Michael Gouinlock is with Lang & Associates, a Toronto-based international associative marketing agency with offices in Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, Atlanta, Dusseldorf, Tokyo and Sydney. Contributions, ideas, media releases and feedback should be directed to Tracey Grimshaw at (416) 962-0060 or fax (416) 962-1210.
I must admit, I don’t really get this millennium madness sweeping the marketplace. My kids refer to me as Ebeneezer when I tell them that the end of the millennium is really Dec. 31, 2000. Combine that with the fact that I have never been predisposed to ‘lists,’ (they’re so subjective), 1999 has been a rough year.
I have never been bombarded with more of ‘The Greatest This’ and ‘The Greatest That.’ Not only have I been subjected to the decade lists, but I’ve also had to endure a plethora of ‘The Greatest of the 20th Century’ lists.
‘Get in the game, Dad. You always said the marketplace is dynamic and we need to be flexible, so deal with it, Scrooge!’
OK, I’ll deal with it. Here’s my list of ‘The 10 Greatest Associative Marketing Programs of the 20th Century.’
10) Nike and Tiger Woods
This makes my list because of the foresight of the Nike people. When Tiger first came on the scene and signed for $40 million over five years, the sponsorship industry gasped, then laughed. What were the marketers at Nike smoking?
Four years later, the laughs have turned to applause. Nike recognized the global nature of its brand and the appeal that this phenomenal athlete would have on a global basis. I’d love to see the business case on this program after the first three-plus years. It must have moved the needle in all the key brand and sales indicators because Nike is rumoured to have recently renewed its commitment (prior to the end of the first term) at double the price.
9) The Federal Government and Participaction
This program is included because it’s one of the few times our tax dollars have been put to good use in the sport area.
Participaction was created in 1971 as a result of the recommendations on the White Paper on Sport. It is a national, non-profit health communications organization that uses a variety of modern and innovative communication strategies to make Canadians aware of the benefits of adopting healthy lifestyles.
The reason it’s included on this list is the fact that it has been successful in convincing a host of Canadian corporations to help fund and communicate its programs. In effect, the Feds put up the seed money and Canadian corporations have leveraged that investment. Twenty-eight years later, Participaction continues to be a powerful brand with which many companies strive to be aligned.
8) Fiberglas Canada (now Owens Corning) and Canada’s Freestyle Skiing Team
This is one of my favourite associative programs because it was run on a relatively small budget by a non-traditional sponsorship player.
Owens, then Fiberglas, saw Canada’s Freestyle team as an untapped resource and the perfect way to relaunch its brand in a cluttered marketplace with limited resources. They got there first, captured the attention and commitment of the athletes and then, by the time the traditional sponsors recognized the appeal of the sport to consumers, they had the key properties and assets tied up.
7) NFL Properties and Payne Stewart
Did this program do more for NFL Properties or Payne Stewart? I’m really not sure, but isn’t that what a great associative partnership is all about? It was a win/win for both parties.
From an NFL perspective, it exposed their brand to a public with a huge disposable income hungry for licensed merchandise. The NFL recognized the value of its brand well before the NBA, NHL, PGA Tour or MLB. In fact, this deal, it could be argued, was the forerunner for all the leagues.
And for Stewart, it allowed him to differentiate himself from the rest of the golfing mannequins. This was the first significant associative sponsorship for a golfer outside of equipment deals and may be the recently deceased Stewart’s real legacy to his Tour brethren.
6) R. J. Reynolds and NASCAR
This is not necessarily the first of the NASCAR associations, but it is certainly the key one.
The southeast U.S. is NASCAR country. It’s also the tobacco belt. It’s no small coincidence that the two are paired. Winston Cup Racing has become a fixture in the United States. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry where sponsorship has flourished and where research has proven that the millions of fans are loyal to these sponsors.
Prohibited from advertising, RJR picked an association that remains business-savvy and emotionally relevant years later.
