I love the Olympics
I always have. As a kid, I remember my parents allowed me to watch TV in my bedroom (a rare occurrence) for the Olympics and I would fall asleep watching the athletes compete. From the touching athlete profiles to the gold medal competitions, I couldn’t (and can’t) get enough.
Prior to this summer’s Olympics Jim Caple wrote and interesting article on ESPN.com about the recent lack of excitement surrounding the Olympics and steady decline in popularity and television ratings. His take was that the Olympics need controversy to generate buzz and interest. And China did not disappoint. China is one of the most controversial countries to host the games and there hasn’t been Olympic buzz like this in quite some time. From world-record marathon runner Haile Gebreselassie (Ethiopia) bowing out of the games due to the poor air quality conditions to the visa being revoked of former speedskater and founder of Team Darfur, Joey Cheek, there was always a captivating headline.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. According to The Hollywood Reporter the Beijing Olympics was the most-watched event in television history and over the 17 days of coverage on NBC more than 211 million viewers tuned in. And marketers and advertisers took full advantage. Speedo took a huge risk by not advertising during the Summer Olympics, but with all of the controversy and excitement it looks like that risk paid off. The Sports Business Daily estimates that Michael Phelps’ performance generated $24 Million of exposure for his sponsors. And he’s not the only one. You know that Puma had to be thrilled when Usain Bolt ran around the track holding up his gold Puma sneakers after his world record-breaking race. Whether due to controversial geopolitics or the thrill of competition, the Olympics took center stage for 17 days this summer and reinvigorated a spirit that was dwindling. I am looking forward to London in 2012. In the meantime, I’ll be waiting to see if science can really determine the age of the Chinese gymnasts!
Great post Caroline! Thanks for sharing a couple of news nuggets I managed to miss.
As for the marketing ops, they’re just beginning – though the window may be limited, since the Olympics are only every four years and most of us suffer from a little athlete-endorsement ADD. Dara Torres is one I’d bet on. And some who lost but lost oh so graciously, delivering eloquent sound bites in the face of with the camera right there after a disappointing loss, are worth a sponsor’s look.