This afternoon my 541 group and I were talking about marketing ideas for our campaign project. Recognizing that we have quite an advertising challenge and a limited budget, we talked about how we need to think way outside the box to make our campaign and product make a statement. We talked about guerrilla marketing techniques as a they could be great if they are used wisely and make sense with the product. Later on, while viewing my daily email blast from PSFK, I saw an article entitled “Buttocks Used As Placement For Olympic Advertising”. My only thought was “now that is way out of the box thinking”. Outdoor advertising has now been taken to new heights, or bottoms.
Athlete endorsements are still a way advertisers aim to leverage their presence in key events like the Olympics. For them, moving beyond the traditional television campaign is a crucial media strategy that supports their brand message. But does it really work? With the saturation of endorsements, we (the viewer) can almost become immune to them and many times see them as only part of the athlete’s uniform. I don’t recall if Michael Phelps uses AXE or Head and Shoulders, or if Misty May wears Nike or Nautica. So, what would make a sponsor buy space on an athlete’s butt? Would anyone really pay that much attention? Or would the novelty of the effort be enough to catch some media mentions? And why would athletes (like the U.K. female beach volleyball team) go to such an extreme to gain a sponsorship?
As an advertising professional, this attempt to break through the clutter only makes me smile. With limited budgets, tight competition and a multitude of media outlets, advertisers need to look beyond the traditional means to make their statement. And while the Olympic committee may still be discussing whether this type of advertising meets their codes, buttocks all over London may be getting ready to roll out their own campaign. Let the game of sponsorship begin!
Via PSFK: http://www.psfk.com/2012/07/olympic-butt-advertising.html#ixzz21yX7vYrh
PBS has always done a great job reaching very young children, offering great programs that capturing toddlers and children through about second or third grade. It also has programming that consistently reaches viewers over 50, and it relies on this audience for individual giving. It has never figured out a way to connect with viewers in between. Station managers and “network” execs have long understood what the numbers reveal, that loyal viewers between the age of thirteen and fifty are few and far between. Up until a few years ago the plan was to not chase these viewers, to let them go assuming they would come back when they had children of their own. But that plan was conceived of before technology shifted, more and more options became available, and funding sources began to dry up.
Enter PBS Digital Studios.
In 2009 Producer and Musician turned auto-tuner John D Boswell launched a series of auto tuned music videos about science, including “We Are Star Dust”, in which comments made by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the host of NOVA (a long running PBS favorite)and other scientists, about the connection between humans and the universe, was edited and auto tuned. It happens to be one of the most moving things I have ever seen, if you haven’t watched it, I recommend you do.
PBS executives reached out to Boswell and decided to partner with him in an effort to create designed-to-go-viral videos featuring some of PBS’s most venerable and recognizable personalities. The difficulty is figuring out how to design something to go viral. Some companies spend small fortunes creating videos that go nowhere online, while videos of cat’s hugging spread like wildfire. It does seem that PBS found the recipe, at least for now: find an uber talented producer with a following, have him remix footage from the most beloved children’s television show ever, give it a weird and wonderful title, get celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris to tweet about it, and run it on Good Morning America.
“Garden of Your Mind” launched this new series of designed-to-go-viral videos. It’s an auto-tuned remix of Mr. Rogers, and frankly, it is awesome. I’m a die-hard Mr. Rogers fan, but who isn’t?
The attempt to go viral and to reach a new audience has been success, less than a month old, the Mr. Roger video is nearing 6 million views on you tube. It’s too early to tell if the video will draw new viewers to PBS, but, I think it already demonstrates something more important. A shift in thinking by PBS, a new awareness that television isn’t king, that viewers need to be reached out to in new ways, and success isn’t measured only in pledge dollars but in creating awareness.
PBS Digital Studios released its second auto-tuned remix this morning. A mash up of Bob Ross clips called “Happy Little Clouds”. It’s a fun video, and especially awkward to hear an auto-tuned Bob Ross recommending that you “make love to the canvas”. While it’s weird and fun and catchy, it’s not as original as the first (always the problem). I wonder how long this approach will continue to work.
This is curious timing, as several news outlets, including the LA Times and Forbes, are reporting that the Google Nexus has sold out, with even pre-orders for the next shipment of the 16GB version not available.
