Anyone game?

An event which commands the media focus and the attention of the entire planet for 2 weeks, reaching billions of people in over 200 countries; it’s safe to say the Olympics are one of the most effective international marketing platforms. The record 63 sponsors this year have got it made with their logos splashed over every event, athlete and venue. They also benefit from use of all Olympic imagery, as well as appropriate Olympic designations on products, hospitality opportunities at the Olympic Games, direct advertising and promotional opportunities, including preferential access to Olympic broadcast advertising, on-site concessions/franchise and product sale/showcase opportunities, ambush marketing protection, and acknowledgement of their support though a broad Olympic sponsorship recognition programme. But how much does it cost? I suppose it’s one of those questions we’re not sure we even dare ask, but while researching this, I discovered that of the Olympic Movement’s revenue, 53% is from broadcasting, 34% from corporate sponsorship and just 11% from ticketing (the remaining 2% from licensing).

Furthermore, nestled amongst all this interesting info, I found this gem; “Commercial partners also provide vital technical services and product support to the International Olympic Committee, Organising Committees and National Olympic Committees”, which of course is very noble and impressive; I just can’t quite see how MacDonalds fits in with that.

What’s in a name?

Matt’s wife has finally given birth to a bouncing baby boy (hurrah!). The happy parents have come up with a lovely name, but it reminded me of a news story where I read that a girl has changed her hated name, 'Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii'. It brought to light that previously officials refused permission to name twins Fish and Chips. However, other parents have been allowed to name their offspring Midnight Chardonnay, Number 16 Bus Shelter and there's even a set of twins called Benson and Hedges!

It got me thinking again about names and their importance; this but time it’s domain names. Most company names will easily ‘slot together’ when you remove any spaces, for example Price Pearson becomes pricepearson. Nice, tidy and simple; but have a look at the link below which shows the unfortunate domain names some companies have ended up with!

Unfortunate Domain Names (Please be aware some of these names may cause offence)

So when it comes to domain names… think before you buy!

The proof is in the pudding...

Your marketing material is very important. It’s out there, working for you as a salesperson and as we all know, first impressions are very important. Therefore, it’s vital that it’s perfect and gives exactly the right first impression.

Here at IceBlue we believe in proofing everything. We know that aoccdrnig to rseearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is that the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae, so it's easy to miss little mistakes. Therefore we check, check, and check again; and maybe once more for luck. While we have proofers on site, most items get passed round the whole office to be double- and triple-checked.

Last night I spotted something which (aside from making me laugh out loud) proved my point about checking and double-checking things; an advert in my local paper which boasted

“Free 5kg bag of charcoal when you buy any of the above packages *while socks last”

Did you spot it? Well, what socks have got to do with anything is beyond me but be warned - once they run out of those, you can’t have any charcoal!

Another prime example occurred a few years ago but is most definitely still worth a mention; a Christmas hamper supplier somehow managed to release thousands of copies of their annual catalogue without spotting the huge bluebottle fly perched on top of the turkey in the main picture. How that one slipped through (the picture, not the fly!) is beyond me, but I would put money on the fact that it probably didn’t do their sales or reputation much good!

Howdy Doody!

The office has undergone a bit of a shuffle around recently, moving over the road to a building with a real roof, stairs and everything; so it’s quite literally onwards and upwards. We’ve also now put all the creative heads in one space which means the ideas are flying around thicker and faster than ever – along with the office banter!

Creative Director Emma is back in the office after giving birth to the lovely Summer (who can often be found in her cot in Em’s office happily gurgling away). Now we’re all on edge every time Matt’s phone rings as his wife is due to pop any day now too!

With all these babies around the place, it got me thinking about the importance of names; in particular, product and company names. One product which has been getting a lot of press recently is the new energy drink called ‘Cocaine’. The controversy and media surrounding its release has simply served to provide free publicity for a product which so far I haven’t seen one advertisement for – and yet everyone I know has heard of it. In short, though there will be those who are very much against the product and will probably boycott stores selling it, it also perhaps proves the expression “there is no such thing as bad publicity”.

Happy webby things

Some more online treats we noticed and talked about this week …

Improv Everywhere are New York-based creators of “organised fun”. In these videos and pictures, they explain what happened when, on a chilly Saturday morning in Grand Central Station, they synchronised 207 “agents” to freeze simultaneously – some mid-walk, some eating, some texting on their phones, one couple kissing ...

Speed up, slow down and change the direction of these footsteps in the sand, but don’t make yourself feel travel-sick like I did ...

We have no idea what this Interactive Elm is supposed to do, but it's compelling anyway.

Specky Boy rounds up 25 free icon resources for web designers – ta!

Clever comic thing

Aaargh, where has the week gone? We’re all dashing around like mad things here – not least Creative Director Emma who is gearing up to have a baby any day now. It’s true what they say about the nesting instinct – never has the office looked so TIDY.

Kudos this week to the Institute of Direct Marketing for sending me the best mailshot I’ve ever seen. They’ve used people’s names, job titles and office location to send out a personalised comic advertising the next International Direct Marketing Fair. OK, I know it's all to do with laser printing and databases - not really a magic comic at all - but nevertheless it still felt very flattering for little me to be the star of my very own cartoon strip.

Love it. But then you’d expect the IDM to be at the forefront of direct mail campaigns, wouldn’t you?

How did they know I was blonde, though? And white, come to think of it? Would love to hear from someone who’s received a mailout that’s gone a bit wrong …

Useful fun things

Oops ... good intentions never last, do they? We’ve been so busy here in the creative team (opening Valentine’s cards, of course!) that I didn’t have time to update this blog last week.

So. Here are some treasures the IceBlue magpies have picked up lately ...

Matt was drawn to those freebie cards you get in stands at the cinema, distributed by Boomerang Media. We love John McGlynn’s “Yellow” and “Freckle Face” by illustrator/ceramicist Lucinda Grace. They’re not displayed on the Boomerang website, unfortunately, but the e-cards are sweet if there’s someone in your life who’d appreciate a little hello this week.

Talking of postcards, Emma spied something tasty by the Vegetarian Society (also via Boomerang): their Seedling Showcase. It’s to promote their Seedling symbol of approval on vegetarian food. As a committed (but not militant or holy, I hasten to add) veggie myself, who unwittingly ate some lard last week on holiday in Poland*, I’m all for the Seedlings. Check out these creature-friendly postcards.

* Don’t ask.

Finally, here’s an example of a company that perhaps doesn’t have the biggest marketing budget, but who are doing good stuff with their marketing nevertheless. We got a nice leaflet from ovenu.co.uk last week, showing a leopard-print legging-clad lady with her bottom sticking out of the oven, and logged on to their website to see a video of their oven-cleaning people in action – plus a funny feature on the dirty truth about self-cleaning ovens. Just goes to show that you don’t need the most expensive website to make your marketing attractive.

That’s all for this week. Feel free to send me your thoughts and links for next time. x