My Favorite Olympic Moment So Far: An Unexpected Zag.
Like much of the world, I’ve become an Olympic junkie over the last couple of weeks. I find myself scrutinizing pommel horse flare execution and arguing the degree of difficulty in women’s synchronized diving. That I think about these only once every four years makes no difference. For these two weeks, I’m a fanatic. And a juicy target for marketers.
Here’s the thing, though. Everybody is zigging.
Every four years, the world’s biggest brands are hand-delivered an audience who is emotionally attached to what they are watching onscreen. They’ve bought into the hype, the patriotism, the human-interest stories, and all the pre-games hype NBC can muster. I’m right there with them. But advertisers this year (more than 70% of which are new to the games according to NBC), are filling the space in between the events with the same thing: Olympic and amateur athletes running, jumping, flipping and swimming — overcoming obstacles and sacrificing all for their moment of greatness – going for the gold in sports and life.
This common thread is understandable. I’d bet, in 99.9% of these ads, that’s what “the client” asked for. These ads are beautifully shot, well written, and … you get the picture. But unfortunately, they are all the same. Admittedly, I’m more critical than other viewers in my household. After all, I’m in the business. But even they’ve admitted that it’s hard to tell the sponsors apart.
Except for one. Hyundai Motor America
Hats off to Hyundai. When I saw the company’s ad this past week, I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it features sport and delivers all the high-budget imagery as everyone else, but its message did a one-eighty from the expected. It didn’t celebrate the singularly focused, super-human sacrifice of Olympians. It didn’t tell us to aspire to greatness. Hyundai told us simply to find our own joy and happiness. To celebrate our Olympians but love ourselves and find balance at the same time.
In its 60-second commercial, “It’s OK,” Hyundai spotlights youth sports and elegantly uses it as a vehicle to talk about life balance and the journey to finding something you love. The spot celebrates actual enjoyment over achievement.
I literally paused the TV after this spot and looked at my wife to see if she’d heard it, too. And she had. As parents to a multi-sport starter, we understood and appreciated the message.
Angela Zepeda, CMO, Hyundai Motor America, said of the ad, “the creative takes a different approach in terms of tone, and we hope it strikes a chord or even starts a dialogue about the importance of balance in life – and finding the joy in every journey.”
I appreciate that. It’s thoughtful, it’s timely and it’s needed. But—and here’s where I may seem a bit shallow—I was just as happy that, in all the pressure to match the competition or be left behind, Hyundai zagged.
There’s an important lesson for marketers here. You may not have a global audience or an auto manufacturer’s budget, but you can still zag. You need to stand out. You need to get more bang for your buck. To do that, you can’t just follow the crowd, or you will blend into it.
Being different for different’s sake is a waste of money. But, finding that unique message and presenting it authentically is where you can break through the noise and set your brand apart. That is where the real gold is.