Crisis Management, MLB, NFL, New York Times, Olympics

Can The Paralympics Be A Marketing Platform For Brands?

As we head toward the Vancouver Olympics and continue to immerse ourselves in the Tiger Woods train wreck, it is interesting to look for other opportunities where a brand like Accenture can potentially look to re-invest the millions just pulled away from Woods. Is the Paralympics an opportunity for Accenture or other brands looking to partner with great stories? This past week’s Sports Illustrated had an amazing dual tale of two Paralympic stories from Beijing…Marin Morrison and Nick Scandone…who not only epitomized the Olympic spirit of overcoming great odds, but were also phenomenal athletes themselves before disease (brain cancer and ALS) got the better of their bodies, but not their minds or spirit. Wertheim did a great job of capturing the spirit of the Paralympics…full crowds of everyday people who could not get into the Olympic games, athletes from all over the world overcoming great challenges to succeed, yes to win, but also to compete, all great examples of what sport is supposed to be all about. The event did receive solid media coverage but was not the media extravaganza that the regular Olympics are, and as such suffered from branding exposure that is growing but nowhere near what it could be. Could a brand or brands, with a great integrated marketing campaign, turn its focus to the Paralympics? There would be no shortage of stories…they would get great appreciation from a loyal global following, they would have a created media platform to tell their story as to “why,” and they would be a leader in the branding world as one of the first all-in sponsors of Paralympics. The athletes are solid players in social media. They are well spoken, come from varied backgrounds and are appreciative for the coverage and the ancillary dollars that could come in. The have a wow factor just for what they are able to achieve as individuals and as a group. They could also be a platform to again educate a public that is still skiddish at watching people with disabilities. Given the advanced technology that now comes along with replacement limbs and rehabilitation, could there even be an education and inspiring science component built in? Tech companies, pharma, insurance, military…all have the potential to line up, as well as rising brands looking for a non traditional splash.

Yes there are brands that do put money toward these great athletes…Nike, The Hartford, Visa…all take shots at activating with these athletes as part of bigger picture deals with the Olympics or with individual Federations. However, Paralympics is not the focus, it is the add-on. Now that’s justifiable with the dollars spent toward the winter and summer Games, but wouldn’t other brands be interested at a second tier? When we are looking for heroes to activate on a broad scale event, maybe the Paralympics can provide that opportunity. We can look to Vancouver to see a potential answer.

Some other good reads…The New York Times gave us a great look into the life of Johann Santana…AD Week has a look at the top 10 brand launches in 2009…Tara Sullivan in the Bergen Record has a look at Tiki Barber’s philanthropic work…and Yahoo’s Martin Rogers has a look at all the drama surrounding Italy’s Serie A.