Morgan Freeman: Voice of the Olympics?

VISA really has struck gold in partnering with Morgan Freeman for their Olympic Games advertisements.  Besides the actual sports, it's Morgan Freeman's voice I look forward to most when the Olympic Games are upon us.  Clips of inspiring athletics coupled with a story narrated by one of the best actors of our time - it's heaven, really.

These ads are only 30 seconds long but leave a lasting impression.  Especially when they're personalized.  After watching Seth Wescott take gold in the men's snowboard cross event, I thought things couldn't get better for him.  But they did.  NBC switched to a commercial break and I knew a VISA ad was coming up.  I just got that feeling, you know?  The ad opened with images and video of athletes in the snowboard cross event.  Morgan Freeman started narrating: "When it comes to the sport of snowboard cross, you deserve a certain amount of recognition for just surviving.  Let alone winning two gold medals.  Congratulations, Seth."  I thought about this ad for days.  I kept replaying it in my mind - how awesome it was that Morgan Freeman was personally congratulating an athlete.  In that perfect voice of his.

Granted, Morgan Freeman and VISA have a contract.  Morgan Freeman gets paid to read words that VISA has written.  But honestly, I don't care about the business behind that production.  Because for 30 seconds all I could think about was how great the ad was.  It doesn't make me want to get a credit card and it doesn't solidify VISA in my mind as the premier credit company.  It doesn't even tie a positive image to VISA via the Olympics and Morgan Freeman in my mind.  I'm sure the marketers would be dissappointed.  But for 30 seconds, I swelled with pride for Seth Wescott.  I swelled with pride for our country and I swelled with pride for the Olympics.

Morgan Freeman's voice has some sort of magical quality about it.  It makes me want to jump of the couch and scream "GO USA!"  It makes me want to put on a snowboard and rocket down a mountain.  It makes me want to be an Olympian, silly as it seems.

Seth Wescott is not the only athlete to have a personalized commercial.  Julia Mancuso, Johnny Spillane, Apollo Ohno, the Jamaican bobsled team and countless others all have personal commercials through VISA.  And every time I see these, I am reminded all over again why I look forward to these games and why I enjoy them so much.  Somehow Morgan Freeman captures the spirit of the sport in his voice.  The thrill of it, the excitement, the pressure and the fun.

Well done, VISA, in your marketing decision to partner with Morgan Freeman for your Olympic ads.  In the very least you've bolstered national support for Team U.S.A.  And Morgan - when you're done with the winter games, give me a call so we can work on my own commercial.  I'd like a Morgan Freeman congratulations when I accomplish something awesome.

Check out all of VISA's ads at their youtube page here.