They're Loving It: Olympic Sponsors Appeal To Chinese Pride
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McDonald's Registering Cheering Teams In
Promotion Surrounding Beijing Olympics |
Even as this summer's Beijing Olympics are "being pilloried overseas," sponsors have "stood firmly behind" the Games, according to Geoffrey Fowler of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Some companies are "appealing to Chinese pride and patriotism ... in a welter of ads and promotions directed at the country's increasingly affluent customers." Olympic partner Coca-Cola last month unveiled a "Red Around the World" song with the refrain "Chinese people are getting red!" The song since its release has been downloaded "more than 24 million times from Coke's Chinese Web site." Coca-Cola Dir of Integrated Marketing in China Andres Kieger "demurs at the idea that Coke is appealing specifically to a Chinese sense of nationalism." Kieger: "This isn't meant as a patriotic song. It is meant as an emotional song. Red is the color of a lot of good things." Fowler notes Coke has created Olympics songs for previous Games, though they "usually featured less market-specific themes." Meanwhile, McDonald's is "asking customers to chant" its Olympics refrain, "I'm loving China wins!" The QSR has had "more than 1.3 million people register" to become part of the cheering team in a nationwide contest. McDonald's said that its cheer is "part of a wider effort to make the brand's restaurants into places for people inside China to celebrate -- and even gather to watch -- the Games." The QSR also led a cheering campaign during the '06 Atlanta Games. PepsiCo, which Fowler notes "isn't even an official Games sponsor," also has "joined in on the flag-waving and sentiment," as the company last fall turned its blue can into a red one in China (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/18).
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