Advertising and Sport

Today, I would like to talk about sportswomen in advertising.

I think that associate beautiful woman image with a product is a constant in the advertising world: woman body was always over-exploited in order to sell a product or a brand.

Today, sportswomen are associated with values like health, beauty, well-being or youth.

In commercials, sportswomen are used for their glamour or sexy side but above all for health virtues. The beauty, by physical exercises, become the leitmotiv to have a healthy body.

Sportswoman target the gap “health by sport” and become somebody to look up to.

But sometimes, I think they exploit too much the advertising world: they become “Barbie dolls” and overlook their careers like Anna Kournikova for example

This week I will talk about a poll done by the French polling institute, Ipsos, in January 2008. This poll is used for the prize list of TV advertisements which impress French people in 2007.

The first three are:

1 – Nespresso (with George Clooney) / Ipsos results* : 47,5 % / Advertising agency: Mc Cann Erickson Paris

2 – Kinder Bueno (with Didier Drogba) / 34,8 % / Providence

3 – Milk product advertisement / 27,1 % / La Chose

*The Ipsos results are calculated with the product of two indicators:
- Impact (percentage of interviewees describing the ad with at least one element of the ad)
- Pleasure (percentage of interviewees who like the TV ad)

In the 2008 prize list, we can see more and more stars in the ad in comparison to the last years. But the use of a star in an advertisement is not a guarantee for the success of the ad. The star has to be a minimum famous, quickly identifiable and credible in the message. For example, I think Zidane, like I said previously in another post, is not credible in the Grand Optical advertisement.

The success of 2007 advertisements is based on a particular mechanism: the star is “desecrated” with a direction different of his usual status. For example, Clooney is not a seductive actor but only a simple customer in a Nespresso shop or Drogba is not a sportsman but just a buyer of Kinder Bueno in front of a vending machine. The star is the brand!

Let’s talk about the example of Kinder Bueno.

In the advertisement, a woman is in front of a vending machine and wants to take the last Kinder Bueno of the machine. Didier Drogba, the famous Chelsea player, wants it and tells “you know who I am”. The girl says “No”, he says “I’m Didier Drogba”. The girl answers “Didier Drogba, the footballer! So what, me too I play football” and she leaves. Then cut to the product.

I think Drogba is not the best actor but it is funny this mechanism of desecration of the star.

To conclude I think this prize list is justified. The mechanism is interesting and can work like we see in the first two advertisements but also with the fourth in the ranking: the funny ad of “Orange” during the rugby world cup with two sportsmen Fabien Galthié, former rugby player, who is, in this ad, the rugby coach of… Zidane!

This week, I will talk about the English footballer, David Beckham.

Beckham is a talented football midfield, he played for Manchester United and Real Madrid. In January 2007, he decided to go in the Major League Soccer in the USA to play with Los Angeles Galaxy. He signed for a five-year contract for ten million dollars per year.

But Beckham, with his wife Victoria, is above all a brand. The power of brand “Posh and Becks” has grown up with sponsoring deals and advertising campaigns.

Today, I think that David Beckham has found a new very well-paid job without difficulty but for me it is sad because he was a really good player and maybe he is gone to USA too soon in order to make business. It’s a shame!

Some sportsmen or women are better in advertisement because they are not very good in their sport like, for example, Anna Kournikova (former tennis woman…). But, I think that Beckham waste his talent and the end of his career.

Everybody knows this french football player for his talent, his dribbling, his personality or his head butt during the final of the world cup 2006. He is also known for his charitable action or for his advertisement for Orange, French Telecom Company, Generali, an insurance company or Danone. He is the favorite personality of French people during many years but now he is retired of football.

His name is Zinedine Zidane, and he is the best French brand for any product!

Indeed, I like football and Zidane was one of the best players of the last ten years. But with the evolution of the “foot-business” during the last years, Zidane has taken advantage of the phenomenon and he became practically the symbol of sportsmen in advertising after being the symbol of football and the French team.

Indeed, he lives well his retirement with many advertising contracts and especially one which surprised me: Grand Optical. In 2007, Zidane became the effigy of this company and made an advertisement. In this ad, Zidane test a pair of glasses and to see if it’s good for him he make some dribbling in the store!

To be honest, I don’t find the interest of the presence of Zidane in this ad. First, we never see him wearing glasses. Secondly, I think there is no content in this advertising and the image of Zidane is not well-used. The game, the class or the competition can be some values in relation with the football player.

So, did Grand Optical look just for some exposition with Zidane? Certainly but for what is the message? And Zidane is really obliged to sell his image for nothing? Money is his only motivation now?

This week, I will talk about how brands can choose their stars?

I will take the example of Chabal, the French rugby player, and Caron, the luxurious perfume brand.

In 2007, Sebastien Chabal, rugby player, became the star of French team and also one of the favorite sportsmen for French people. The infatuation that Chabal sparked off was so important that advertisers wanted to join this phenomenon.

But the most important question is how can I use this man? Poweo, an electricity company, has completely failed with a sad gesture: Chabal, in order to have this power, this strength, put these fingers in a plug! Even if I think it is a funny advertising, it is not very subtle and intelligent when child look that!

I think the “humorous card” or the “power card” can be useful with a man like Chabal but a brand perfume choose another one that I don’t think at the beginning: the “glamour card”.

Indeed, Caron chose in April 2008 Chabal to his perfume “Pour un homme”. This choice can surprise many people and for me, it is a little bit risky. Indeed, I think Caron is a little bit late: Chabal don’t play anymore with French team and Euro football cup or the Olympics games are the most important events of 2008 in front of rugby. I think Chabal awareness was more interesting after the World Rugby Cup in autumn 2007. Furthermore, Chabal don’t seem to be a man who takes good care of him.

Today, Caron don’t announce the impact of this advertising but maybe the charismatic rugby player will be soon in the news…

Everybody knows these men:

Let me tell you some things about Gillette:
In 2005, Procter & Gamble, one of the biggest spenders in the advertising world, bought Gillette. For their new ad in 2007, they’re looked for sportsmen not only for their performances but also for their behaviours.
Why was it so important for Gillette, this new ad campaign? First, for example, American men spent $1.7 billion a year on blades and razors. Secondly, like all campanies, they wanted to win market shares!!
So they chose Thierry Henry, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods to represent Gillette because of their success, their status, their clean living and their charitable works.

But today everything is different: Henry came down with a career-damaging and now plays with just flashes of his former brilliance; Woods blew out his knee, came back too quickly and now he is out for the year; Federer has serious trouble to beating Nadal not just on clay but also on grass and lost recently his first place.

But is it important for Gillette the performances? Not necessarily. The three champions proved their talent in the past. And today, even if they don’t play well or not at all, they can count on Gillette in order to provide for their needs…

Hello everybody!!!

Welcome on my blog.

I have chosen this topic because I am very interested in sport and the role, the impact of sportsmen in advertising today!!

Have a good time on my blog