An Olympic feat .... of advertising savvy?

Here at Crazy Savvy headquarters, Winter Olympic fever has officially set in. In what, precisely, do we find the allure? Is it the thrills and chills of watching the world's best athletes come together on an international stage? The satisfaction of cheering on Minnesota hometown heroes (heroines, more like!) like Lindsey Vonn and Natalie Darwitz? The excitement at witnessing sports that we otherwise wouldn't care less about, but for 2 weeks are transformed into ardent fans? (See: speed skating. Or maybe it's just the charms of Apolo Ohno. Hm .... maybe.) Is it the peculiar spectacle of watching the controversial but undeniably fascinating Johnny Weir prance about in sparkly pink costumes? (Ut-oh, have I just incriminated myself? Guilty as charged!)

Yes, yes — all of these things, and more. But the Winter Olympics are also of interest to us professionally, as they represent a world stage upon which to evaluate and examine advertisements, brand promotions, and corporate sponsorships.

Industry wisdom in the past has always been that the Winter Olympics are considerably less of a draw than the summer games — and less of a pull than other major sporting events, like the Superbowl and the World Cup, too. But with the Superbowl losing its holy grail-like luster for advertisers (you can read our analysis of this trend here) and the Winter Olympics gaining cultural traction with more marquee names and larger-than-life personalities, the times may be a-changin'. Indeed, research suggests that this is precisely the case, with ad minutes, costs-per-spot, and number of advertisers all increasing significantly since 1998. (For more great media insight about the Winter Olympics, check this out.)

Does this mean the ads are better? Well .... jury's out. I'll confess, I'm kind of a sucker for Visa's Go World campaign. (Then again, I could listen to Morgan Freeman read someone's grocery list and find myself rapt with attention and awe.) And Erin was moved by GE's Beautiful spot, which examines the intimate impact technology can have over the course of one's life. But — maybe it's my inner cynic — all the Olympic ads begin to blend together for me into one big, treacly, inspirational ball of mush.

Oh well. I still find myself transfixed to the television set during the Winter Olympics, excited about the various events, marveling (perhaps coveting?) the pink spangles of Mr. Weir.