Mining For Cash In Chile
Photo: AMagill
What do you think of all the Chile Miner endorsement and movie deal activity? It’s wonderful all 33 miners have emerged safely from their ordeal, although they seem to have surfaced with dollar signs in their eyes. That is, if we could see their eyes behind the Oakley branded sunglasses they’re wearing to aid adjustment back to natural light; and the dollar signs are just an analogy for crying out loud! Furthermore, the magnetism of instant heroism and celebrity is what is directing the opportunities – some reasonable and others quite a stretch – toward these men. Most important is they are home safe.
I’m all for seizing a bonafide business opportunity in real time before its window of opportunity closes, and the Oakley thing appears intelligent both from a marketing perspective and in addressing a true need the miners have. I’m skeptical, however, of other brand attachments to the nearly flawless rescue of the Chilean miners. It’s all in the eye of the beholder I suppose.
Apple reportedly has given iPods to the miners and from what I’ve read, due to social/psychological reasons cited by rescuers, these were provided to the miners after the fact rather than while trapped in the mine for sixty some days. That’s where I would have valued one most had I been in the same predicament, although I certainly do not know the details of the dangerous circumstances these men were facing nor the best protocol for addressing them.
Nobody other than “los 33″ for that matter seem to fully know those details yet. NBC’s Today Show and other media have reported the miners are being tight lipped about the specifics of their ordeal, favoring expectations of book and movie deals well into the millions by remaining united to only tell their story together. I get this for the most part. These men have been to hell and back together and lived to tell about it. If they’re intending to profit from this then distributing the spoils evenly has merit.
Peripherally – which is where most brand involvement should be, if at all, regarding a story of this magnitude – there are game show and soccer game appearance offers being made to the miners. These two examples don’t seem a fit to me, yet in the euphoria of the moment almost anything goes. And the moment is really the point here. There’s only so much news cycle and marketable time available for this and nearly any event that occurs in our always-connected, attention-deprived society. Movie and books deals aren’t going to be circling after Christmas. The story needs to be developed now.
What other brand and media activity have you seen surrounding this event? Are the connections logical? Do you even care?
