AOL and Time Warner have teamed to launch an online
promotional campaign for the inaugural Winter Goodwill
Games, which will be integrated and promoted across the AOL
brands, including AOL.com, CompuServe, Netscape Netcenter
and AOL's Digital City. Links to goodwillgames.com will be
featured throughout AOL's service areas, including AOL's
Sports and Women's Channels (Goodwill Games). AOL will
"post signage at the four game venues, included in local and
regional print ads," and will participate in a Chevy Truck's
"Watch & Win" promotion (AD AGE, 2/16). In Atlanta, Prentis
Rogers writes, "Because the Goodwill Games are not a high-
profile property, it will be a good test of the Internet's
effectiveness at boosting the television audience." Turner
Sports President Mark Lazarus: "The Goodwill Games will be
prominently placed on AOL's welcome page and that means
reaching tens of millions of fans, which we believe will
drive people to the telecast and to the Web site." Lazarus
said Time Warner "will reciprocate" AOL by "weaving AOL into
our telecasts and our print outlets. Ratings will be a key
indicator (of the cross-promotion), but building awareness
of the Goodwill Games brand is a major objective. So, we'll
do awareness research as well" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/16).
THE HOST WITH THE MOST? In Albany, Tim Reynolds
reported on Lake Placid hosting the Winter Goodwill Games,
which will have a projected $12M economic impact for the
area. Goodwill Games President Mike Plant said that "there
will be glitches" at the event site, "just as there are with
any event." Plant: "Will we have some challenges? Yes.
[But] we're not really that uneasy" (TIMES UNION, 2/13).
