June 23, 2006

José, give us a kiss

An interesting coincidence occurs between two of my favourite blogs. Northern Planner and Hidden Persuader showcase different ads that feature Chelsea’s manager, José Mourinho.
The glum-looking fellow is one of the most entertaining football managers in the Premiership. He is arrogant, hyper-sensitive and quick to criticise other managers, which makes his press conferences such terrific fun. That his team virtually bought the Premiership championship by virtue of an open chequebook from its dodgy Russian billionaire owner has not endeared Chelsea to other fans. We are in the unique position of having an English team that is more hated than Manchester United. But that’s just my neutral opinion, ho hum.It’s no surprise then that a Mourinho endorsement should be criticised; a brand using him in the UK may risk a backlash from the fans of the 91 other clubs. This is why the ad from Marmite is so perfect - the Mourinho like/dislike factor fits the brand so well, and will further endear it to English consumers.However, Mourinho endorsements occur in international campaigns. This American Express ad ran in several countries, where he is more likely to represent success, sophistication and sexiness.

Tags: Advertising industry, Press/outdoor ads, TV ads

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree, its a brilliant ad that captures the attitude people have with marmite, and parallels it wonderfully.

I did quite like the Amex ad, but the others with him in have been poor.

As someone who can't stand Man Utd, im happy to see Chelsea do alright for once in 50 years. Its not like the other teams got to the top without spending on top players. Henry and Ferdinand on a free? Doubtful! ;)

Anonymous said...

It's not soo bad...
José is Portuguese, believe me it could be worst... Figo sells more and is not soo successfull, and Cristiano Ronaldo not soo handsome ;)

from a portuguese reader of your blog :)