You may not agree with tobacco sponsorship, but you must acknowledge this association. Without Winston’s involvement, the sport would not have grown to the stature it currently holds. Equally, Winston has capitalized on this association to enhance and grow its brand. A true associative partnership!
5) Molson and ‘Blind Date’
This is the premier music association from my perspective. Blind Date sticks out as a great associative program for a number of reasons.
It was one of the first promotions to capture the elusive, and traditionally anti-corporate music scene.
It targeted Molson Canadian’s core consumers in a true beer-drinking environment.
It reinforced key brand attributes of ‘young’, ‘sociable’ and ‘popular’.
It allowed for continuity and the use of the after-sell technique, thereby creating ‘bigness’ and equity.
Finally, it has bred imitation. There’s a strangely familiar feel to a program currently being done by another big brewery in Canada.
4) Roots and the Canadian Olympic Association
When I think back to Nagano in 1998, it’s hard not to have a vision of the Canadian Team uniform, the red hat and jacket.
Did Roots get lucky? Sure they did, but luck is when preparedness meets opportunity. Roots was more than prepared. Their deal with the COA gave them an international stage at a national price.
Kudos for identifying the opportunity, breaking through the clutter, highlighting key brand attributes through the Olympic partnership and then finishing by seizing the moment.
3) McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada and Ronald McDonald House/Children’s Charities
This is one of my favourites because it really set the benchmark for ’cause marketing.’ McDonald’s has successfully been able to extend its brand through ’emotional association.’ Kids and cancer; no one can turn their back on that.
And, on the day that McDonald’s raises a seven-figure cheque for charity, they also have one of their largest sales days of the year. (Those of us with kids are well aware that you don’t just buy a Big Mac; you always get the fries and a Coke and those are two high-margin items.)
McDonald’s gets full marks for identifying the importance of emotion and then executing with precision.
2) Coca-Cola and the Olympics
This is probably the granddaddy of associative programs. Coke has been involved with the Olympics for longer than any of us can remember. The premise of associating the number-one brand in the world with the number-one property only serves to better position Coca-Cola as a leader and its competitors as a distant second.
What has made this association even better has been Coke’s ability to leverage its Olympic connection with creative and locally relevant programs on a country-by-country basis.
Additionally, Coke can bring its key accounts the necessary added value elements to positively affect their businesses. As such, Coke now finds itself in the unique position where it doesn’t really have to advertise during the Olympics because it has built up such an arsenal of long-term equity and image transfer.
1) Petro-Canada and the Olympic Torch Relay
This one makes the top of my list because it cut through all the 1988 Olympic advertising clutter.
Petro-Canada used this association to build awareness and market share and to motivate employees who were unsure of their status in the wake of the Gulf/Petro Fina merger. Twelve years later, we’re still talking about it.
A couple of key strategic points worth noting on this one. First, Petro-Canada did not advertise during the Games. All of their communication efforts were focused on the Torch Relay including sign-up, pre-promotions (who didn’t have a Torch Relay glass in their house?) and the 88 days of the run itself. When the Games started, they dropped back and then returned after the Games with a bang, highlighting their Olympic Torch Legacy Fund. Second, they made the strategic decision not to force Canadians to go to Petro-Canada gas stations to get their applications to run.
Instead they sent them to every household and this, in effect, transferred a degree of ownership of the Torch Relay to Canadians. This resulted in the unprecedented media coverage of the event.
When you examine my list more closely, you notice trends or commonalities that those on the list share. If you really want to break through with your associative programs, take some risk like Nike; be creative and innovative like Roots and Owens Corning; be relevant to your consumers like Molson; take some ownership like McDonald’s; think of long-term equity like Coke; focus like Petro-Canada and execute with excellence like all of them.
Like all lists, this may generate a certain amount of controversy. Some of you may be wondering how I could have given consideration to all the worthy programs that are out there. The answer is, I couldn’t and I didn’t. Others will say I didn’t really do justice to the early years of sponsorship. Again, I probably didn’t, but as my kids are fond of telling me: ‘Deal with it!’
