Friday, May 29, 2009
Anybody remember Dan and Dave?
In 1992, in advance of the Summer Olympics, Reebok ran a series of ads about "Dan and Dave": Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson, the two leading decathletes in the United States. The commercials showed them competing in their events and posited that their (manufactured) rivalry would be settled in Barcelona. But...
The ads also aired in advance of the US Olympic Trials. At the trials, Dan O'Brien completely failed to make the Olympic Team. Dave Johnson made the team, but went on to an uninspired bronze medal finish. The campaign served as a warning about hanging your promotional hopes on an event that was anything but assured.
Advertisers don't always take heed, of course. This year, basketball fans have been inundated with commercials from Vitamin Water, Nike, and the NBA itself playing up the LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant debate/rivalry/whatever, to be settled in the NBA Finals, as if the Lakers and Cavaliers were destined to meet there. But...
Orlando is up 3-2 on the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals and only needs to win game 6 on their home court to ruin it all. The Denver Nuggets still have a chance of ruining the Lakers' party as well, and I'm rooting for that due to home-state team interest in addition to the massive dose of Schadenfreude it would give me. Now that I think about it, Schadenfreude drives a lot of my rooting decisions when I don't already have a horse in the race.
The ads also aired in advance of the US Olympic Trials. At the trials, Dan O'Brien completely failed to make the Olympic Team. Dave Johnson made the team, but went on to an uninspired bronze medal finish. The campaign served as a warning about hanging your promotional hopes on an event that was anything but assured.
Advertisers don't always take heed, of course. This year, basketball fans have been inundated with commercials from Vitamin Water, Nike, and the NBA itself playing up the LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant debate/rivalry/whatever, to be settled in the NBA Finals, as if the Lakers and Cavaliers were destined to meet there. But...
Orlando is up 3-2 on the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals and only needs to win game 6 on their home court to ruin it all. The Denver Nuggets still have a chance of ruining the Lakers' party as well, and I'm rooting for that due to home-state team interest in addition to the massive dose of Schadenfreude it would give me. Now that I think about it, Schadenfreude drives a lot of my rooting decisions when I don't already have a horse in the race.
Comments:
<< Home
I'm pissed about the Nuggets losing. I really thought they had a shot to at least take it to Game 7.
And yes, the advertising, now that the Cavs got destroyed on their home floor in Game 6, now seems hilarious... I wonder if those puppet commercials will finally be taken off the air.
Post a Comment
And yes, the advertising, now that the Cavs got destroyed on their home floor in Game 6, now seems hilarious... I wonder if those puppet commercials will finally be taken off the air.
<< Home
