As they say (wait, who says?), if you’re gonna go out, go out in style. With the London Olympics now in the books, so obviously are McCann’s marketing duties for the Games (they’ll still be working on the Paralympics, though).  If you didn’t know, the Worldgroup won the responsibilities of official marketing services agency for the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics back in May 2009. As a result, the agency network, led by McCann London, was tasked with all advertising (tv, press, radio, outdoor, online and mobile), direct marketing and digital marketing and also helped shape the overall look and feel of the Games in conjunction with LOCOG.

Anyhow, McCann put out this ad today, which proudly proclaims that the agency “just lost a client.” If we had to sum this up in a word, maybe we’ll go with, um, “cute.” Check out larger image after the jump.

Read more

If the London Olympics have been the only news you’ve been following over the last few months, it may surprise you to learn that Greece’s economy has now finally totally collapsed (I think). Yes, the very country that brought us Western philosophy, the yo-yo, and the concept of the Olympics has fallen on rough times what with the worldwide recession that’s been going on for the last few years. The country’s been barely surviving on a series of expansive bailouts from the EU, yet Greece’s pretty terrible government has been using these bailouts to plunge deeper and deeper into debt.

Greece’s fall has been hurting the entire EU of which it is (for now) a part of, as that whole idea of making the Euro most of the continent’s sole currency is looking pretty stupid about now. But, similar to the American repression we’re currently experiencing, most of Greece’s population had little to nothing to do with the mess they’re now a part of, which is terrifying when you consider the country’s healthcare system is also collapsing. So, Mother London has taken it upon themselves to show solidarity with their Grecian brethren by creating t-shirts that say, “Fuck This, I’m Off to Greece.” Well, they don’t quite say that, but it’s strongly implied in a similar way to most graphic tees you see at Urban Outfitters.

Proceeds from sales of the t-shirts from the campaign’s Facebook page will be donated to Doctors of the World, a free-clinic originally set up for migrants that is now “seeing over 80 percent of Greek people.” According to Wikipedia, that’s like 8 million people, which I find a little exaggerated but that’s what the press release is telling me. Also, the press release wants me to note that the clinic has been overwhelmed by parents who can’t afford their children’s booster shots, a phenomena usually only seen in third world countries.

T-shirts are on sale here for £15 ($23.52 ‘merican) from now until the end of the Paralympics in September.

Meet Terin Izil, a copywriter at DraftFCB’s Chicago office and a co-founder of Camp Promise, an organization that allows children suffering from muscular dystrophy to go to summer camp.

In order to raise money for her cause and, let’s face it, hopefully get some free shit, Izil says, “Until the Closing Ceremonies, I am eating, drinking, wearing, and maintaining personal hygiene only with products that have the Olympic rings on them.” She calls this challenge the “5 Ring Diet” and, lucky for her, there are a myriad of brands who have forked over a ton of cash to be able to display the Olympic logo. She’s chronicling her experiences drinking Heineken®, flying United® and eating McDonald’s® at a Tumblr where she encourages visitors to help her raise $25,000 for Camp Promise.

While Izil is forced to purchase bottles of Coca-Cola® and Nutri-Grain Bars® from her own pocket in her travels to London, she is getting some help along the way from those “we will ALWAYS go the extra mile on social media because GOOD PR” scamps at Chobani®, who sent her a care package of Olympics apparel which is, unsurprisingly, also stamped with Chobani®’s logo. While Terin graciously accepts the gifts, she also mentions that Chobani could always click the button at the right of the page to donate to Camp Promise. Oh, and you can donate too with this link right here.

Terin mentions at the end of her Chobani® post, “And I realize that sounds corny. But try giving up every product and comfort you use for 24 days—or even 7—and see if the handful of brands you’re allowed to use don’t start to feel like friends.” Sounds terrifying, but perhaps its a strategy you can borrow to endear you to a client that’s soured on you.

Last Friday in Boston, P&G sent a rather large-scale good luck message to some of the Team USA athletes who also happen to be pitchmen for the company’s Gillette brand, namely swimmer Ryan Lochte and sprinter Tyson Gay. Boston Harbor was the venue for a light and water show that included 60-foot holograms, screens of water vapor, the music of M83 and was the result of a collaboration between Proximity, BBDO, Ketchum and Klip Kollective.  Not sure if it’s just us, but this ambitious efforts reminds somewhat of last year’s experiential Carmelo Anthony Air Jordan launch in New York…or maybe it’s just us. Anyhow, the effort helped kick off an Olympics-themed campaign called ” Get Started,” which features a spot that also includes fellow Gillette pitchman Roger Federer.

