Branding by disappointment

With the European Championship Soccer 2008 going on, we are being confronted day in, day out with  brands trying to benefit from the excitement around the event. The theme is either the heroism of the players, the excitement of the fans or flat out sales promotion. And where the first theme can lead to great advertising and goose bums, the promotional route often leads to tear jerking bad communications. One of my personal favorite topical ads made exceptional use of the event. A couple of years ago Amstel Beer ran the  well appreciated  "three friends" campaign. And for the occassion of a big international soccer tournament Willem van Hanegem joined the three friends in the Amstel ads. The most brilliant commercial - at least, that's my opinion - was the one broadcast directly after the lost match that sent the Dutch team home. It opened on the outside of a common family home and the only thing the viewer saw was a TV set being kicked through and out of the window on the first floor. Twenty seconds later the three friends and Willem van Hanegem leave the front door. When we see them from the back Willem is showing a very clear limp when he walks away. Even the negative emotion of a lost tournament can be used to bond brands and people. I think it was as strong as it was unexpected. Most brands pull out when the positive excitement is gone. Amstel proved that with sponsoring and advertising you can even build on negative emotion. Unfortunately I couldn't find a copy of the commercial. If you have one or know where it can be found, let me know.