Think Israel?
Adboards around the English Premier League this year are sporting a new sponsor: Think Israel. After seeing this for the first, I wondered what it could be referring to. Okay, I’m thinking Israel, but what should I be thinking about Israel? Well, it turns out this is no crazy scheme to encourage deep reflection on the Jewish nation; instead, it is part of a campaign to encourage tourism to Israel. This realization comes by way of the public radio program Marketplace, which today ran a story on the larger marketing program of which these adboards are a part.
Who exactly are the marketers trying to reach with their message? Well, given that part of their scheme involves placing adboards in Premier League stadiums, it’s clear that they are going for males. The scantily clad women who front the Think Israel website make it clear of these gender-specific intentions. Sex sells, and even the Holy Land can be hawked using it, apparently.
But will this scheme work? Are bare-chested Newcastle fans going to be convinced to leave St. James’ Park and hop on the next plane to Tel Aviv for a romp in the Mediterranean? I doubt it. I just can’t imagine this scheme working. The idea that people would have more favorable opinions about a country after seeing advertisements for it is ludicrous. Constant images of conflict and occupation of Palestinian land in the media speak more strongly than any slick marketing campaign.
Budweiser, Nike, and even the Borat movie will use the Premier League’s worldwide visibility to improve their image, but I doubt whether Israel can do the same.
Very nice … I like.
