¶ … 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."...

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…