All of those involved in the Olympics brand creation are probably heartily sick of answering questions about it. The chances are you’ve heard a fair bit too. However, if you haven’t heard enough already, it’s worth pondering what this high profile and seemingly unconnected branding fiasco means for all of us working in the B2B arena. Here are some of my thoughts:
1. Credibility takes years to build and seconds to ruin
From TV programmes and radio phone-ins, and from The FT to The Sun, our trade has been made visible and derided. For the first time since Margaret Thatcher put the kiss of death on the new British Airways brand with her strategically placed handkerchief, brand is on the lips of everyone. And yet, it’s not for the right reasons. During the years since BA, whatever hard work has been done by brand specialists and marketers, brand’s credibility has been lost in a moment and the Olympics has become the new shorthand for ‘rip-off, marketing nonsense and a waste of money’.
2. Brand will never get an easy ride
If it’s going to be talked about, we need to make sure people understand brand and its benefits for what it truly delivers. But is this realistic? Brand is subtle, complex and hard to define. Couple this with the fact that the best ideas often challenge the accepted norm. So perhaps brand, especially in its most groundbreaking manifestations, will never receive an easy ride in the eyes of the public. Whatever you think of the Olympics brand, it has to be better than the parade of suggested alternatives posted on websites and in magazines. No, Mr Smith from Tunbridge Wells, your daughter could not have done better. The message is, if you are ever going to get those around you to go for something challenging, future-focused and special, you’ll have to fight for it.
3. Brands must be launched properly
No logo could ever hope to ‘make a difference to people’s lives’, as Tony Blair suggested at the Olympics unveiling. But the Olympics movement itself is life affirming and enhancing. A subtle distinction,but perhaps the biggest mistake made during the Olympics debacle was to sell a logo as a brand. A logo can’t be separated from its wider brand and a brand can’t be separated from the organisation. So when you are launching a brand, unveil and unpack what the business is endeavouring to achieve and what that means for its audience. And place brand as a small element in the overall mix.
4. Supporters can turn into weasels
Through the branding process you should do everything within your power to engage those around you so they understand what’s happening, why, what’s in it for them and what’s expected of them. But despite the effort, when the chips are down don’t expect them to support you. Brand ambassadors can all too often transmogrify into weasels in the face of something smelly hitting the fan. The creative agency’s brief was challenging and political in every possible sense of the terms. Look around and you will struggle to find a supporter for their Olympics brand. And yet it would have taken a sizeable team and a substantial process to sign off the Olympics brand. So there must have been an army of supporters for it at some point. A painful reality check for all concerned.
5. If you are in it for the glory, find another job
It must have been a wonderful moment winning the brief to create a brand for the 2012 Olympics. But there the glory will have ended and the slog begun. As anyone working in branding knows, it is neither a glamorous nor a glorious existence. The journey of a brand creation is a long, hard road. It’s not a journey people go on every day. Which means they are unlikely to appreciate how much work goes into the process. Even if you get it right, not everyone is going to love the solution. You’ll hear all about it if it doesn’t work out and you won’t be over-whelmed with praise if it does. The best you can hope for is a quiet sense of satisfaction for a job well done.
The modern Olympics was established in the late 1800s. The Olympics’ heritage and defining spirit goes back to ancient Greece. London is also the home of globally renowned and cutting edge design. So if the Olympics 2012 brand can’t challenge and set new standards, we’re all done for. Regardless of what you think of the Olympics logo, it’s a textbook lesson in terms of potential pitfalls to look out for. At the same time, the creative agency’s brief was a hard one. If the project had been a success, the Government would have got the credit.It didn’t and the creative agency has taken the rap. Not fair perhaps, but the bane of our industry.
