Far From Home

The USOC’s search for a new CMO continues, and whoever emerges from the list of names floated earlier this week will have their work cut out for them. Longtime partner The Home Depot yesterday confirmed what was long-expected, that it is ending its sponsorship of the Olympics and Paralympics. The company had sponsored the U.S. Olympic team since '92 and has been one of its most active partners, with its innovative Olympics jobs program that allowed Olympians to work part-time at The Home Depot while getting paid and having time to train. In addition, the company also featured some of the better ad creatives incorporating athletes. This move adds to the challenges that executives in Colorado Springs face in their efforts to renew partners for the ’09-12 quadrennial, and comes as they are actively engaged in renewal negotiations with top partners AT&T and Bank of America.