Meet the Superhumans: Paralympics Marketing & Brand Strategy

Introduction

Today, the Paralympics are widely regarded as the second-largest sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games, 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 Channel 4 television. The analysis examines the brand being marketed, the targeted market segments, the key objectives of the video, and the video's key integrated marketing communications messages. A summary of the research and important findings concludes the paper.

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 with 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 Paralympics as a Sport Brand

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). This global reach and diversity of competition made the Paralympics a significant marketing opportunity for broadcasters and advertisers alike.

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. 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."

Market Segments and Audience Appeal

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. This positioning reframes disability not as a limitation but as a characteristic of individuals worthy of emulation and admiration—true "superhumans" who have transcended their circumstances.

The key objectives of the advertisement were generating increased viewer interest in the Paralympic Games on Channel 4. There was significant financial incentive to do so. 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 observed that "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."

Key Objectives and Advertising Strategy

The marketing for the 2012 London Paralympics was indeed a "smart buy" due in large part to the effectiveness of the integrated marketing communications messages that were used to promote the event.

Just as the marketing function involves far more than just advertising, integrated marketing communication encompasses a number of marketing elements. 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 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 aligns 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."

Integrated Marketing Communications Messages

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. 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." After watching the promotional video, many viewers likely made a special effort to tune in to at least some of the events during the 2-week games who might otherwise have ignored them altogether.

This integrated marketing communication message was conveyed in a highly effective fashion. Salient comments from YouTube members concerning this video include:

These empirical observations from uncompensated reviewers demonstrate that Channel 4's promotional video 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." The promotional video succeeded in building loyalty to the Paralympics brand along with the television network's own brand.

Brunello (2013, p. 11) adds that "In simpler terms, integrated marketing communication (IMC) refers to speaking with one voice, eliciting a response. Therefore, IMC is a return to building brand loyalty by building brands that deserve loyalty." Most observers would agree that disabled sports and the 2012 London Paralympics are brands that deserve loyalty, and Channel 4 was effective in promoting this process.

Conclusion

The research showed that the 2012 London Paralympics were a major success in terms of educating the global public concerning the abilities of disabled individuals in the modern world. Indeed, the Paralympic Games have become the second-largest sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games themselves, and current indications suggest that these trends will continue well into the foreseeable future due in large part to the motivational messages communicated by these sporting events.