Less than an hour until the Olympic opening ceremony (which I am apprehensive about, since it is promising us a "vision of what it means to be British today" - presumably thousands of choreographed Heath & Safety officers).
Awareness of "the Games" is currently overwhelming.
Some examples:
Above: this e-mail pinged into my computer today, with lots of "must have" merchandise. The style of the Games is deliberately kitsch, and no attempt has been made to achieve timelessness. I don't mind kitsch, but whoever did the logo has produced something so horrible it is beyond comment.
I am not being anti-Games. I want them to go well. But whoever did the logo needs to go in the stocks and have rotten fruit pelted in their direction.
Above: in Asda this evening the staff were in Team GB t-shirts, and Olympic-themed items were everywhere. Everyone seemed to be rushing, presumably because they wanted to get back in time to watch the Opening Ceremony. On impulse I bought these Olympic caramel shortcakes - I guess they are own-brand as there is no logo on them (apart from the 2012 logo).
Above: I was intrigued by this e-mail campaign for Damart. Their customers tend to be elderly and price-conscious, so you would think they would be the last people to spend discretionary income on souvenirs. What possible motives might they have to allocate some of their pension money on these items? Elderly people tend to be isolated and lonely so possibly they will respond to an invitation to "join in". They also have low self-esteem, so the idea that being British is fabulous will make them feel good. It is also nostalgic in style, which again would appeal to this demographic (no trace of the Olympic logo - this is a "Jubilympics" range).
Awareness of "the Games" is currently overwhelming.
Some examples:
Above: this e-mail pinged into my computer today, with lots of "must have" merchandise. The style of the Games is deliberately kitsch, and no attempt has been made to achieve timelessness. I don't mind kitsch, but whoever did the logo has produced something so horrible it is beyond comment.
I am not being anti-Games. I want them to go well. But whoever did the logo needs to go in the stocks and have rotten fruit pelted in their direction.
Above: in Asda this evening the staff were in Team GB t-shirts, and Olympic-themed items were everywhere. Everyone seemed to be rushing, presumably because they wanted to get back in time to watch the Opening Ceremony. On impulse I bought these Olympic caramel shortcakes - I guess they are own-brand as there is no logo on them (apart from the 2012 logo).
Above: I was intrigued by this e-mail campaign for Damart. Their customers tend to be elderly and price-conscious, so you would think they would be the last people to spend discretionary income on souvenirs. What possible motives might they have to allocate some of their pension money on these items? Elderly people tend to be isolated and lonely so possibly they will respond to an invitation to "join in". They also have low self-esteem, so the idea that being British is fabulous will make them feel good. It is also nostalgic in style, which again would appeal to this demographic (no trace of the Olympic logo - this is a "Jubilympics" range).
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