Naturescapes. Really great, but just a smidge ironic that this ‘natural’ experience is artificial. Still, tell the kids that… (Taken with Instagram)
A brand values lesson of olympic proportions
So the Olympic juggernaut is rolling and I find myself unable to join the spirit of the games. It’s not bah humbug, it’s a realisation that I really don’t align with the games’ values. First world problem? Not really, but a definite consumer choice.
When the stories started emerging about the brand police antics, the world’s biggest Maccas, London taxis not allowed to use traffic lanes, and athlete’s egos wildly out of control, I lost interest immediately. Is this about the highest achievements in sport or the biggest bang a buck can buy?
It seems the olympic committee (switch to no caps) has forgotten the media revolutions of the past four years, particularly around social platforms. Brands are no longer pulled down from butcher’s shops or banned from Twitter, they’re co-created, earned and shared. But not for the olympics it seems. I try my best to find footage (being in another time zone) and Youtube provides nada. I try to watch BBC footage embedded in news stories to no avail. What’s going on here? Don’t they want to propagate, celebrate and share the very best sporting achievements around the globe? Apparently not – because the sponsors have bid highest to own that privilege.
And then there’s Maccas. There is something inherently wrong with the world’s biggest purveyor of unhealthy lifestyle food and bottom feeding store experiences being an official partner. It certainly doesn’t resonate with my ideals or make much sense. Do the winners get a Big Mac on the podium? Thankfully I’m not on my own with this one – woeful misalignment with the corporate dollar has been noted elsewhere.
Perhaps the olympics ‘owners’ will learn the lessons of the new brand landscape. Perhaps they’ll understand the games are owned by every person who ever aspired or was inspired by the greatest sporting show on earth, and perhaps they’ll give it back. More likely, they’ll continue down the path of OmniCorp, and we’ll get 20 seconds to comply when we share an unauthorised meme, photo or social stream.
