This is a piece I drafted a year ago after the 2012 Olympics, and found myself revising due to the links to 'The Christmas Effect' which I can see springing up already this year.
In terms of patriotic commercialism, Britain’s
really outdone itself this year. First the Queen’s jubilee celebrations and now
the Olympics, 2012 has seen Britain worship itself in a way I didn’t even think
was possible, and I’m sorry to say I found it hard to join in the celebrations.
I will tell you why. Let me tell you about this thing that I call the Christmas
effect- so named because it is most commonly seen around Christmas.
It
starts around June or July, when you will be watching TV when all of a suddenly
and advert for a Christmas product airs. ‘Christmas, in June? Well, that’s
odd!’ you think, but it doesn’t show its head for another month or so. You see
the advert again, and again. Slowly but surely more adverts creep their way
onto your screen. By October, Christmas
adverts are commonplace. By December, you’re sick of Christmas adverts, and
Christmas in general.
This is
the problem I have with the Olympics. How can I enjoy something when everyone
has been screaming it from the rooftops for months? How can I appreciate
something when I’m being told that I must appreciate it? The truth is, any
magic for me surrounding the event is ruined by the time it comes around, and I
blame the media.
By
August adverts for the Olympics were the only adverts around, and some of them
were just plain bizarre. These include, but are not limited to, adverts for
washing up liquid (because if your children eat off plates from our
competitors, they won’t be successful and fit!) adverts for watches (so you can
time Usain Bolt from your own living room!) and, amusingly, an advert for
British Airways, because they’re renown for being the best way to enter the
country… Apart from in the back of a lorry from France, obviously.
But are
the Olympics really the blessing for publicity that these companies seem to
think it is? Sure, most brands have found it as an easy way to flog a product,
but weren’t adverts meant to stand out? Be different, and show your product was
too? I can’t remember a single advert from the Olympic period, and that’s not a
good sign for the marketing departments. A much surer strategy would be to
ignore it, or at least show the Go Compare man running the 1500 metres, instead
of just deciding ‘Our product is the best because it’s British and the Olympics
are here this year!’ Even well-known and respected brands used it as an
opportunity to cash in on the public’s crazy patriotism. Lego Olympians,
Olympic Top Trumps and even Olympic shops popped up.
I may
seem bitter about the fact that people can finally unite about something, but I
am bitter because they’re following the normal human habit- they’re being patriotic
because it’s convenient for them at this time. When the world is staring at London it’s easy to say
‘Yeah, our country is perfect!’ But who was being patriotic before? When the
country burned from riots, who is being patriotic then? When the politicians
are under scrutiny again, or the floods wash away the southern counties for the
hundredth time, who is supporting their country then? No, this wave of
patriotism is a fad that’ll disappear the next time any of the taxpayer’s money
goes the same way.
Oh, and
Olympics is really awkward to spell, did I mention that?
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