Day 156
Something strange is going on with television advertising.
It happens every four years on the run-up to the Olympics and concerns the manner in which products are magically transformed from usually mundane items and elevated into things of executive importance.
A company need basically do nothing more than throw a huge amount of money into the Olympic coffers to suddenly become “Official”.
I would consider this to be perfectly reasonable if there were “Official Astroturf”, “Official Tracksuits” or “Official Javelins” but today I was left puzzled to be informed via a very glitzy television advertisement that a particular company is the lucky organisation to be offering the “Official Olympic Confectionary”.
If you think this is something inappropriate for a sporting event it’s worth nothing there is also an official credit card and an official family car.
What’s next?
Cat food, office equipment and goose liver pate?
Ok, if that’s the case, all one would have to do in order to promote a product would be to lob a few bucks in the direction of the Olympic committee and receive an endorsement.
Don’t be surprised to notice some interesting stuff emblazoned across the television screens in 2012 if the IOC need to increase their budget.
“Shift-O-Shit - the Official Olympic Laxative”.
Or how about: “Pile Packer - the Official Olympic Haemorrhoid Cream”.
They could take it one step further and have direct marketing in the stadium for specific events. Imagine the opportunities on offer with say, the 100 metres. You could have a sign for an Indian restaurant at one end and of the track and an advert for toilet paper at the other. Maybe not very subtle but I think everyone would get the message: leave the curry house as fast as you can and the winner is the first one to reach the bog roll but clearly it couldn’t be utilised for the hurdles.
The scripts for a couple of adverts sprang immediately to my mind although they’d probably have to be shown after the watershed and only on subscription channels.
Anyone with a big enough cheque book can join in the fun regardless of any links, however tenuous, to a sporting activity.
I think you know what’s coming next.
Yes, another sure fire money making scheme.
The International Snowman Official Marketing Agency.
As usual the idea is simple. Companies from around the globe pay me an enormous fee to become official sponsors of this diary.
I can’t realistically expect Coca-Cola or Microsoft to get into a bidding war over this but if I set my sights a fraction lower I might be in with a shot. Pretty soon expect to see a plethora of media advertisements for beer glasses, blue hair dye and bog paper…all with Official Snowman Seal of Approval.
Alternatively, if you own a business and have a competitor, why not pay for them to have the endorsement and ruin their credibility.
Just a thought.
Even though this latest idea probably won’t put me in a position to retire, today’s poker at least set me on a path one step closer to such a dream. A very, very small one anyway.
I won some money in one of the 10cent games!
By finishing in the top 380 I saw a profit of thirty extremely well needed cents hit my account.
So, I’m back on track again…I just hope it doesn’t lead down a cul-de-sac.
Reverting briefly to the initial subject of today’s post, I have an idea who could be the official sponsor for all of the track and field games…
Smith and Wesson.
If I stay off the meds for a while it almost makes sense.
For example: the discus and skeet shooting events could be combined into a single competition so that someone shouts “Pull!” immediately prior to release thereby enabling it to be blasted out of the sky like a clay pigeon.
The running events could also have direct involvement where judges crowd around the finish and the last person to cross the line is shot.
There’d be a new World record set about a dozen times a day.
Starting bank: $0
Current bank: $0.75
It happens every four years on the run-up to the Olympics and concerns the manner in which products are magically transformed from usually mundane items and elevated into things of executive importance.
A company need basically do nothing more than throw a huge amount of money into the Olympic coffers to suddenly become “Official”.
I would consider this to be perfectly reasonable if there were “Official Astroturf”, “Official Tracksuits” or “Official Javelins” but today I was left puzzled to be informed via a very glitzy television advertisement that a particular company is the lucky organisation to be offering the “Official Olympic Confectionary”.
If you think this is something inappropriate for a sporting event it’s worth nothing there is also an official credit card and an official family car.
What’s next?
Cat food, office equipment and goose liver pate?
Ok, if that’s the case, all one would have to do in order to promote a product would be to lob a few bucks in the direction of the Olympic committee and receive an endorsement.
Don’t be surprised to notice some interesting stuff emblazoned across the television screens in 2012 if the IOC need to increase their budget.
“Shift-O-Shit - the Official Olympic Laxative”.
Or how about: “Pile Packer - the Official Olympic Haemorrhoid Cream”.
They could take it one step further and have direct marketing in the stadium for specific events. Imagine the opportunities on offer with say, the 100 metres. You could have a sign for an Indian restaurant at one end and of the track and an advert for toilet paper at the other. Maybe not very subtle but I think everyone would get the message: leave the curry house as fast as you can and the winner is the first one to reach the bog roll but clearly it couldn’t be utilised for the hurdles.
The scripts for a couple of adverts sprang immediately to my mind although they’d probably have to be shown after the watershed and only on subscription channels.
Anyone with a big enough cheque book can join in the fun regardless of any links, however tenuous, to a sporting activity.
I think you know what’s coming next.
Yes, another sure fire money making scheme.
The International Snowman Official Marketing Agency.
As usual the idea is simple. Companies from around the globe pay me an enormous fee to become official sponsors of this diary.
I can’t realistically expect Coca-Cola or Microsoft to get into a bidding war over this but if I set my sights a fraction lower I might be in with a shot. Pretty soon expect to see a plethora of media advertisements for beer glasses, blue hair dye and bog paper…all with Official Snowman Seal of Approval.
Alternatively, if you own a business and have a competitor, why not pay for them to have the endorsement and ruin their credibility.
Just a thought.
Even though this latest idea probably won’t put me in a position to retire, today’s poker at least set me on a path one step closer to such a dream. A very, very small one anyway.
I won some money in one of the 10cent games!
By finishing in the top 380 I saw a profit of thirty extremely well needed cents hit my account.
So, I’m back on track again…I just hope it doesn’t lead down a cul-de-sac.
Reverting briefly to the initial subject of today’s post, I have an idea who could be the official sponsor for all of the track and field games…
Smith and Wesson.
If I stay off the meds for a while it almost makes sense.
For example: the discus and skeet shooting events could be combined into a single competition so that someone shouts “Pull!” immediately prior to release thereby enabling it to be blasted out of the sky like a clay pigeon.
The running events could also have direct involvement where judges crowd around the finish and the last person to cross the line is shot.
There’d be a new World record set about a dozen times a day.
Starting bank: $0
Current bank: $0.75