My wife said something last week that was characteristically genius. “Why doesn’t someone make a great olympics movie every four years?”
My reply was similarly characteristic. “I have no idea.”
People are Hungry and Hollywood Fails Again
Think about it, marketing people. You have a built-in seasonal fervor that crescendos to a fever pitch in late summer. Major networks and news organizations do their best to put the market in a frenzy for months ahead of time. People across the globe get sentimental about it. There are innumerable inspiring story-lines. (You don’t have to make this stuff up!) All of the characters are fit and they’re usually attractive.
Sounds a lot like the Holidays, doesn’t it? How many Christmas movies will come out in late November this year and every year? A bunch. How many olympics movies can you name that debuted this summer? I can’t name one. In fact, I can’t name one since that 1981 epic featuring Vangelis’s throbbing rhythms and bare-footed, shore-treading heroes. I still get a chill when I hear those first few beats.
Hollywood has failed on this one. Well, they fail most of the time in my opinion but that’s another blog post. So many stories to tell, and no one telling them.
Since Hollywood has failed, our appetite for anything olympic is almost debilitating. We’re hungry to be thrilled. We’re searching the interwebs, setting DVRs, tweeting, and obviously blogging about it.
Tonight London gets their shot at providing what the world is looking for. The Brits get to tie their story in with the dreams of kids and adults alike. The Opening Ceremonies are marketing–never forget that. But it is marketing in its best form. It’s the best kind because we want it. We’re giving you permission, as Seth Godin would say.
China nailed it
Four years ago, we were entranced by 2008 young Chinese men beating and chanting with awe-inspiring precision and choreography on their lighted, Confucius-era drums. In fact, it was so awe-inspiring, the guys were told to smile so that viewers throughout the world wouldn’t be too intimidated. It was spectacular.
For two hours in Beijing we learned of Chinese culture and history. A beautiful child serenaded us. The invention of gunpowder, typesetting, paper, the kite, and the compass passed before us like a rich, warm dream. The silk road. Tai Chi. The Chinese view of the future of mankind. Choirs. Flags. Acrobatics. Torch-bearing humans walking through air.
It was dazzling and thrilling. China got their shot at selling themselves to the world and they nailed it.
High Expectations for Story-Land
Jokes are going around that you don’t want to be the ones to follow up on the Beijing Opening Ceremonies. Compound that with the fact that expectations would already be lofty for the Brits and you have a stressful evening ahead for the planners. After all, the best stories of the past and present sprung from the drama-rich soil across the pond: Beowulf, King Arthur, The Lord of the Rings (my personal favorite), and Harry Potter.
This is the pinnacle of the live performance, on Shakespeare’s hallowed ground. This better be good.
Essence of Inbound
And this is the essence of Inbound Marketing — creating content that people are looking for, that people are hungry for. It’s putting your story on display and making it very, very easy for people to connect to. It is doing something buzz-worthy.
The world is hungry this afternoon. Will London satisfy?
Are you Hollywood or Beijing?
How about your business? There are people out there who have the itch that your business scratches. They are hungry for the story that you can tell. They’re looking for you.
You have two choices. You can ignore the opportunity like Hollywood or you can nail it like Beijing. Which will you choose?
Want to learn more about how Inbound Marketing can change your business? We’ve provided an easy-to-read guide that’s almost as awe-inspiring as 2008 chanting drummers . . .
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