For those you looking to keep track of Olympic medal wins (whether it be for the U.S., Molvoda or Taiwan) and would rather do without the dramatic backstories, Bob Costas interludes, etc., Mother’s web publishing arm Animal New York might have just what you’re looking for. With Medal Count, the online entity gets straight to the point and lets you stay updated on medal wins for your country of choice every day. You can sort in a variety of ways and there’s even a TV schedule as well as links to Olympics-related articles to keep you up-to-date. If you’re really obsessed with things, you can keep Medal Count on all day set up an audio alert that chimes each time your country of choice wins another medal.

It’s great for an athlete to perform well in the Olympics. But it’s the sponsorships that come before and after the competition that propel team members to fame. Who’s still performing after the races are over? Who’s making an appearance during commercial breaks? These are the athletes that stick in our minds, at least in America.

Ryan Lochte has become one such athlete, first in a spot for Gillette and now, in AT&T’s “brand/anthem spot” from BBDO New York. The 30-second commercial shows Lochte swimming the Atlantic through stingrays, storms, and sunsets, finally arriving in London. “Luck didn’t get me to London,” Lochte says. “I swam here.”

I wonder who will get more attention as we draw closer to the Olympics, Lochte or Michael Phelps? My bet is on Lochte, with his boyish good looks and bizarre penchant for “steeze.” He’s already grabbed the cover of Vogue and is partnering with some big Olympic sponsors. Look to AgencySpy to keep tabs on both Lochte and Phelps as the Olympic ad-race continues.

It’s quite rare we ever see pharma-sector marketing make much of an attempt to get “creative” with their TV advertising. But, with the help of TBWA\London, British-based healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline goes inside the body of sprinter Marlon Devonish in a new spot touting its anti-doping services for the 2012 Olympics.

As you can see, from the detailed rendering of an exploding pink dust cloud, Devonish is in fact totally clean of PEDs, though he might be tripping balls as an homage to former MLB pitcher, Dock Ellis. GSK ensures that all athletes are getting their jollies from the roar of the crowd, which puts popular athletes at an immense advantage over villainous competitors like Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice.

Learn more about GSK’s mainline injection of audience adoration here.

There are two primary reasons to love the Olympics: the games inspire a swell of national pride and a deluge of epic hero’s-journey ads. With their superhuman efforts, both athletes and their sponsors encourage Olympic watchers to live more fully, conquering their daily obstacles.  Lift the groceries higher! Cross the street faster!

The latest spot from Visa’s Go World campaign, which we’ve been told has yet to air, contributes to the uplifting nature of our favorite worldwide competition. Created by BBDO Brazil, the ad invites viewers to “just think of the cheers if lightning strikes twice.” Consider the roar if, in the time it takes lightning to strike, Michael Phelps wins another gold medal. Victory in 100^th of a second.

Narrated once again by Morgan Freeman (who, of course, has also shown his VO chops in March of the Penguins and Science Channel’s Through the Wormhole), this is the latest ad in a series that celebrates supportive fans and their loud noises. For those who can’t be at the games in person, Visa invites them to share their encouragement via Facebook and a “Cheer application.” The best cheers go on TV.

“On race day, you don’t leave anything to chance,” the gravelly commercial-voice admits in Gillette’s latest series of commercials. Whether swimmer Ryan Lochte is diving into the water, tennis player Roger Federer is spinning his racket in contemplation, or sprinter Tyson Gay is bursting off the blocks, their pre-race/match prep includes shaving with a Gillette razor.

It’s hard not to love focused, determined athletes flexing their muscles, especially as Olympic fever starts to rise. And these men are also blessed with extraordinarily well-sculpted faces. When the distraction of attraction fades, however, the spots feel generally formulaic. Dramatic narration, handsome men, razor-cutting-hair animation…these spots include factors present in every traditional men’s grooming promotion. When the Olympics start and this ad plays for the fiftieth time, I for one will not tell my bar-mates to be quiet, lest they miss some stunning creative work. Nice eye candy, but ultimately these spots are uninteresting.

Check out the other two spots from the campaign after the jump:

Read more