Blunderball: Spain's strong offensive effort
August 14th 2008 00:30
Using sport and sports people in corporate advertising can work well when it's done well. But whatever money Spanish courier company Seur spent on its latest promotional campaign, it was money well-wasted.
Just how misguided can an ad campaign be? There must have been planning meetings, presentations to and approval from Seur management, approaches to and agreement from Spanish basketball authorities and, ultimately, all the people involved on the day of the photographic shoot itself.
A day aimed at getting a picture of the Spanish national men's basketball team standing, like children, with their eyes pinched back to make them look Chinese.
And, incredibly, not once in all that time through all those processes did someone say, "This could backfire."
Steven Barrett, in his blog here wonders "if these guys have a combined IQ representing normal room temperature". Which shows that Steven has a lot firmer grasp on social responsibility and awareness, not to mention a lot more wit, than all the Spaniards involved in this disaster for diplomacy and common sense.
Hazel Castillo, in her blog here asks if this was "mocking" or "just a friendly gesture". Hazel is Asian, and I think this is a much kinder response than the Spanish deserve. A "friendly gesture" is the best possible way this could be construed, but frankly I find it hard to imagine how such a picture, involving so many people, could be arranged on the basis of a friendly gesture.
Chris Chase, writing in a Yahoo sports blog here says, "Whether the picture was made in good fun is irrelevant. It was a ridiculous idea that was bound to upset a lot of people." Indeed.
The word I'd use to describe the Spanish effort is "dumb". Fun, yes - the mindless, unthinking, uncaring fun of a group of young and uninformed people, not one of whom apparently had the wit, the courage or the intelligence to say, "Something feels wrong about this".
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Comment by Hazel Castillo
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I was kinder because sometimes you really have to give people the benefit of the doubt. What's nice to you may be extremele offensive to me.. that's cultural difference...
Ironically, this was done in line with the OLYMPICS whose aim is to create ONE WORLD... ONE NATION
Comment by Chris Champion
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That quote was from one of the players, shrugging off the question and claiming the media was beating up the story. As you say, amazing how blind he is to how others see the issue.
But he's just a youngster. What I'd like to do is put a few questions to the advertising people who came up with the idea in the first place, and the company management and basketball chiefs who agreed to go along with it.
Regards,
Chris