The advertisement featuring Usian Bolt

广告展示Usian螺栓是一个很好的广告,在每个教科书措施,和Mr.Bolt肯定被证明是一个背书人值得投资。然而,较强的影响,更具体的目标和更高的能力产生宣传,马肉广告及其系列似乎更经济有效的和有效的

Nissan Motor certainly has been very active in promoting its GT-R line of sports car. In 2012, just as Usian Bolt, the Olympic champion and world record holder of Men’s 100m Sprint, has reached the peak of his fame, Nissan managed to reach a million-dollar-worth of endorsement agreement with him (Badenhausen, 2012). Then came along the series of commercials in the theme of Mr.Bolt being a GT-R owner, circulating worldwide. Among the series, one print advertisement with Usian Bolt crouching on the run-up next to a Nissan GT-R stood out in particular. And as though the endorsement of Mr.Bolt did not cost a fortune of the firm’s marketing budget, Nissan engaged British artist Tim Kent, and went on launching another series of commercial in a subtler yet more provocative manner in 2013 (Kent, 2013). These being a series of print advertisements teasing its rival brands, one of which is entitled as Horse Meat, targeting its competitor, Ferrari. Many may think that Nissan’s brand will be better promoted leveraging on the fame of Mr.Bolt. However, it is my opinion that the latter series of print ads strikes its viewers with a deeper impression, and is more effective on its target audience. 

To facilitate comparison, one should start with examining the graphic details of both print advertisements. The advertisement featuring Usian Bolt is red color themed, contrasting with white and black: red GT-R car labeled “MR BOLT” on the right side of the picture, with Usian Bolt wearing a red sports vest ready to sprint on the left side. Beneath the image of Bolt, the advertisement says “Usain Bolt, Nissan GT-R Owner”. And in the bottom right corner, writes Nissan’s slogan “Innovation that excites”. Clearly, Nissan aims to promote the speed of its sports car by instructing consumers to associate GT-R with the fastest man on earth. And by suggesting Usain Bolt being a GT-R enthusiast, Nissan is calling for consumer’s action to purchase, to join Bolt as a proud GT-R owner. 
If the first advertisement aims to thrill people with its dashing color, world champion feature and calling for action, the second advertisement may seem to be slightly confusing on the first sight. The background features a silver metallic texture, like a stainless steel cutting board or perhaps a processing station. In the center of the image shows a neatly packed piece of raw horsemeat, as those seen in the supermarket. The price tag is pasted on the top left corner of the package, printed with a Ferrari logo and a price of £5.69, which is approximately a millionth of the price of a real Ferrari car. To the bottom right side of the pack of meat is a knife, on which marked “Nissan GT-R Nismo 0-60mph in 2.0 seconds.” Nissan’s logo and slogan are indicated in the top right corner of the advertisement. It may take a brief moment and some reading effort for one to grasp the subtle implication of the advertisement, which suggests even costing mere 1/3 of its competitor’s price, Nissan’s GT-R has such advantage in speed over Ferrari that it can “cut through” a Ferrari like a piece of meat. 
There are three main points that supports my claim of the Horse Meat advertisement being more effective. First being the level of impact. There is no doubt that the strong color contrast in the Bolt advertisement cause for visual stimulation, and the image of Usian Bolt triggers direct association of ultimate speed of human and that of sports cars. Nonetheless, the subtlety of the Horse Meat advertisement triggers curiosity and imagination. It is one of those ads that one cannot fully appreciate its wittiness by a simple glance. And as people begin to wonder about the meaning of the ad, the image is naturally deeply imprinted in their brains. It has been psychologically proven that the more people think about something, the more thorough people process the information, the better they will recall the event in at a later time (Tugend, 2012). 
A strong impact is not the only thing that a successful advertisement should aim for. To eventually generate sales, the advertisement must make sure to attract the right audience. Perhaps at least half of the population on earth knows the well-celebrated Usian Bolt, but among them, how many will have the chance to see the ad, and how many are financially capable of purchasing a sports car on the basis of fandom? In comparison, the Horse Meat advertisement suggests a clearer target segment – Ferrari owners and potential buyers. It is true that to include such mockery in the advertisement could be risky, probably even bordering on the possibility of a lawsuit. Nevertheless, it is worth the try if the cleverness of the advertisement can shake some of the loyalties to the Ferrari brand. 
Granted, some loyalties are not to be tempted, and to those people, the Horse Meat advertisement poses strong indication of insult, which may lead to protest. Yet, considering any publicity is good publicity, the disapproval by Ferrari fans may in turn adds a bonus point to Nissan’s advertisement. The Bolt advertisement, on the other hand, seems to be relatively ordinary on the account of evoking publicity. Nissan may have to spend a good fortune placing the Bolt advertisement in different channels, whereas the Horse Meat advertisement, despite having been claimed by multiple sources to be a fake campaign, can easily go viral on the Internet (Joseph, 2014). 
The advertisement featuring Usian Bolt is a good advertisement in every textbook measure, and Mr.Bolt definitely proves to be an endorser worth investing. However, with stronger level of impact, more specific target and higher ability to generate publicity, the Horse Meat advertisement and its series appears to be more economically efficient and effective. 
References
Badenhausen, K. (2012, August 4). How Usain Bolt Earns $20 Million A Year. Retrieved October 4, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/08/04/how-usain-bolt-earns-20-million-a-year/
Kent, T. (2013). Retrieved October 4, 2014, from http://www.timkent.co.uk
Tugend, A. (2012, March 23). Praise Is Fleeting, but Brickbats We Recall. Retrieved October 4, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/your-money/why-people-remember-negative-events-more-than-positive-ones.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Joseph, N. (2014, June 23). Nissan GT-R takes a bloody whack at supercar rivals in fake ads. Retrieved October 4, 2014, from http://www.autoblog.com/2014/06/23/nissan-gtr-fake-ads-tim-kent/
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