Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Getting Olympics Ready

While traveling around London this weekend, I noticed a multifaceted media campaign anticipating the Olympics beginning on July 27. There was general publicity for the event in the area where many of the games will be held. The Olympic rings were hanging from Tower Bridge, signaling the excitement and preparation of the host city.




I also noticed a different kind of strategy in support of the Games in the same area of the city. Banners hanging from lampposts advertised the Games, but were not quite ads.


This banner shows P&G's support of cyclist Mark Cavendish of Team GB. This isn't exactly an ad for either the event or the company, but was nevertheless calling attention to both, with emphasis on the games and the host country.

Another ad I saw was on the underground, and mentioned the Games with the specific purpose of warning London locals about possible disruptions to their daily routines due to the games. This ad explained the specific traffic lanes the city has marked as "games lanes" that will need to be cleared during the events:



Signs at bus stops whose routes will be affected were also clearly marked all around the city as a reminder to citizens, with a number to call with questions.

Excitement for the Games and support of the city and country were obvious throughout London and in the media all around, but an interesting facet of that is concern for the citizens of London.


2 comments:

  1. Not being in Ad/PR but I'm easily assuming that the Olympics are an agency's dream come true. The opportunity to host the rest of the world in a sports contest is undoubtedly a source of great National pride.

    The eyes of the world are on London.

    It provides a great chance to reboost a country's image. (Think China 2008...) I know that a city with as much history as London would love the chance to show case that, and at the same time prove they are still on the forefront of emerging technologies.

    To speed up foot traffic, the City is opening a "gondola" sort of thing over the River Thames.

    And with the Rings hanging from the Tower Bridge... it is such a huge testament to amount of pride London feels to host the Games of the XXX Olympiad.

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  2. I definitely did notice the ads for the olympics. However, I was surprised at the amount. I was expecting a lot more advertising than what was actually posted. I remember before leaving the United States seeing commercial after commercial about the olympics. We're not even hosting them! I know I haven't been able to watch much television since I've been here. Actually, for that matter I haven't watched any television. But considering I was in the exact location for the events, I rarely saw the advertisements. I guess that could have something to do with the fact that every in London probably knows they are going to be there. There could be less of a demand for advertisements in London. Advertisers could be seeing more need for them in other places, or countries. With that in mind though, if there were going to be billboards and posters and street advertising I would expect it to be near the olympic grounds. I was disappointed by the little advertising I saw near the city.

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