Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Standing Out from the Crowd


The airwaves and public spaces in China are crowded with Olympics advertising.

Billboards, magazine ads, commercials on radio, television and in the subway are definitely keeping the Olympic spirit in overdrive.

In fact it's almost on overload and it isn't even 2008 yet.

Most of the average ads are the ones featuring people doing some kind of physical activity, from riding a bicycle, doing tai chi, rocking a baby to sleep in a cradle or skipping rope. And they're all set against a clear blue sky and lush green trees which is hardly possible in the capital. But for one of the biggest events to happen in the country, viewers can suspend their skepticism for the greater good.

However, one commercial that towers over the rest so far is the one from Adidas.

As the official sportswear sponsor of the Games, Adidas has a vested interest in making its mark.

The brand continues its slogan "Impossible is Nothing" with a series of ads showing Chinese athletes supported by thousands of fans and supporters. A female basketball player dribbles the ball and masses of people hold her up one step at a time as she lays up a shot to the human-made basketball hoop; three volleyball players try to block the ball while the public jump up behind them with hands up; a soccer player is also held up by people as he kicks the ball; and a diver pushes off from a human diving board and gracefully dives into a human sea that ripples.

The athletes are flawlessly superimposed on top of people drawn using pencil animation.

It brilliantly shows how the Chinese are so feverently behind their athletes in the high hopes they will bring home gold next year.

The ad is memorable and no doubt will translate into sales dollars for a long time to come.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

it is high time the chinese put more emphasis on sports and physical education. in ancient times chinese shunned physical activities. their weak and small phsiques have been the laughing stalk of the world. the japanese used to call us 'the sick asians'. since bruce lee's movie persona opened up the eyes of the world this sicko image has been wiped out. in the last olympics china stunned the world with its fairly respectable showing. now with the hype of the 2008 olympics it is hoped china will make a further impressive mark in the record books.