I just came across the first ad for the 2011 Portland Timbers Soccer Team, and I have to admit that I was completely underwhelmed. I know I'm biased because we came in second to the company that got the gig, but I was hoping to be blown away by their stuff because of that. I wanted to see something that justified us losing the client, but I didn't.
It's not like the ad is bad. It's just a little generic. It could be the ad for any sports team in any country. If you swap out the city or logo, the ad and messaging stay the same. So I will take this as a lesson learned. No matter how creative you want to get with pitches, it may serve you well to include a standard concept. Duly noted. Point taken. This is my pity party.
The copy said "Liverpool. Milan. Barcelona. Madrid. Portland. Finally, we're on the world's pitch." It could have easily been the words on the back of an airport tourist t-shirt. "Liverpool. Milan. Barcelona. Portland. Culture lives here....This ad was paid for by the tourism board of Oregon."
Who knows? Maybe the next ad will have a bigger payoff. Perhaps this is a layered campaign that slowly builds to the genius level. Or maybe sports teams just don't like to take risks when it comes to their advertising. Either way, it doesn't do me any good to sulk.
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