As marketers continue to leverage the Summer Olympic Games in Rio, Marketing asked a number of experts to offer their critiques of the executions currently in rotation on television and online.
Petro Canada’s “Tomorrow’s Team Canada”
Lance Martin is the executive creative director and a partner at Union
“It’s easy to throw money at athletes after they’re successful. Petro Canada wants us to know they’re not so shallow. They support the up-and-comers as they try to make the Olympic team for the next Games. Noble cause. I’m on board.
“But then they go and make these ads so gosh-darned earnest, and the poor athletes never really come to life. In this particular spot, there’s no compelling back story, no exciting shots of what must be an exciting sport and, in the end, I’m left feeling emotionally flat. Canadians look forward to the drama and excitement of the Olympics. In order to truly stand out we need to pack that same drama into our work.”
