Dan and Dave & The $30 Million Campaign
Hype. Bust. Redemption. This is the story about how two unknown track stars, Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson, and a $30 million ad campaign by Reebok took the country by storm before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Video Transcript
- Hype, busts, redemption. This is the story of how two unknown track stars in a 30 million dollar ad campaign took the country by storm. It's 1992, and Reebok wants to get in the game. Up until now, they've been popular among women caught up in the aerobic trend. But they want to grow their athletic credibility.
Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson are decathlete, rivals, Olympic medal contenders. Sure, Nike had two sport superstar Bo Jackson. But Dan and Dave, they were decathlete's. A gold medal in the decathlon would mean Reebok endorses the world's greatest athlete.
The only problem is no one knows who they are. So Reebok goes all in with their campaign, introducing the Dan-and-Dave rivalry to the world with four commercials during the third quarter of the Super Bowl. The country is enamored.
Within months, Dan and Dave are superstars. You can't turn on a TV or flip through a magazine without seeing their faces. Reebok even releases special merchandise, encouraging Americans to pick a side. The campaign is working. People love them.
The last big marketing event before the games in Barcelona are the Olympic trials in New Orleans. The stadium is filled to the brim with fans in there Dan-and-Dave attire. You wouldn't even know there were other athletes trying out. By the end of the first day, Dan and Dave are freezing.
It looks like all the hype has been real. But then comes the pole vault. It's hot. New Orleans hot. And there's a lot of time between Dan's practice vault and the real deal.
He tries his first attempt. No good. Second attempt, no good. There's rumblings around the stadium.
All eyes are on him. If he doesn't make this, he doesn't make the team. And this 30 million dollar campaign is a total waste. He goes for his third attempt. No good.
Dan O'Brien doesn't make the Olympic team. But Dave does. The ad executives for Reebok are in shock.
They've invested everything into this campaign. Dan and Dave are scheduled to be on "Saturday Night Live" and "Johnny Carson." They have already paid for 10 ads to air during the Olympics. What are they going to do?
Well, they pivot. Within days, they have readjusted their game plan to create ads with Dave consoling Dan, and Dan coaching Dave. They even get Dan a broadcasting gig in Barcelona, calling Dave's quest for the gold. But Dave goes to Barcelona with a nagging foot injury that keeps him from performing his best.
He ends up placing third. The world's greatest athlete is not wearing Reebok. Reebok releases a congratulatory ad, and that's the end of Dave and Dan. It was over as quickly as it began.
After the Olympics, Dave retires. But Dan has unfinished business. He sets his sights on the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. After four years of hard work, Dan ends up making the team.
He heads to Atlanta full of confidence. And after the first nine events, he is one good javelin throw away from a gold medal. After struggling with his first attempt, Dan notices a familiar face. It's Dave.
Dave tells his former rival that he should switch javelins. Dan takes his advice and goes on to win the gold medal. Neither Dan or Dave were crowned world's greatest athlete in 1992. But the campaign was still considered a success and thrust Reebok into the athletic footwear market. And Dan did become the world's greatest athlete. But unfortunately, he earned the title wearing Nike's.
