Leveraging the Olympic legacy

A new report called London Pride: The Young Adult Perspective was recently launched by Firefly Millward Brown, following qualitative research conducted online among 18-25 year olds living in and outside the capital. The report highlights a more positive stance among today’s young people and a real sense that London has become a key presence on the global map and a centre for business, investment, career opportunities and success.

Although the initial surge of excitement died away fairly quickly after the Games, this continued feeling of optimism presents an opportunity for marketers to capitalise on the so-called Olympic effect.

The study uncovered, through a variety of interactive tasks and exercises, that many brands out there already have a strong affiliation with London, through provenance, history or simply by association, and they are continuing to enjoy the feel-good factor. Other brands have come to the fore and have been adopted by London.

Take Adidas, a brand that has managed to do this very well, capitalising on its sponsorship of the Olympics and its collaboration with London-based designer Stella McCartney to design the Team GB kit. Adidas also selected young, rising, sporting personalities as ambassadors, and came up with various initiatives aimed at young people with passion at the core. The company raised its game, its global credentials and its cool factor at the same time, to the extent that, for many, it has superseded Nike, which owned ‘cool’ – and London – two years ago.

Hipster hotspots

For brands looking to get a foothold, there is still a lot to be gained from an association or affiliation with London. But beware: an association with the capital is not enough on its own. Brands that demonstrate a tangible involvement or strong affiliation with London life – by using a brand ambassador, aligning with behavioural trends or attitudes, or sponsoring music and sports events – will see much more success.

Those who align themselves with specific areas of the city will also benefit. Individual areas have taken on their own unique sense of style and identity, like energetic Brixton and the hipster vibe of East London. This represents an opportunity for brands in terms of alignment with places or physical areas. In the report, young people referenced brands perceived to have strong connections with areas of the city, such as Rokit, which is strongly associated with East London hipsters.

The report also highlighted the fact that even in our increasingly complex digital world, there is a longing for old-fashioned values. Young people appreciated the sociability, closeness, mutual respect and belonging, which was highlighted during the Olympics, and are looking for more of the ‘physical’ in their lives today.

Marketers can benefit from having a strong focus on the experiential as part of their multimedia campaigns. Brands can do this in different ways – Coca Cola’s ‘Share A Coke’ campaign this summer was a brilliant example of bringing young people together and giving them a way to show love, care and respect for family and friends. It has been a tremendously successful campaign, which supports the importance placed on old-fashioned values and interactions by young people.

Liberal ambition

Two other important factors emerged from the online research, which used techniques to encourage young people to be very open and frank, and to think about their values and attitudes. First, young people are more ambitious than ever, and they understand more than ever that success in their careers and life comes from hard work, commitment and a positive outlook in a highly competitive global marketplace. This was highlighted at the Olympics, and made a lasting impression.

There is potential for this new positive stance to be used as a big idea by marketers, who should look to capitalise on emerging post-recession values. There is a real hunger to achieve among this generation that was never as strident with Generation Y.

Second, young people are far more liberal than their parents’ generation. They embrace diversity, and understand that they can improve themselves by learning about and experiencing different cultures, nationalities, people and places. This liberal stance was highlighted during the Olympics, where they enjoyed the coming together of different people and nationalities to support teams and celebrate sporting achievement. The global unity and connections young people look for represents a significant opportunity for marketers who target young people, especially in the build-up to the World Cup in 2014.

Young people are clear about what they want today – they are born into globalisation, embrace differences, and their personal ambitions extend well beyond London and the UK. They want success at work, and they want to gain a diverse range of life experiences along the way. Brands and marketers must to get to know young people better and embrace these ambitions, hopes and desires. Only those that best reflect their needs and aspirations will reap the rewards in the future.

Anne Collins is a research director at Firefly Millward Brown

Reference:

London Pride: The Young Adult Perspective, Firefly Millward Brown