On the contrary he did became only more human

Since September 21, users who have the curiosity to go surf on the YouTube site, can benefit from a delicious show: Italian defender Marco Materazzi, face of Nike, is filmed in turn hosting a bowling ball, the burden of an American football, a jeep launched towards him at full speed... Before that he avoids at the last moment, in the final scene, a demolition ball which he departs to agitate a gesture of mood... A declination marketing clear, parody of the whim that Zidane imposed on Italian footballer in the final of the cup of the world, on 9 July, to 2 billion viewers. This whim will simultaneously be number 10 French a red card, but also... exceptional media coverage and the simultaneous orchestration of an unexpected and fruitful business which has survived two and a half months after the incident.

This is not yet or reactivity. The final day, Monday, July 10, after three Bozos have the idea to broadcast on the Net a piece of music which they have transplanted a few parody lyrics: "Zidane, it struck...". "They are not newbies and one of them has even already released a disk in BMG. Nevertheless: the operation exceeds all their expectations. The same evening, Skyrock broadcasts the piece on its airwaves. And two days later, Warner, who came into contact with the authors as early as Monday, signs a contract with the priority on digital rights "because we felt that the song lend itself well to a variation on the digital, including ringtones of mobile," said Thierry Chassagne, President of Warner Music France, keeps the amount of the contract confidential but stressed that it was rather "high". Face to him indeed, two other Giants, Universal and EMI, ready to bid. "Force marketing of this project was held in reactivity which had demonstrated its authors but was also a bet: need to have a real belief in the fact that this was going to walk", is the President of Warner.

A star literally "idolized".

Over all traditional procedures, Warner unravels that single out the following week. Review of the operation: digital singles 420 and produced 300,000 sold the only French territory. And trade performance is not denied: last week, "Coup de boule" was still number two in sales in France, behind "How Sex" of Tribal King. But the success of the single is that the more exposed face of the iceberg. During the summer, the head of Zinedine Zidane will be subject to a frenzied marketing declination: t-shirts, videos on the Internet where you can play "coup-de-plastiuc" the effigy of Materazzi...

Advertising is so difficult to leapfrog. But it is... on the edge of the foot. "In France, it does not affect Zinédine", explains a long story of the "Point" (1) published one month after the case and pointing the areas of shadow of the star "déifiée" on the eve of the final. "An Idol made, considers the weekly, by sponsors and policies" and required to remain a hero, monitored by its advertisers of telephony mobile, razors, yoghurt, games, and other insurance contracts...

Orange or Danone, which amply use the image of the player in their campaigns, are likely to outline a reference to the case. Emergency, Ogilvy modifies the tagline of the pub designed for Scrabble, the game who chose the footballer to orchestrate his promotion after the World Cup. The initial, unintentionally funny slogan "Now, it will have to play with his head" morphs in a sage: "in there is always only one". Only Brasseries Kronenbourg Canada dare an announcement in a Montreal newspaper, showing a man-like it is mistaken to Zidane, head peacefully resting against a wall, a bottle of beer against his temple. A slogan associated with the campaign: "Cool off".

But everybody does not venture to take such liberties. And in Nike France, it seems embarrassed by the media attention given to the campaign turning ridiculed the whim to the Italian Player. "Marco Materazzi was a photo shoot three weeks in the promotion of the Nike Pro product, explains.". Our advertising agency, Nitro, began to shoot the photo session and has been in a movie clip. When Nike and Materazzi discovered the film, his humorous side seduced them and Nike decided to a pub. The idea was to play down a situation and the media overflow that followed, not to take position on the gesture of Zidane on Materazzi. "But the company is formal:"Contrary to what has been written (in the "Daily Mail" which conjured up an amount of 37.000 euros, Editor's note), Marco Materazzi has not been paid for his"and" it is not anticipated that this advertising is broadcast television, or France, or elsewhere ", that said Nike Italy.

But the communicating can be reassuring, "the Idol" Zidane is better than ever. Investigating its image, Havas Sports found: the public has absolved the player. "63 of the French felt that he was right and to the question:"What was the best player in the world", 55 of those interviewed by the Spanish daily"el Pais"responded"zinedine zidane", says Lucien Boyer, President of Havas Sports." This case did not chuterZidane as the value of communication. On the contrary, he did became only more human. "More cynically, some experts are even estimate that his act compensates for the two weak points of the image of the player"his lack of self-confidence and his side erased" by offering unexpected asperities.

Anne Delbée goes even further. The author and Director, who revealed Camille Claudel in "A woman", published October 6, an essay entitled "the 107th minute" (2), one that toggles the final. "By pure chance, says the writer, I've turned on my TV at the same time where Zidane with his whim...". I didn't like soccer, but, I have been disgusted. It was a tragic gesture, in the strict sense of the term, such as Oedipus is puncturing eyes. An act of man free that it may or may not convict on the form but who chooses to say "I quit", left questioning fame and money, because he found that the words had weight and that it could not remain silent. It is these acts which one discovers the freedom of a man.