This scenario raises two interesting questions: How was Google able to sell millions of units of a brand new item without advertising, and why are the advertising at all?
The answer to the first question has everything to do with Google’s rivalry with Apple. This rivalry is played out in the press, social media and by consumers themselves, with brand loyalty lines being clearly drawn in the sand. Ever since the iPad was a huge success, the world has been waiting for Google’s answer, and that anticipation guaranteed massive sales. The media generated hundreds of stories about the product, anti-Apple users took to blogs and social media to declare how happy there were to have a choice in the performance tablet market (sorry, Acer and Amazon) and all of those thousands of words all acted as free advertising for the Nexus.
The second question is a little trickier, but my guess is that it has to do with keeping the cycle of anticipation going strong. If the Nexus commercials can help sustain interest in the product, but consumers are unable to get one, this can help build more excitement about the second ‘launch’ of the Nexus into stores. Also, the timing can help create articles like this one, where bloggers wonder about Google’s strategies, furthering the narrative that Google and its products are newsworthy and capture the attention of journalists and hobbyists.
The question I am posing to the class is, how many companies/products could get away this type of product launch? At what point is a company so big that no matter, its products will always sell. I think a good analogy are movie franchises, such as Batman, Marvel Superheroes, and Harry Potter. They have built in audiences (like Google), are based on material that is already widely known (like the Nexus) and can reliably sell out their opening weekends before a single review has been printed (or TV ad aired).
It may seem cliche to discuss the Aurora, Colorado shooter on the day of his first court appearance, but it has quickly gained so much press and national attention that I feel it is worth mentioning the implications of the surrounding statements by parties who are closely related to the incident. On the morning after the incident, a Huffington Post article discusses a very controversial statement made by Robert Holmes’ mother. “You have the right person,” she said. “I need to call the police… I need to fly out to Colorado.” From this statement, it seems as though his mother is admitting his guilt, and it further seems as though she is not surprised by his behavior. From a public relations perspective, this is a complete disaster as it could have implications on the way her son’s actions are perceived. Additionally, she made this comment without having full knowledge of the allegations, so she should not have said anything at all which would elude to an admission of guilt or innocence as the words can be used against her and her son at a later time.
Based on the ever-evolving details and information acquired from news sources, it appears that Holmes will attempt to plead insanity or that he is mentally ill, as can be further determined from his appearing in court with orange hair and a sad demeanor. If one evaluates the statement by the mother, it could seem that a plea of insanity would be unbelievable as based on the statement, she did not sound shocked or taken aback, rather it seemed as though she expected this type of behavior from her son which would indicate that he did not act in a moment of insanity which is uncharacteristic of him as a person. Further information shows that the act was premeditated as Holmes had stockpiled weapons and ammunition over the past several months.
Today, July 23rd, a press conference was held in San Diego to give a statement by the Holmes family. Lisa Damiani, a lawyer for the Holmes family, explained that the news conference was called to clarify statements that Arlene Holmes, James’ mother, made to ABC in the hours immediately following the massacre.
In reference to the statement Arlene Holmes had made at 5:45am to ABC where she said, “You have the right person…”, Damiani read, “I was referring to myself. I asked him to tell me why he was calling and he told me about a shooting in Aurora. He asked for a comment. I told him I could not comment because I did not know if the person he was talking about was my son.”
As a student of Communication, these statements cause me to be especially concerned for the family, as with the seriousness of the allegations and the amount of proof readily available that he was the killer and had planned the crime beforehand, the last thing the prosecutor needs is further details which will directly link Holmes to his crime, and these implications by his mother are simply a terrible addition to the case.
McDonald’s has long been under fire for its genetically modified food practices. It has further been accused as disrupting American farms. Now, the food industry giant has a problem overseas. London, the home of the 2012 Olympics, recently witnessed the world’s largest McDonald’s being built. The 1,500 seat, 32,000-square-foot, and 2-floor restaurant is located in Olympic Park. This location is expected to sell more than 50,000 Big Macs during the Olympics.
The new location is causing a serious backlash. A group named the London Assembly is raging a ban on McDonald’s during the games. The group alleges that McDonald’s helps increase the growing obesity epidemic in their country. It is said that 60.8 percent of adults and 31.1 percent of children are overweight in the UK. Moreover, McDonald’s refuses to abide by guidelines to use a specific percentage of its produce from farms within the UK. Groups suggested to the International Olympic Committee that hosts of the games must conform to strict rules to not outsource a large number of products as a basis to increase profits within the UK. McDonald’s will only source half of its ingredients from the UK.
