"Meet the Superhumans" Video

¶ … Superhumans Today, the Paralympics are widely regarded as being the second-largest sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games themselves and there is growing recognition of the extraordinary abilities of athletes with disabilities as a result (Davis 2012). This paper provides a review of a commercial video, "Meet the Superhumans," that was used to promote the 2012 London Paralympics on a local television station, including an analysis of the brand being marketed, the targeted market segments, the key objectives of the video, and the video's key integrated marketing communications messages.

Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning the "Meet the Superhumans" video are provided in the conclusion. Review and Analysis Analysis of the video as a sport product promotional tool Brand being marketed. The brand being marketed in the subject video is the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Originally established by Sir Ludwig Guttman in the late 1940s as a way to help wounded World War II soldiers reintegrate into civilian society, the Paralympics brand today concerns a global sporting competition event comparable to the Olympics that is open to athletes that have various physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities (Davis 2012). The 1988 games were the first to use the title "Paralympics" ('2012 Paralympics to Transform View of Disabled' 2010).

The 2012 London Paralympics included athletes from more than 150 nations who competed in more than 19 sporting events over the course of a 2-week period following the 2012 Olympic Games (Davis 2012). Market segments to whom this is meant to appeal. The subject video targets a broad range of market segments, ranging from the very young to the very old of all nationalities and ethnicities using the common denominator of inspiration through perseverance. For instance, Davis (2012, p.

20) reports that, "Teachers and students alike enjoy reading and learning about role models, especially those in the sport world.

Role models from the sport world help us all learn about goal setting, sacrifice, joy, disappointment, and accomplishment." By highlighting the fact that many paralympians become disabled as the result of service-connected injuries in the military or through vehicular collisions, the video makes the point that these athletes are only different from mainstream society by virtue of an otherwise-disabling condition that they have overcome through hard work and persistence to become true "superhumans" who are worthy of emulation and admiration.

Key objectives of the video The key objectives of the advertisement appear to be generating increased viewer interest in the Paralympic Games on Channel 4 -- and for good reason. There was a great deal of money at stake in this major sporting event. For example, more than 50 non-Olympic-sponsor brands including Tesco, Apple and Google purchased advertising packages for Channel 4's coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games (English 2012).

Other sponsor brands that purchased advertising from Channel 4 for the Paralympics included: Auto Trader, Aviva, B&Q, Colgate, Comet, Gocompare.com, Kellogg, Land Rover, Mars, Renault, Tropicana, and Volvo (English 2012). According to English (2012, p. 5), the head of a major media investment agency, "Channel 4 has divided its slots around the Paralympics into mixed packages of eight-10 spots, which include both daytime and peak shows. Brands have been attracted by the legacy of the Olympics.

We think that the Paralympics will perform strongly from a viewing standpoint, so it is a smart buy." The marketing for the 2012 London Paralympics was a "smart buy" due in large part to the effectiveness of the integrated marketing communications messages that were used to promote the event, and these issues are discussed further below. Key integrated marketing communications messages Just as the marketing function involves far more than just advertising, integrated marketing communication encompasses a number of marketing elements. For instance, according to Brunello (2013, p.

9), "Integrated marketing communication represents a combination of direct marketing, general advertising, sales promotion and public relations." The integrated marketing communication message that was associated with the "Meet the Superhumans" video was the inspiration that could be attained by watching these amazing paralympians compete in their various events. By closely associating the exemplary performance of the featured paralympians with their programming, the marketers at Channel 4 developed a highly successful message that remained in the minds of viewers long after the commercial aired.

This approach is highly congruent with the observation by Brunello (2013, p. 11) that, "Integrated marketing communication represents the reunion of all marketing tools, approaches, and resources within a company which maximizes the impact on the consumer's mind and which leads to maximum profit at minimum cost." As noted above, the video is careful to underscore the causes of many of the athletes' disabilities in ways that emphasize that even though they have not always been disabled, they have always been courageous. In this regard, Davis (2012, p.

22) emphasizes that, "Utilizing role models from the Paralympics heightens awareness and advocacy for disability sport and helps everyone recognize the extraordinary talent they possess." In fact, after watching the promotional video, it is reasonable to suggest that many viewers made a special effort to tune in to at least some of the events during the 2-week games who might otherwise have ignored the events altogether. This integrated marketing communication message was communicated in a highly effective fashion with an appealing layout.

For instance, some salient comments from YouTube members concerning this video include the following: This is the miracle which happens when the spirit overcomes the injury of the body. This was the best advert out of all of them and the Paralympics was amazing. [After two-year], still the best sporting event I have ever been to and the best promotional video I have ever seen? Whoever made these commercials gets me every time - If only we could get them to do this for Canadian elections..

Taken together, these empirical observations from uncompensated reviewers are proof-positive that Channel 4's promotional video, "Meet the Superhumans," succeeded in conveying the intended integrated marketing communication. As Brunello (2013, p. 10) points out, "The objectives of any marketing communication process are to create brand awareness, deliver information, educate the market, and advance a positive image of the product brand." It is also reasonable to suggest that the promotional video succeeded in building loyalty to the Paralympics brand along with.