Two nights a week, a group of guys way past their prime play full court at the local Catholic elementary school gym. Crowding the lane, slamming in the paint, occasionally committing acts of unlikely grace: it’s basically my version of Fight Club. And yet, two or three times tonight, we found an unusual synch with our offensive passing. Great ball movement makes any team worth watching; it multiplies possibilities and sets up surprising scoring opportunities. And it made me, however briefly and inopportunely, reconsider my obsession with push and pull marketing models. Back and forth, over, around, through, across and back and forth again: the constant movement fascinated and engaged all of us, just the way you hope a symphony of multi-platform communications work for a brand.
Of course, I will still stand by the notion of a Perpetual Motion Experience instead of revising it to the Triangle Offense or something similarly basketball-centric. Sports analogies don’t translate to every audience, and besides, when it comes to advertising sports analogies, no one can match the halcyon achievement of Bob Merlotti’s guest editorial in the October 22 issue of Adweek. Genius.