, 2009

With the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games only six months away, let’s look at who the spotlight will be on for Australia.

The main medal contenders are:

  • Torah Bright (snowboarding)
  • Holly Crawford (snowboarding)
  • Jacqui Cooper (aerial skiing)
  • Lydia Lassila (aerial skiing)
  • Dale Begg-Smith (moguls)

What if Australia only had half dozen genuine medal hopes at the Summer Olympics? Imagine the wide-spread attention those 5-6 athletes would be given in the lead up to and during the Games by media and sponsors.

Well this is exactly the scenario we have for the Winter Olympics. An uncluttered opportunity for sponsors on a global scale.

Australia won’t produce multiple medal winners like the Beijing Olympics. This means the one or two athletes who do well for Australia in Vancouver will be glorified by the media and their profile cemented much like Alisa Camplin and Steven Bradbury in 2002.

So who should Australian sponsors be looking at?

Jacqui Cooper has a good profile with a great story and will find a lot of public support for her gold medal quest.

Lydia Lassila was famously injured at the last Olympics so has the profile and will be the subject of a media fairytale if she can win.

Dale Begg-Smith is a great chance at back to back gold but the accent and fact he lives abroad leaves him little warmth from the Australian public.

Holly Crawford is good chance but stopping her might be….

Torah Bright, arguably the world’s best female snowboarding talent. Bright ticks all the boxes, good looking, clean cut, super exciting to watch, great with the media and a smile to die for. She is a super chance for gold. Watch the media and public go berzerk if this girl wins.

Socceroos

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

The Socceroos are on the verge of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. If they beat Uzbekistan next Wednesday (1st April) and other results go their way then South Africa 2010 here we come.

There is no doubting the popularity and strength of the Socceroos brand. How many other brands can unite the nation with as much passion and excitement as this mob? Who else can pack out bars at 3am on weekdays? Who else inspires people to hang flags from their car windows, to wear yellow, and to hug total strangers in the street?

Along with the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet. It only comes around every four years, but when it does, it’s a huge deal. Before the last World Cup, a lot of Australian’s didn’t know the names Mark Bresciano, John Aloisi, Mark Schwarzer and Tim Cahill. Now they do and they are superstars.

So how will Australian brands leverage Australia’s participation in the 2010 World Cup? Well, some will spend all their money with the broadcaster (SBS), some will partner with the FFA and others will align themselves with individual Socceroos and a few will do all of the above.

For those looking to sponsor individual players, keep in mind the category restrictions with FFA partners and also be aware that many Socceroos are based overseas in the lead up to the big event. That means agreements that are heavily appearance based won’t work, rather agreements that use the intellectual property (IP) of the athlete are best (think TVC’s, on pack branding, consumer promotions and print ads). But remember, non FFA partners cannot use Socceroo IP (team uniform, the word Socceroos etc).

If you’re a brand with the budget to be involved with the Socceroos or it’s players then lucky you. Just make sure that you understand what rights you have before you enter into any agreement.

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