Look for longer: a great campaign

You know you're reading a good book (which, it happens, I am) when you can't stop thinking about it, and every free minute you dive back into it. It would be fair to say the same is true for any media: really impactful TV, film, theatre and art have all done the same to me at one time or another.

This got me thinking on the way home tonight about the similar impact that marketing and advertising can have. You find yourself suddenly thinking about it or, in some cases, spending ages pouring over it, even though it really isn't something of great significance.

A case in point is a great campaign that CBS Outdoors have been running, called 'Look for Longer.' If you haven't seen it, be warned it has the potential to draw you in for some serious time wasting. In a good way. It asks you to interrogate an image with a number of London's tube stations cheekily disguised as images.

I came across it when a friend posted it to her Facebook wall. Sitting in bed, supposedly winding down, I found myself spending a good half hour looking at this picture and guessing what the pictures were. I then roped my husband into playing too. Then today, when writing this blog I just managed to spend another 20mins looking at it again!

I was at the ALPSP annual conference back in September where the oft-repeated buzzword of the event was, for me at least, 'gamification'. What a great example this campaign is. Gamification differs in some ways from the great book analogy, in that it also ties into the concept of competition. People get addicted to gaming because they are, by nature, programmed to want to do better than their peers. We want to win. I'm so interested in learning more on this that I just signed up for a Coursera module - more on that to come.

The thing about this campaign is it combines the gaming element with something visually stimulating that makes you want to look, and look for longer. And isn't that exactly what brands all want to achieve? If we're looking to engage, build brand advocates and trust, then inevitably we have to start with getting people to pay attention in the first place. Finding a hook to get people spending time on your site like this seems a great starting point to build conversation and engagement around.

Inspiring a generation

Screen shot: BBC coverage of the closing ceremony, 2012

Well, after seventeen days of a certain sporting event that we are not supposed to name (for some great background on censorship of the Games, see the latest issue of Index on Censorship), London is awakening from its post-party hangover and is feeling pretty good.

There were several times that the Games brought me close to tears. Oh, who am I kidding, I cried like a baby. From the opening ceremony, Seb Coe told us these games would inspire a generation. His words played out in symbolism, with a relay of young athletes carrying the torches to light a spiral of petals, each catching the fire from its neighbour, spreading out just like that spark of inspiration.

Equally we were humbled by the awe-inspiring athletes, with their dedication, skill and commitment. In the face of defeat, they were good humoured, mature, positive, looking to the future.

There is lot of talk right now on the legacy of the games, and what London needs to do. But the chief inspiration I want to share is what Seb Coe's own contribution has made.

An Olympian himself, Seb Coe has cut a respectable, likeable, knowledgeable figure during the past seven years leading up to the Games. His media appearances have been well orchestrated, yet at no point did his performances feel controlled. Rather, his communication comes across as incredibly genuine.

His speeches at the opening and closing ceremonies are strong examples. In a spectacle where a speech could, and in the past has, come across as boring and irrelevant, Coe spoke in a manner that was simple, yet powerful. I'm tempted, in fact, to do a little linguistic analysis to review what lexicon was chosen: his turn of phrase felt aimed at the common man, but also rang true to the international audience, and all praise to his speech writer for the masterful rhetoric.

So what next for Coe? The media are clamouring for everything from government to king - with the ability to win hearts with simple words you can see how running for mayor might not be a bad move. Even without knowing his policies you can see he has inspired a generation of Londoners.

So what does this, as a communicator teach me? That there is a huge opportunity here for those seeking prominence/profile to work on their public speaking. Obviously having a great speechwriter helps too, but it's delivery - honesty and pace, which comes across in those words chosen that really matters. Even without knowing anything else about that speaker, you take away a perception of their  abilities. Something for any potential leader to think about if they're seeking to inspire.