McDonald’s believes that it should be allowed to operate how it sees fit because the organization has reportedly spent close to $100 million dollars over the course of four years for hosting the games as a sponsor. However, more problems arise from the manner in which McDonald’s marketing communications has responded. The chief executive at McDonald’s UK believes the location in the Athletes Village will be the most busy. One would have to be delusional to believe that athletes will run to grab a Big Mac. McDonald’s has also responded by stating:
Did you that McDonald’s will recycle and reuse 100 percent of the furniture and equipment, and nearly all of the building materials from these restaurants, for future and existing restaurants. All types of materials – from the beams to the wiring to the kitchen equipment – will be labeled for sorting and relocating to future destinations following the Games.
Yes, this is a good move, but it is a subterfuge. Will they follow through with it? This is not the first time McDonald’s has faced marketing controversy. Earlier this year, McDonald’s did a social media promotion on Twitter to encourage people to tweet their favorite McDonald’s stories using hashtags. Subsequently, the promotion became an utter fail. The organization was received with stories about finding worms in their meals and serious health conditions from the food. Yet, McDonald’s has received high scores for its social media marketing on Facebook and Twitter over similar organizations like Taco Bell, Chipotle, and Subway.
McDonald’s should have better marketing plans in place in case of backfire. Today, communication travels fast and it seems like McDonald’s does not understand how to cope with backfires or simply does not care about saving face. Sadly, 1 in 10 visitors at the Olympics will eat at the fast food chain. McDonald’s is in the business of making money, but it does not seem to realize how large its impact is on the people and communities around its locations.
The organization’s marketing efforts should include changes to alter how consumers view their products. One initiative that could change the organization’s image would involve actually using produce from local farms. Healthy alternatives that are not genetically modified would greatly improve not only its image, but also the people who consume their food. The organization should take advantage of its online communities and urge for their consumers’ suggestions and actually act on them.
Please let me know how you feel about this issue and leave a comment.
Here is a time-lapse video of the location being erected.
Foursquare, a geo-social media entity will soon provide a new marketing tool designed to their customers with geo-targeted offers from retailers. After a significant amount of testing, ‘Local Updates’ will enable retail stores and restaurants, like Outback Steakhouse, Whole Foods or H&M to offer announcements of product launches, coupons, daily specials information or daily menus. This will allow Foursquare’s retail clients the ability to reach out and “touch” customers who’ve repeatedly liked or posted check-in’s at a store. An example, Whole Foods which advertises different things regionally, has another means to do so.
Foursquare users who subscribe for ‘Local Updates’ will receive messages from nearby messages in their friend feed. These updates will occure upon opeing the app or refreshing the app. The extent to which the user receives messages will depend largely upon how often the user checks in to that store or likes it.
Currently, Foursquare has 20 million users and 1 million retail clients. This seems in some respects like an efficient way to provide analytics to retailers that will help them personally engage with consumers on an individual basis rather than a mass marketing appeal.
Several questions do come to mind however, as I quickly reviewed the post Xiomara Moncada made this week about Salesforce, Twitter and “big brother” knowing our every thought and using it in what seems to be invasive ways. The first question that comes to mind, why is it that it seems that the manner in which Salesforce and Twitter is gathering and using the analytics is being too nosey. Whereas, consumers posting their whereabouts and Foursquare using those analytics to help retailers offer a more personalized marketing approach doesn’t have the same invasion of privacy. Is it because the consumer has readily given information as to where they are and what they like? They’ve readily given their opinion through a tweet. How much emphasis do we as the public really put on our privacy?. Do we care as much as we probably should? Is there a balance that can be struck in terms of privacy, through crafty marketing tactics? Things that make you go hmmmm…….
Heine, C. (2012, July 18, 2012). Foursquare takes aim at retail chains(again): ‘Local updates ‘geo-target offers; H&M and Outback Steakhouse among beta testers. Retrieved from
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/foursquare-takes-aim-retail-chains-again-141978
Peterson, T. (2012). “Salesforce Radian6 Launches Insights to Make Sense of Social Data Partners include Klout, PeekAnalytics”. Adweek.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012 from: http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/salesforce-radian6-launches-insights-make-sense-social-data-141934
(I have tried for an hour to spruce this up with pictures, but have lost patience with the technology. Please forgive the non-colorful post.)
