Cocktail Hour: July 27, 2012

Well, it’s finally here: The 2012 Summer Olympics. 205 nations competing in 300 events — with billions of people tuning in to enjoy the competitive nature of their favorite sports. Typically, the start of the Olympics is a good time for new advertising campaigns to launch. According to NBC, there is a 31 percent greater message recall rate, 24 percent higher brand recall and 21 percent higher likability for viewers when they see Olympic advertisements compared to regular advertisements. More than 4.3 billion people viewed the 2008 games with that number expected to grow this year, and more than 55 percent of the Olympic games are being viewed online.

Here are several apps that can help you stay in the know about events, start times and Olympic happenings:

NBC Olympics App

NBC Olympics “Live Extra” App

London 2012 Join in App

London 2012 Results App

Here are a few Olympic TV moments worth remembering:

• 2008 - Beijing Olympics: Michael Phelps received his eighth gold medal in the 4-by-100 meter medley relay.
• 1972 - Munich Olympics: Ludmilla Tourischeva became the star of the games, doing things no other gymnast had done and attracting many female viewers to the telecast of the games.
• 1984 - Los Angeles Olympics: Zola Budd moved to England to compete as part of the team for England as South Africa was not allowed to compete due to its apartheid policy. She came in 7th place.

Did You See? Olympic Edition

NBC Universal surpasses $1 billion in Olympics ad sales, which is $150 million more than the 2008 Beijing Olympics. NBC has over 3,400 people working on the Olympics coverage.

Nike launches an ad to 25 countries in preparation for the opening Olympic ceremonies.

http://youtu.be/gHFhGDWP9Fs

British Petroleum (BP), an official partner of the 2012 London Olympics, is offering to offset the carbon from every person who registers their journey and sporting events with the company, since more than 5,000 official vehicles will be in use during the games.

http://youtu.be/y3eUrwRHoKM

Creative Inspiration

• Qdoba Mexican Grill is making Instagram a strong strategy and tool in its latest digital campaign to foster consumer interaction with its site by asking visitors to finish the phrase, “Food for people who love_____.”
• Wireless charging is coming sooner than we think and the $4.5 billion market will triple in the next eight years.
• Social media is helping to boost crowdsourcing, whether we like it or not. The latest Frito-Lay campaign launched a contest on their Facebook page inviting fans to give ideas for a new flavor of potato chips.
• A voluntary withdrawal of Henson Toys in Chick fil-A kids’ meals has sparked a controversial debate as to why they didn’t involve the Consumer Product Safety Commission and if there is an actual safety issue with the toy. Last week, Jim Henson dissolved the partnership with Chick fil-A due to their recent stance against same-sex marriage — apparently the recall had nothing to do with their stance.

Catch Up

Here’s the best in marketing-related news to catch up on this week:

• More than just millennials are taking a new approach to buying things. Consumers have started to think differently and are more conscious of why they are buying things and what it really means to ‘own’ something. It’s not about the specific product itself anymore; it’s how the product affects us or others around us and how that product or service connects us to the world. Today, we as marketers need to show the value of how that specific product or service can connect with the lives of our consumers and their networks.
• Pinterest was the fastest site to ever reach 10 billion uniques, according to TechCrunch. There’s been a shift in the discussion as to why users are so addicted to the pinboard. One might think these postings are aspirational, but in reality they aren’t. Pinners think that what they post is a representation of themselves and hope that others can understand them a little better by viewing their pinboards. It’s about the feeling that the products are evoking on these boards rather than the products themselves.
• In a recent study, U.S. Latinos accounted for 2.2 billion of total e-commerce purchases in the United States and are fueling the nation’s population growth. Hispanics rely heavily on word-of-mouth in their purchasing behavior and are more receptive to online advertising with 48 percent accessing the Internet from their smart phones. With these heavy growth numbers, marketers need to make sure they are paying attention to their purchasing patterns and trends.

Gold Medal

As the finest athletes from all over the globe come together to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games, here’s a gold medal toast to celebrate in style!

Humber Olympic Cocktail

1/5 oz. Pomegranate liqueur
1/5 oz. Kahlua
1/5 oz. Creme de Menthe
1/5 oz. Blue Curacao
1/5 oz. Grand Marnier

Layer each alcohol in a glass to create a striped cocktail resembling the official colors of the Olympic games.

Please drink responsibly. Recipe courtesy of Zuza.

Have a great weekend and be sure to tell us how you’re kicking off the Olympics!

Cheers!