Iconic’s James Kirkham has an idea that’ll make sports marketers drop their golf clubs in shock; what not just wing it? Hear him out. The image of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina and his surfboard appearing to float on air over the water when he was competing at this year’s Olympics has become one of the defining moments of the event . It shows Medina as a superhero, levitating above the water and ascending to greatness.
A moment of utter calm in the hectic storm of competition, it was instantly compared with other iconic sporting imagery, such as Neil Leifer’s Muhammad Ali overhead shot. The image was seen hundreds of millions of times in a matter of hours. Within 48 hours, Corona Cero, a non-alcoholic beer and the first-ever global beer sponsor of the games, launched a powerful out-of-home campaign centered on this striking image of Medina, one of the brand’s long-standing ambassadors.
Corona Cero leveraged its sponsorship in a brilliantly meme-friendly way. With a creative platform around ‘golden moments,’ it hijacked one of the greatest moments so far at the Olympics. This campaign shows that when it comes to grabbing people’s attention, the best strategy is to plan for the unexpected.
First of all, talent strategy is a long-term commitment and isn’t about short-term gain. Corona’s cultural nous and partnership with Gabriel Medina meant that the brand wasn’t just well placed but was effectively the only brand that could capture this moment and catapult it as it did. This talent strategy gave it the cultural kudos, legitimacy and clout to deliver an epic advertising moment.
Then there’s planning for the unplanned and leveraging the moment. We saw some great work from Adidas during the Euros, centering on its fledgling relationship with Jude Bellingham, which was beautifully amplified by his last-minute overhead kick. Corona Cero’s exploitation of this iconic imagery is further proof that no amount of planned creative will ever surpass the truly deft leveraging of the moment.
The fake OOH billboard that went viral online after Argentina won the World Cup is another example of a team that thinks on its feet and moves fast. Move at the speed of a meme if you want to be a meme. Back to Corona Cero.
This campaign hit 58 locations across the UK in under two days, from moment to meme. It simply wouldn’t have an impact if it came out weeks later. Advertisement The speed of turnaround and ability to elevate it instantly meant that the brand got to own and author the moment.
Turning around campaigns beyond digital memes into out-of-home billboards meant Corona Cero created an indelible link between the brand and this beautiful sporting feat. Read more from James here..
