JWT’s AnxietyIndex is designed as a place to discuss how brands and consumers are responding to the global recession. With daily content updates, AnxietyIndex.com includes contributions from around JWT’s network, offering a truly global perspective.
Delhi will host its biggest sporting event yet, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in October, but nothing seems to be going right. With news channels ferociously digging up every real or potential issue related to the Games—from exposes about corruption within the Indian Olympic Association to the city’s unpreparedness for the mega event—Delhi citizens are braving a series of anxiety attacks. Enter the tycoon Subrata Roy Sahara of Sahara Samay, a national news network, who wrote what he called an “Emotional Appeal,” carried on the front page of a leading daily.
Sahara, who’s synonymous with the Sahara brand, charges that while the media “has done its duty,” his fellow news networks and media owners have also “overdone it,” causing “absolute negativity” among Indians and leading to bad PR for India. He asks the media to withhold further negative coverage until after the Games, “for the pride of our beloved country.” It could be argued that his patriotic-sounding appeal is an effort to cover up his network’s inability to come up with an expose to match that of his competitors. But either way, through this well-managed PR exercise, Sahara succeeded in building his own reputation as well as that of his news channel. Sahara Samay comes off looking mature and nationalistic by choosing to allay public anxiety at a time when other brands have been fueling it.
“If Spain wins the World Cup, we’ll have to rethink our GDP growth forecast.” Those were the words of the minister of industry a few days before the World Cup final; going by the same rule, losing could lead to a slight decrease. The idea is simple: If I wake up happy and in a good mood, I might go out for lunch, get a fancier wine for dinner and book my vacation with a bit more enthusiasm. And if 40 million people wake up optimistic and confident, that could make a difference for the national economy.
Ironically, it was the Dutch bank ABN AMRO that researched the topic (after the 2006 World Cup) and released the study “Soccernomics,” which puts the economic effect of winning the World Cup at an additional 0.7 percent year-over-year growth for the winner; the loser is forecast to see a negative impact of 0.3 percent.
The economic effect in Spain remains to be seen, but the country certainly forgot about recession and unemployment for a few days. People focused on what they have in common rather that what differentiates them, and embraced the colors of our flag, finally getting over the bitter memories of dictatorship that it carried. What else can brands do beyond the typical endorsement or congratulatory note to ride out the wave of positive public sentiment following a win?
We’ve written about two brands (Heineken and the sports channel Eurosport France) that have created campaigns based around the anxiety felt by soccer fans when they miss important games. With the 2010 World Cup, anxiety in this part of the world centered on the fact that the games were scheduled during working hours: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time. Starbucks saw an opportunity, presenting itself as a solution that would allow people to watch the match and work at the same time. No guilt or stress over hiding from the boss. The other idea: to position a coffee drink as a beer alternative for watching these workday games.
Starbucks gave the World Cup a business breakfast touch. It installed 71 big flat-screen TVs in select branches and boosted its Wi-Fi so that the added online traffic wouldn’t cause problems. People would be able to work as fast as in their offices, but with a richer experience. There were also some World Cup breakfast specials and socially focused promotions (e.g., buy two, get one free). The stores seemed to be buzzing with people, and, more important, many customers (mostly male) started seeing Starbucks differently, as a new place to meet up with friends.
Sports branding and sponsorships are forecast to be the fastest-growing component of global sports market spending over the period 2009-2013, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. But after the lost endorsement costs of Tiger Woods, anxious brands are looking for ways to hedge the risk of featuring star athletes. “The only safe athlete is one whose story is complete,” noted Sports Illustrated in the early days of the Woods scandal.
Accordingly, some brands are looking to athletes with nostalgic appeal. A new campaign from iXP Corp., a U.S. firm that consults on emergency-response systems, features Yogi Berra and illustrates, according to The New York Times, “the consistent demand among marketers for endorsers—particularly athletes—who have proven themselves over the long term.” Other safe bets the Times cites include Cal Ripken Jr., Joe Montana and Jack Nicklaus.
Other brands are diversifying their endorsement portfolios with “hometown heroes” who can drive timely regional campaigns. New online services like Brand Affinity Technologies are helping to disrupt the traditional endorsement model—based on national campaigns and six-figure deals—by connecting regional athletes with advertisers, enabling quick creation of lower-cost local campaigns. When the Detroit Red Wings advanced to the Stanley World Cup finals last year, for example, within days Ford was featuring team captain Nicklas Lidstrom in an online campaign for the Fusion targeted to Detroit.
With today’s big kickoff, World Cup fever is upon us. To tap into nationalist excitement, The New York Times reports, European retailers are offering money-back deals on a range of merchandise—TVs, cars, driver navigation systems, even vacations—if the relevant home team takes the trophy. The most fascinating promotion comes from Nationwide bank in the U.K., a sponsor of the England team. With the tagline “If England win, you win,” the 4 Year Football Bond offers a fixed bonus over the normal rate of 0.50 percent gross per year from May 2011 till maturity—in the event that “England lift the cup in South Africa.”
In the aftermath of the British banking crisis, it’s interesting to see a financial institution produce such a lighthearted promotion. Given that banks have been maligned as a key cause of the U.K.’s fiscal troubles, it seems like a good idea for Nationwide to be willing to take a hit—that is, pay more in interest—if those who believe in England (the team) are ultimately validated. And also to further link the brand with the team, an outlet for British anxieties—at least for as long as they stay in the tournament.
