Olympic Tracker: London 2012 – looking back and looking forward

AFTER A SUCCESSFUL London 2012 Olympic Games we can look back at some of the groundbreaking marketing activity that is likely to be replicated at future Games, and also what might drop down the sports marketing agenda.

 

Driving in the right direction?

The ‘clean’ venue policy of the Games, one of the core principles of the modern Olympic marketing movement, has been encroached further during London 2012. Omega increased its presence inside venues with its logo appearing on more pieces of timing equipment. Panasonic joined the party again with its logo appearing on all the in-venue screens. 

 

However, these were mostly ‘badging’ exercises and didn’t grab spectators’ attention. It was the small radio controlled (BMW owned) Mini cars that ferried equipment around the field that had sports marketing professionals stirring. The miniature Minis did adhere to IOC regulations as the Mini logo had been removed. This is a technicality as the cars had the word “It’s a Mini adventure” written on them and their shape is instantly recognisable worldwide.

 

This could open a floodgate of other sponsors trying to replicate Mini’s success, thereby tarnishing the clean venue policy that has forced marketers to find more creative ways to engage consumers outside of the venues.

 

It’s not just the official sponsors getting in on the act. Much has been written about the ambush activity of the Beats by Dr Dre headphones which were given free to athletes who dutifully wore them in full view of television cameras broadcasting to millions of international viewers.

 

The sports marketing world will be watching to see if the IOC, Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 respond by clamping down on any sponsor presence within the field of play. Many sports marketers will look to push the boundaries but to preserve the essence of the clean venue the IOC may well regret the precedent set by the successful Mini campaign.

 

Reflecting the mood of the nation

The most successful brand campaigns have been able to connect with consumers; whether inside the Olympic Park or further afield. Social media is at the core of this and the true measurement of success will be seeing which brand converted social media buzz to meet their business objectives.

 

For now though let’s look at physical activity inside and outside the Olympic Park. Inside it was Park Live presented by British Airways that hit the mark. The giant double-sided screen situated in heart of the Park provided an area for up to 10,000 fans to cheer on Team GB which complimented British Airways’ wider #HomeAdvantage campaign.

 

London’s Olympic Park was specially designed as a place for visitors to spend the whole day, rather than just visit the ticketed venues. British Airways capitalised on this and I envisage many more screens and more sponsors looking to reproduce similar success in future Olympic Parks.

 

Outside the Park we saw many brands reacting quickly to mark the success of Team GB, most commonly with reactive press advertisements and across digital and social media. The Royal Mail went beyond this and can be proud of a fantastic PR success with the gold-painted post boxes in the hometowns of our gold medalist heroes, resonating with the feeling of pride right across the UK.

 

In addition they produced special addition stamps commemorating the gold medalists with a very quick turnaround time. The fastest being a mere eleven hours between Jade Jones winning gold in taekwondo and her commemorative stamp being on sale in the shops.

 

Action and reaction

Overreactions to ambush marketing have added fuel to the flames delighting the likes of Paddy Power and Oddbins who have actively aimed to challenge the rules. While it is essential that sponsors’ rights are protected to ensure their continued support and the future success of the Olympics, I envisage that the enforcement of these rules will be tempered.

 

When it comes to deliberately provocative campaigns there is usually a direct correlation between the rights holder’s reaction and the ensuing media interest. If the reaction is limited then the story immediately diminishes.

 

It’s a fine line to make sure transgressors aren’t allowed to get an unfair association with the Olympics while making sure that the reaction doesn’t play into their hands. Looking at the bigger picture rather than the letter of the law can often provide the best result for all parties concerned, except of course those looking to challenge them in the first place.

 

 

By Alex Coulson – Account Director (PR), IMG Consulting

Follow Alex on Twitter: @Alex_Coulson

 

[British Airways is one of IMG Consulting’s Olympic clients]