Viva’s Blog: Learn from the Olympics

The Olympics were a big winner for NBC and their viewers. There’s a lot to learn from their success. A sample of 50 random people provided these reasons for loving the ultimate contest between athletes.

Reason #1: They were fresh.
Nielsen reports a decline in overall TV viewing. Viewers are bored with reality TV, spin-offs of dramas, and 24-hour news shows, and are shifting their attention to the Internet.

Enter the Olympics. Viewership records were broken. 40 million Americans tuned in to watch the opening ceremony alone. Why the interest? They’re different and they’re relevant. Whether you ran track in high school and could relate to what it takes to train for the 400m or you connected with gymnast Aly Raisman’s parents who were caught on YouTube doing their own routine, it was full of surprises. And, marketers take note, Americans like relevant, fresh surprises.

Reason #2: They were easy.
Berets off to the broadcasters who provided just the right amount of information as they explained the events. Unlike the commentary during other sports events like the Tour de France, which erroneously assumes viewers understand the various stages and classifications, NBC shared tidbits about the scoring and athletes’ personal lives that were dumbed-down so we could multi-task while watching and still feel a part of it.

Reason #3: They were focused.
Face it. Winners of the gold medal got there by identifying a niche and devoting virtually every hour of every day for many, many years to achieve greatness. There’s a reason why you didn’t hear about gold medal winners who had picked up the sport last year after dabbling in three others before that. Lacking focus doesn’t result in success. Scattershot attempts waste time and money.

So, what can we marketers learn for the Olympics?
• Be fresh. Give something new to prospects and customers.
• Make it easy. You understand your products and web site, but can a newcomer?
• Stay focused. Don’t deviate from your core skill.

Editor’s note: Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand, was recently selected to be the Brand Blogger for Crain’s Cleveland Business. http://www.crainscleveland.com/section/blogs/