The document discusses strategies that companies use to leverage the Olympics for brand building. It outlines 7 key strategies: 1) Go green by promoting sustainability and environmental values; 2) Promote health and wellness by encouraging exercise and nutrition; 3) Localize campaigns to appeal to national pride in host countries; 4) Build goodwill through community engagement and supporting Olympic venues; 5) Leverage social media and create engaging digital experiences; 6) Ambush the Olympics by associating with it without being an official sponsor; 7) Create limited edition Olympic-themed products that allow consumers to feel connected to the games. The Olympics are seen as a powerful marketing tool due to their longevity, exclusivity, and ability to withstand scandals.

1. Grabbing
Olympic Gold
How the Olympics help brands

2. 2
Intro
The Olympics are well underway in London,
and as we watch the competition on screen,
we notice a slew of Olympic advertisements,
sponsorships, and PR campaigns from
companies looking to bolster their brands.
Let’s explore what makes the Olympics such
a powerful marketing tool and look at a few
of the strategies companies use to leverage
the Olympics to build equity.

3. 3
The
Grand-daddy
of Events
It’s no surprise that some of the world's biggest
and best brands make the Olympics a major part
of their marketing focus every two to four years.
It is truly a one-of-a-kind event.
What are the 3 attributes that make the
Olympics almost a sure-fire win for any
marketing department?
Longevity
Exclusivity
Invulnerability

4. 4
Longevity
The Olympic Games have been around
for more than 100 years, reaching
people’s hearts since 1896. Since the
very first event in Athens, Greece, the
Games have taken place 49 times in 24
different countries, including London
2012.
And they are still relevant. Rules may
change, but the Olympic essence
remains consistent.

5. 5
Invulnerability
The rise of National Socialism in Germany
(1936), Terrorism and bombings in Munich
and Atlanta (1972, 1996), the boycotts of
the 1980s, increasing commercialism
(today) and a number of other mis-steps
and accidents have marred individual
Olympic events.
No matter what kind of drama takes
place, the Olympics themselves have
always emerged unscathed from any
scandal or mishap.
The purity of the sport, the opportunity
for humanity to come together, and the
inspiring stories of the athletes always
trump negativity surrounding (or
interrupting) the games.

6. 6
Exclusivity
The IOC (International Olympic
Committee) is notoriously protective of
both the Olympics brand and the brands
of its sponsors. On one hand, this can be
seen as a knock against the Olympics —
being overly aggressive in prosecuting
potential infringers. On the other hand,
brands benefit from a partner who will go
out of their way to ensure that
sponsorship money benefits both parties.
Olympic events are still noticeably less
commercial than other mega-events such
as the NFL Super Bowl or the FIFA World
Cup, greatly enhancing the credibility of
sponsors who participate.

7. 7
Olympian
Values
The fact that the Olympics take place
on the world stage makes them a
huge brand enhancer. However, global
reach is only one dimension of
Olympic brand-boosting power.
The rich tapestry of values which
come pre-packaged in the Olympics
narrative are ready-made for brands
with compatible values.

8. 8
Olympian
Values Patriotism
Teamwork
Global Village
Coming together
Melting pot
Global party
We are all human
Dreams Peace
Universalism
Care of the planet
and environment
Equality
On the world
stage
Dynamism
Athleticism
Victory
Physical fitness
Competition
Power
Perfection
Authenticity
True-to-yourself
Personal challenge
Self awareness
Self discipline
Exactitude
Focus
INWARD
TO DOMINATETO BELONG
OUTWARD

9. 9
7 Strategies
for grabbing Olympic Gold

10. 10

11. 11
Go Green
Ethical and social expectations of
Olympic sponsor companies is higher
than non-sponsors. Sustainability and
environmental stewardship also work
hand-in-hand with the universalist values
and ideals for which the Olympics stand.
Going green has been a major theme of
many recent Olympic games sponsorship
campaigns.

12. 12
Go Green
Responding to Coca-Cola’s objective of
p ro m o t i n g s u st a i n a b i l i t y d u r i n g
Vancouver Winter Games in 2010, the
company sponsored 'green' corporate
and public hospitality programs. For
instance, use of 100% recyclable
packaging, installation of energy efficient
coolers and vending machines, use of
hybrid vehicles, provision of bicycles for
guests to get around, recycled uniform
materials, and provision of one thousand
four hundred recycling bins.

13. 13
Go Green
GE’s 2009 campaign focused on both
ecology and the city of Beijing with
d ra m a t i c v i s u a l s co nvey i n g t h e
company’s push to solve numerous
environmental challenges.

14. 14

15. 15
Health
and wellness
With the world fighting an obesity
epidemic, the 2012 Olympics have proven
a key opportunity for brands to take a
stand on the side of exercise, good
nutrition, and fitness. It's no wonder that
some of the event's sponsors, which
normally find themselves on the wrong
side of the obesity issue, are using their
Olympics campaigns this year as
platforms to promote (or create) fitness
credentials for their brands.

16. 16
Health
and wellness
Coca Cola introduced the Move to the
Beat campaign, in which a 5-pack of
athletes from multiple disciplines
interacts with consumers, encouraging
activity and exercise.

17. 17
Health
and wellness
McDonalds is focusing on fighting
childhood obesity with their Champions
of Play campaign, which encourages
exercise on the global, regional, and local
levels and tracks the results online.

18. 18
Health
and wellness
GE is also getting in on the health and
wellness trend, creating the Healthy
Share application in which users can track
healthy eating and fitness activities. The
TV campaign focuses on products and
innovations which keep people healthy,
fit, or alive across the globe.

