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| Photo Courtesy of Colby Pines |
While at the Olympics this past
weekend, I noticed something that seems rather unusual. The companies
(Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Panasonic, Heineken, etc.) that pay a great deal of
money to advertise and be associated with the Olympic Games were not getting
their money’s worth. To my surprise, neither event I attended featured
advertisements within the arenas, with one minuscule exception. Omega had a
very small print of their name above a few of the video boards in the beach volleyball
venue. Hardly worth the millions that companies gave to the Olympic Committee.
One
company did seem to rise above the rest though in getting their product out
into the consumer’s eye. Adidas sponsored the uniforms of all Olympics workers
and they looked fantastic. With the Adidas logo and name all over them, workers
were dressed from head to toe in these uniforms. Around 10,000 workers were
hired for these Games and even if they weren’t working, they could be seen all
over London. Besides looking great, Adidas has found a way to get their product
into the view of the consumer.
That's interesting you noticed the uniform logos. Especially the fact that workers were dressed in Adidas gear. I wonder if Adidas paid for exclusive rights to advertising within the stadium.
ReplyDeleteAdidas is unlike many of the other Olympic sponsors because a lot of its advertisement is on clothing. This of course makes sense because this company actually makes clothing, but Adidas is also able to reach a broader audience because the workers wearing the uniforms are constantly moving around. Unlike a billboard, a poster, or any other stationary advertisement, Adidas is able to mobilize its advertisements on people. From your experience, it looks like this was very effective because you noticed the company throughout London, not just within the arenas.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really interesting observation. I don't think companies like Coca-Cola are not getting their money's worth, per se. I think they're definitely associated with the Olympics regardless of whether or not there is physical advertising within the stadium. I wonder if companies use the Olympics to advance their product rather than the Olympics using their merchandise if that makes sense. For example, if you buy a Coke here, the company has paid for the rights to put the Olympic symbol on its can. It's almost reverse advertising for companies other than Adidas: the companies who work with the Olympics pay to be able to capitalize on this phenomenon but keep the actual games holy in a way by not tainting them with an overuse of advertisements.
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