I, like millions of other people across America, was absolutely shocked when I woke up this morning to email news alerts about the shooting in Colorado at a midnight showing of one of the summer’s most anticipated flicks: The Dark Night Rises. This horrific act makes me wonder how things can go so horribly wrong for an individual that mass murder seems like a realistic option. I feel so sorry for the families of the tragic event’s victims and the survivors who are no doubt traumatized. But I didn’t give any thought to the marketing of the Batman movie, and how this horrific turn of events would impact that. But, it appears that Warner Bros. and the Batman movie have a huge mess to clean up. This shooting will have unknown implications to the movie’s success, the Warner Bros. company and the countless number of brands and sponsors that were being highlighted in the movie’s promotions (Poggi, 2012). Warner Bros. has, in a matter of hours, cancelled the Paris red carpet and countless interviews with the director and cast (Poggi, 2012.) Speculation is running wild about the possibility of copycat crimes and the safety of movie goers, especially in large cities like New York (Poggi, 2012). Warner Bros. has already contacted networks like ESPN and ABC, asking them to take down some of the movie’s ads in light of the tragedy (Steinberg, 2012). Without opening weekend advertising, how can the movie be expected to fair?
The movie was already being hailed as very dark and violent but had only been given a PG-13 rating (Powell, 2012). Analysts say that the movie has enjoyed an extensive marketing and media campaign up until now that will undoubtedly help mitigate the negative impacts of this morning’s events (Powell, 2012). But as the line becomes blurrier between PG-13 and R ratings, it has many wondering if extreme violence in movies has led to a desensitization to violence, which has spurred many public displays of violence (Powell, 2012). The Dark Night Rises may now be unwillingly forced into the spotlight as the poster child for why movies are becoming too violent. For a movie that was positioned, marketing wise, to top even the staggering numbers of the recent Avenger’s premiere, it’s a classic case of bad timing (Ryan, 2012).
Images like these, from the movie, won’t help, as this looks shockingly similar to the gas mask worn by the shooter:
Warner Bros. reaction to the tragedy has been honorable, from a marketing and PR standpoint. They have pulled all ads showcasing the violent portions of the movie, have cancelled appearances, issued a statement of sympathy and have failed to promote the film’s midnight showings success, said to be upwards of $30 million and the second-largest on record, which would have been a normal practice of the movie promotion business, had this never happened (Niiler, 2012). Industry experts site other examples of bad movie marketing timing, from Heath Ledger’s death prior to the Dark Night’s initial release in 2008 to FOX’s recent name change of a summer series from Neighborhood Watch to the The Watch after Trayvon Martin was killed earlier this year (Poggi, 2012). But is the movie and its marketing efforts forever tainted with the memory of today’s events? For now, the biggest questions on everyone’s minds are what drove the shooter to commit this tragedy and if Warner Bros. will be forced to pull the film for the foreseeable future (Ryan, 2012). No film has ever been pulled from production but industry experts also say that this is such an unprecedented situation that anything remains possible (Ryan, 2012).
Niiler, E. (2012). Is Dark Night violence factor in shooting? Discovery News. Retrieved from http://news.discovery.com
Poggi, J. (2012). In light of ‘Dark Knight’ tragedy, movie marketers face questions. Ad Age. Retrieved from http://www.adage.com
Powell, K. (2012). Batman, Colorado, Guns, Terrorism. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Ryan, J. (2012). Dark Knight Rises: Warners has no plans to pull film following Colorado tragedy, but future cloudy. E News. Retrieved from http://eonline.com
Steinberg, B. (2012). Time Warner pulls some ‘Dark Knight’ TV ads. Ad Age. Retrieved from http://www.adage.com
Either the execs at Viacom and DirecTV finally sat down and did the math…realizing that millions of customers – 26 channels of programming = hundreds of millions of dollars in ad revenue lost or execs with children realized, as the little cherubs return from summer camps to prepare to go back to school, their continued obstinacy will find them short after school “babysitters” if this feud doesn’t soon settle. Perhaps execs got tired…and a little “scared” from the increased dirty looks from assistants and lower level “worker bees” who now have more on their “to do” list, having to field calls, nasty letters and social media from disgruntled customers who have more time to write to complain during their stay-cations, thanks to the abridged viewing choices. Either way, somebody, read the writing on the wall—this is going nowhere fast….but the bottom line is fast moving to the red.