South Africa has invested several billion dollars into hosting the FIFA World Cup, in large part to boost its image on the world stage. The country is highly motivated by “reputation-anxiety,” says South African journalist Mark Gevisser. But the spotlight holds a risk. As a senior government official told him: “When the world’s cameras are trained on you, sure they pick up the feel-good stories … but they also look for trouble—which is not difficult to find in South Africa.” (Case in point: This AlJazeera English broadcast, titled “South Africa crime clouds World Cup” on YouTube.)
To keep the emphasis on the positive, South Africa’s First National Bank (FNB) has been sponsoring the Shine 2010 campaign, which consists of a website and the usual social media platforms (Facebook, YouTube, etc.). The site (billed as “Home of the 2010 World Cup good news”) offers an upbeat blog, a Good News section, video clips, podcasts and guides for World Cup attendees. “We believe that confidence in South Africa only needs a home,” the About section explains. The idea is to “shape perceptions online” and inspire locals “to be active ambassadors,” FNB’s head of marketing told BizCommunity.com.
For a brand operating in a relatively new nation (the post-apartheid era began in 1994) worried about potential embarrassment, FNB seems to be doing a good job not only positioning itself as a South Africa booster but giving citizens the tools to join in.
Before each big football game or competition, men are anxious about being unable to watch because of interference from their wife. Last year Heineken took this guy problem into consideration in Italy, with a prank that led to a viral video. JWT Italy created an elaborate ruse: Hundreds of football fans were asked to forget about watching an important league game in order to follow their girlfriends, bosses or parents to an opera. To their eventual delight, however, there was no opera—Heineken sponsored a screening of the game at the concert hall.
This year it’s Eurosport France that will help guys not to miss a game. The sports channel is sponsoring sauvezmacoupedumonde.com (“Save My World Cup”), a contest that gives men 90 seconds to explain through their Webcam why their wife should be as far away as possible during the World Cup. The site is clever, masking participants’ faces, and changing their voices. The guy who gets the most votes will win a weeklong trip to South Africa—actually a safari for his wife and her friends. Meanwhile, he’ll be in Corsica with 10 friends, watching the World Cup by the pool.
The contest is a good idea because it taps into something everybody identifies with, and it’s personal and fun. Plus, everyone wins: the soccer fan and his friends, his wife and her friends, and the brand.
Increasing violence in Mexico has made people afraid of going out to public spaces and events like soccer matches, spaces claimed by delinquents. In response, Club Deportivo Guadalajara (a soccer club commonly known as Chivas) teamed up with local sports retailer Martí and Reebok for the Juega sin miedo (Play without fear) campaign. “Juego sin miedo” has a double meaning, both a boastful “No fear of defeat” for the playing field and a call to action for people afraid to report crimes (because of police corruption). Martí owner Alejandro Martí, who lost his 14-year-old son in a violent kidnapping in 2008, was motivated to promote a culture of not giving up, of together reviving our public spaces and our country.
Launched last September, the campaign revolved around a limited-edition soccer jersey for Chivas that was sold at Martí stores; part of the proceeds went to the SOS Foundation, which helps crime victims. There was event marketing at soccer matches and Martí stores and a huge PR push with key soccer players and media personalities wearing the jersey. The jerseys sold out, and the estimated endorsement of the personalities wearing them was worth millions of pesos.
One of the Super Bowl’s standout commercials was from Denny’s, with its recession-friendly “panicky poultry,” as The Wall Street Journal put it. The spots featured chickens— from Mount Rushmore to the Oval Office to outer space—screaming their heads off. Why all the screaming? Denny’s was announcing its second annual free Grand Slam breakfast this Tuesday. Since it includes two eggs, a whole lot of egg-laying would be necessary.
The ads declared, “Great day to be an American. Bad day to be a chicken.” It’s nice to hear that it’s good to be an American, especially in uncertain times like these. Denny’s message touches recession-minded viewers by lightheartedly suggesting, at least you’re not a screaming chicken.
The marketer that might have been most expected to at least tacitly address the recession was CareerBuilder, but its spot avoided serious undertones, portraying an office that takes casual Fridays too far, with employees running around in underwear. The site missed an opportunity to connect with job hunters and inspire them.
We just wrote about the irony of multinational big-box retailer Office Depot casting its lot with the little guy in a somewhat shameless bid to tap into populist zeal. By contrast, Miller Life will run regional Super Bowl ads that showcase a more authentic effort to align with the Main Street America ethos.
“This year the brand is giving its Big Game commercial to deserving small businesses from around the country,” reads Miller High Life promotional copy. “The ad … reinforces that Miller High Life isn’t just about brewing a good, honest beer at a tasty price, it’s about helping others live the High Life as well.” Spots will highlight four businesses (Loretta’s Authentic Pralines in New Orleans, etc.).
A teaser ad cleverly positions this Super Bowl advertiser as standing apart from “those big muckety-muck companies [that] prance out those fancy-pants commercials.” The tone is spot-on, as is the approach (positioning the effort as socially responsible). And it’s the perfect time for a brand that has long cultivated a blue-collar image to play on populist sentiment.
Delhi will host its biggest sporting event yet, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in October, but nothing seems to be going right. With news channels ferociously digging up every real or potential issue related to the Games—from exposes about corruption within the Indian Olympic Association to the city’s unpreparedness for the mega event—Delhi citizens are braving a series of anxiety attacks. Enter the tycoon Subrata Roy Sahara of Sahara Samay, a national news network, who wrote what he called an “Emotional Appeal,” carried on the front page of a leading daily.
Sports branding and sponsorships are forecast to be the fastest-growing component of global sports market spending over the period 2009-2013, according to 