19. 19

20. 20
Localizing
A one-size-fits all solution is not the only
approach to branding the Olympics.
Brands with a multinational footprint can
capitalize on national pride and cultural
motivations in individual countries or
regions.
Brands in a single country can lead the
way cheerleading local athletes and
teams or use the global stage to call
attention to local causes.

21. 21
Localizing
As sponsor of the Beijing Olympics,
McDonald’s built most of its global
marketing campaign around the idea of
people from all over the world coming
together in a festival of sport. The
company’s ads encouraged people to
‘Celebrate the Olympics with McDonald’s’.
But within China, where pride in hosting
the games ran high and feelings were
particularly sensitive due to recent
events, a different approach, focusing on
Chinese successes, was selected.
Cheer for China, with its adjusted slogan ,
‘I’m loving it when China wins’, was a very
successful localized campaign.

22. 22

23. 23
Goodwill
The games have always been an
incomparable opportunity for brands to
engage and associate themselves with
c o m m u n i t i e s . C u l t u r a l e v e n t s ,
infrastructure (also a legacy after the
games), education, welfare, and even
public health efforts can be truly
rewarding ways for a brand to interact
with the public during the competition.
GE partnered with local authorities
to revitalize the Robson Square
ice-rink in Vancouver.

24. 24
Goodwill
The fate of venues after the competition
is also a concern of host communities.
Rotting and abandoned stadiums have
become a painful reminder of the burden
left after the cheering crowds have
moved on.
Companies which are able to privatize or
at least subsidize these sites can
potentially garner a great deal of long-
term goodwill without needing to
become ‘official’ sponsors of the games.
Rather, they become integral parts of the
community.
The Helsinki Tennis Palace and the ANZ
Stadium are two venues in which private
companies have attached themselves to
Olympic venues.

25. 25

26. 26
Socialympics
London 2012 is considered the first truly
digital Olympics, with many opportunities
for brands to connect through social
media. Sochi 2014 will probably be even
more so with the growth of the social
media user-base. (Today, around 2 million
people are connected to some kind of
social media platform, against 100
thousand in Beijing). This huge and
growing audience needs to be taken into
account in any future Olympics.

27. 27
Socialympics
Already in 2008 in Beijing, Lenovo
Pavilion visitors had the chance to see
a n d t r y t h e b ra n d ’s i n n ova t i ve
technologies. VIP guests were offered a
hospitality suite including an Internet
lounge, bar/food service, and floor-to-
ceiling windows overlooking the Olympic
Green. The experience led to visitors
initiating a viral campaign disseminating
the brands’ messages through texting,
online sharing and word-of-mouth.

28. 28
Socialympics
For this 2012 Olympics, almost every
m a j o r c a m p a i g n h a s a n o n l i n e
component. Samsung’s campaigns
actually center around the social
connections between us. The Samsung
Genome Project, hosted on Facebook
and via a series of mobile apps, allows
visitors to discover how ‘Olympic’ they
are, by uncovering shared interests, traits,
and connections to competing athletes.

29. 29

30. 30
Ambushing
Many brands have decided that a
potential scolding is a fair price to pay for
the impact that their unsponsored
association with the games will provide.
In the past and in other events,
ambushing tactics have included guerilla
actions, use of sponsored athletes, and
distribution of materials which are
somewhat ambiguous about Olympic
involvement.
Given the honor of appearing in the
games, it is unlikely we will see individual
athletes knowingly ambushing events in
the same way that Brent Celek ambushed
the NFL Playoffs in 2009 on behalf of
Captain Morgan (shown above). However,
we're already seeing a number of
c o m p a n i e s d eve l o p i n g c re a t i ve
workarounds to 'official' sponsorship
restrictions.
Of course some witty sponsors will
go out of their way to poke fun at the
fact they are not sponsors.

31. 31
Ambushing
Among the big international brands, Nike
has become a notorious Olympic
ambusher, and 2012 is no exception. The
Find Greatness Campaign focuses on
greatness achieved in every city or
township named London except the one
where the Olympics is being held.
Nike has also taken advantage of the fact
that athletes are not required to use
Adidas (official sponsor) footwear. Every
pair of Nike shoes that appear in the
games is an eye-catching neon yellow or
green with an instantly recognizable non-
Adidas logo.

32. 32
Ambushing
One word of warning that if your
ambushing PR stunt does not fit with the
overall vibe of the event itself, you will
find yourself the target of huge backlash
— as experienced by Krug champagne.
In 2011, they ambushed the Burning Man
festival for an invitation only champagne
dinner, itself a clear violation of festival
values against corporatism. This was
exacerbated when the PR firm hosting
the event didn't bother to clean up
afterward.

33. 33

34. 34
Limited Editions
One sure fire, affordable tool almost
guaranteed to increase a sponsor’s
bottom line is the limited edition pack or
product. Limited Editions, depending on
the campaign and design, satisfies many
important criteria, including novelty,
national pride, goodwill, collectability, and
(with the socially responsible promotional
tie-in) universalism. A great limited
edition pack or product brings your full
Olympic presence to life on supermarket
shelves, allowing shoppers to take a small
piece of your campaign home with them.

35. 35
Limited Editions

36. 36
Not every company has the massive resources required to leverage the
Olympics on a global level. However, the biggest sponsors do represent
the top trends and best-in-class case studies which any company can
emulate. We hope that this quick overview has provided you with
inspiration to consider if you do plan to use the Olympics to help build
your brand.
If you would like more information or ideas of how you can best utilize
your own Olympics sponsorship, please don’t hesitate to contact Cocoon
Group.
Conclusion

37. Thank you for your attention!
For more information,
please contact:
Cocoon Group
Douglas Kaufman
d.kaufman@cg-eu.com
(+420) 222 998 598
www.cg-eu.com
© Cocoon Group 2012 All Rights Reserved
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