The result-DirecTV customers young and young at heart are waking up to Spongebob running loose on the airwaves and decadence once again running amuck, in the form of train-wreck reality tv programming on VH1. While I am compelled to scream “WHOO-HOO”, better judgment suggests I hold my jubilation until I see updates on this developing story as well as those pesky stuffers found with my DirecTV bill that I normally never read. A report filed Wednesday, July 18, 2012, reported that a DirecTV spokesperson told Adweek that progress was made, but not enough. “[W]e accepted all material terms for those channels including an increase that was more than fair.” Hmmm…where do you think the revenue is coming from to meet that increase???
If recent accounts are true, perhaps there are some at the negotiating table that should be made to watch the children’s programming they are producing to glean tips on “playing well with others”….corporate bullies. In that same report, a Viacom spokesperson had little to no faith that a settlement was forthcoming in the foreseeable future (translation: we’re not budging). It seems, too, that Viacom insisted that DirecTV carry the EPIX channel at an additional cost of more than half a billion dollars, according to the DirecTV spokesperson. Thankfully, a little over 24 hours later, Betty White can make it Hot in Cleveland once more.
This carriage bullying isn’t over. As I changed the channel to drift off to one of the music channels on the lineup ( I figured, if they snatch this network, I can always turn on the radio and won’t feel cheated, as I do now without my TV Land sit-coms to lull me to sleep) I saw an ad that it is going to be a “bad break”, for Dish customers…making a bunch of “men mad”, as AMC will go dark on their lineup over similar greedy shenanigans.
Really…networks?!!!! Customers are getting tired of this hop-scotching back and forth from one provider to another because of greed, which means lighter pockets on our part. Apple TV and the web are still options and looking quite good, by the way. You see, customers know the FOUR Rs of education….reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmatic AND REASONING. Get it together.
How many of you like to tweet? I might be one of the few that does not tweet, yet! But for those of you that do, here is some news. All companies will now have the opportunity to know exactly what you are tweeting about. SalesForce.com and Twitter have signed a contract which will allow SalesForce Radian6 program to analyze all tweets and report all the comments to their 100,000 customers. So what does this mean for you? Well it means that all tweets are being funneled by Radiant6 and reports are being sent to companies about what you are saying. According to Rob Begg, VP of marketing at SalesForce Radian6, this new analytical software will hep companies and “brands deal with all the social content being lobbed” (Peterson, 2012).
From: http://techcrunch.com
“Rather than just seeing that a consumer mentioned a brand on Twitter, Salesforce Radian6 Insights could show the brand that the consumer is a guy in his mid-thirties living in Oakland interested in aerobics, cloud computing and movies (assuming that consumer had already offered up that information). The product can also determine whether a post expresses positive or negative sentiment, so that a TV manufacturer, say, could see that people who are really into sitcoms don’t care for 3-D TVs but those who like epic series such as HBO’s Game of Thrones are”(Peterson, 2012).
From: Adweek.com
From: https://twitter.com/logo
There is no escaping what you say, it will be analyzed and shared!!! This is another Big Brother watching what you are saying. So will you continue to tweet knowing that your every word is being analyzed? We know that all blog posts and tweets are public, but Radian6 will analyze and report it to the companies that that you mention in your tweets. How do you feel about this? Is this a good idea? Do you feel this is too much and will this prevent people from expressing what they really feel? Will this really help companies with their branding and ultimately increase their customer base or is this just an infringement on you civil rights? Will this information keep you from tweeting?
Welcome to a pop culture event where people can fulfill their dreams of becoming a superhero while sneaking a peak at their favorite celebrity or viewing a preview for an upcoming movie. Comic-Con is an international festival that showcases many aspects of entertainment such as comics, film, and television. It attracts audiences of all generations from around the world. The 43rd Annual Comic-Con wrapped up this weekend in San Diego, CA where fans and industry professionals celebrated the history of Hollywood and its culture.
