There were no big flops on the Olympic-themed advertising front, but a few commercials hit the mark more than others, according to a new study.
In a couch session conducted by Toronto-based Harbinger with women 24 to 63, participants were asked to rank Olympic-themed ads being broadcast in Canada during the Games. P&G’s “Thank You, Mom – Strong” emerged as their most memorable, followed by Samsung’s “The Anthem” and Sport Chek’s “Olympic Manifesto.”
The winning ads “really connected with them based on their shared values and experiences,” said Peter Boyce, vice-president of strategic planning at Harbinger.
With the P&G spot, the women “could understand on an emotional level what their own mom meant to them,” added Boyce. “They obviously aren’t Olympic athletes, but they saw the pivotal role that moms played in their lives.”
The Sport Chek spot appealed to women because it showed that life isn’t just full of triumphs, said Boyce. In addition, “some of the women who had been athletes themselves really understood that on a personal level. So it’s a combination of personal experiences and values.”
In the winning spots, the women also saw a natural fit with the products. “When products were integrated into the ads, they were done in a smart, natural way,” said Boyce. One participant, for example, felt Samsung’s “The Anthem” effectively made a connection between the company, the product, and the humanistic values that unite everyone.
The other ads reviewed in the couch session were Coca-Cola’s “Gold Feelings,” Omega’s “Recording Olympic Dreams Since 1932,” Visa’s “The Carpool to Rio,” RBC’s “Make it to the Olympic Games with the RBC mobile app,” Canadian Tire’s “Pedestal,” and Petro Canada’s “Tomorrow’s Team Canada – Virgine Chénier.”
“Quite honestly, there were no ads where women said we hate them, they’re awful ads,” said Boyce. “We wanted to get to the learning of why these ads didn’t work [as well as the others].”
One reason they fell flat was there was a perceived disconnect between the products themselves and the Olympics or athletics in general. “They just seemed to be completely out of context in terms of what the products were about and athletics,” said Boyce.
With some ads, the women felt the ads featured athletes who are just contractually obligated to be part of the ads,” said Boyce. “If athletes are going to be integrated into the ads, they need to be done so in a natural way.”
The key takeaway for marketers is “make sure there is an underlying connection based on values and personal experiences,” said Boyce. Secondly, “if you’re integrating your products, do so in a way that makes sense. If product has nothing to do with athletics, or if it looks like it’s contrary to athletics, make sure that it’s not going to look obvious.”
Finally, grab attention. “A lot of women said if they were in another room, the ads that fell flat wouldn’t make them run into the [TV room] to watch them,” said Boyce. “Good use of music and sound can play a really strong role in grabbing attention.”
The Sport Chek spot, for example, featured Canadian poet and spoken word performer Shane Koyczan. “It really grabbed their attention if they happened to be doing something else, or looking at another screen,” said Boyce.
In addition to the couch session, Harbinger conducted an online survey of more than 1,500 men and women from across Canada. The survey found women (39%) are more likely than men (27%) to like ads that feature stories about athletes and/or their families. Women (35%) are also more likely than men (25%) to say ads are more memorable if they celebrate people coming together. Men (20%) are more likely than women (13%) to say ads that feature their favourite sport are more memorable.