What is the “big idea” of Comic-Con? To bring attention to audiences everywhere the joy and recognition for comics and similar art forms (comic-con.org.). In an effort to unite artists with his audience, Shel Dorf, founder of Comic-Con, launched an event contrived from his passion for comics on March 21, 1970 in San Diego, CA (Harvey, 2009). What began as a gathering of individuals who shared their love for media and comic strips has transpired into a worldwide marketing extravaganza for the entertainment industry.
As Young (2010) explains, utilizing multiple platforms to advertise and launch a brand or product will generate greater audience exposure. Comic-Con is the ideal event for introducing new games, films, and television to a mass crowd. Spectators anticipating the next “Twilight” or “Expendables” have the opportunity to preview a clip from their favorite movie, which essentially promotes “word of mouth” advertising. In addition to marketing upcoming features, Comic-Con paid tribute to well-known franchises such as “James Bond” and “Power Rangers.” Celebrating past franchises at the 2012 expo brought attention to Hollywood’s culture as it connects with people across all generations (Associated Press, 2012).
Comic-Con is a marketing masterpiece as it builds excitement around a topic that many people appreciate – entertainment and media. Moreover, it creates conversation and stories. As Heath and Heath (1997) explain, stories relate to entertainment; people identify with characters in a movie or are drawn into a world of fantasy created by its author. Comic-Con allows people to be part of a story; to express themselves as “Ironman” or a “Star Wars” trooper. Additionally, it creates social media frenzy as people share their experiences using sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Applications designed specific for Comic-Con for the iPhone, iPad, and Android also promote instant communication and advertising.
Comic-Con has evolved from what many believe to be solely a comic book convention, to a powerful vehicle for marketing movies and television. It is an expo that continues to attract audiences from all generations; creating a “buzz” about upcoming features and media events. Although Comic-Con originated from the idea of recognizing comics, it has transpired into a world of appreciation for all aspects of entertainment. What did you miss at the 2012 Comic-Con? Here are a few highlights that will keep people talking.
Quentin Tarantino presents “Django Unchained.”
Robert Downey Jr. speaks about “Ironman 3.”
Superman “Man of Steel” is Introduced.
True Blood Season 5: Comic-Con Trailer.
For additional information about these highlights, visit Comic-Con’s official website: Comic-Con official website: http://www.comic-con.org/.
Sources
Associated Press. (2012, July 11). Comic-con to celebrate history, heritage by marking anniversaries of long-running franchises. The Washington Post. Retrieved July 14, 2012, from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/comic-con-to-celebrate-history-heritage-by- marking-anniversaries-of-long-running franchises/2012/07/11/gJQAV8d2cW_story.html
Comic-Con official website: http://www.comic-con.org/
Harvey, R. C. (2009). Shel Dorf, Founder. Comic-Con International 2009 Souvenir Book. Retrieved July 14, 2012, from
http://www.comic-con.org/common/shel_dorf.shtml
Heath, C., & Heath, D. (1997). Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. New York, NY: Random House.
Young, A. (2010). Brand Media Strategy: Integrated Communications Planning in the Digital Era. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Images
Photo of Ironman: http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/07/26/comic-con-full-iron-man-2-panel-report/
Photo of Superman by Warner Bros. http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/comic-con-2012-man-steel-wows-crowd-first-002728821.html
Hot Movies at Comic-Con 2012 by Yahoo Movies: http://movies.yahoo.com/comic-con/
Golden State Comic-Con graphic: Shel’s graphic design skills served him well at Comic-Con. He designed the first logo for the show, which is similar to his design for the Detroit Triple Fan Fair.: http://www.comic-con.org/common/shel_dorf.shtml
Athlete endorsements are still a way advertisers aim to leverage their presence in key events like the Olympics. For them, moving beyond the traditional television campaign is a crucial media strategy that supports their brand message. But does it really work? With the saturation of endorsements, we (the viewer) can almost become immune to them and many times see them as only part of the athlete’s uniform. I don’t recall if Michael Phelps uses AXE or Head and Shoulders, or if Misty May wears Nike or Nautica. So, what would make a sponsor buy space on an athlete’s butt? Would anyone really pay that much attention? Or would the novelty of the effort be enough to catch some media mentions? And why would athletes (like the U.K. female beach volleyball team) go to such an extreme to gain a sponsorship?
