Olympic Marketing Notes: Parents Take Center Stage In Ads
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Actors Portray Liu And His
Parents In Dairy Company's Ad |
With the Chinese market “already saturated with images of sports in action," showcasing athletes’ parents "is helping a few Chinese advertisers stand out from the chest-thumping crowd," according to Geoffrey Fowler of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. IOC TOP sponsor Coca-Cola has aired a TV spot featuring the parents of athletes such as Chinese diver Guo Jing Jing, and fellow TOP sponsor Johnson & Johnson has run ads “profiling the mothers of two champion athletes.” Meanwhile, in an ad for dairy company Satine, actors who “look somewhat like” Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang's parents filled in with the approval of Liu and his actual parents. Chinese athletic shoe and apparel company Li Ning said that it is “very difficult to get access to the athletes they sponsor just before and during the Games.” However, the company is “working with some parents, including those of a champion gymnast, to do promotional work and interviews” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/29).
BEING SEEN: BRANDWEEK’s Barry Janoff writes Coca-Cola “has helped to turn Beijing into a veritable Times Square.” Included in the company’s estimated $100M marketing spend are “ads on billboards, bus stops, subways and kiosks, a 40,000-square-foot Coca-Cola museum and lots of promotional efforts.” Also, TOP sponsor McDonald’s will operate a restaurant in the Olympic Village, one in the main press center and two on the Olympic Green. Meanwhile, Rockets and Chinese C Yao Ming is currently one of the “most widely seen faces in Beijing,” as he is in promos for Coca-Cola, IOC TOP sponsor Visa, Reebok, 24 Hour Fitness’ California Fitness-Yao Ming Sport Club and a PSA with Basketball HOFer Magic Johnson for HIV/AIDS awareness (BRANDWEEK, 7/28 issue).
MORE ON COCA-COLA: PBS' Shannon Van Sant reported Coca-Cola’s Olympics advertising “isn’t about making China strong. It focuses on physical and spiritual refreshment … (and are) tailoring its advertisements for Chinese consumers.” Coca-Cola Dir of Marketing Andres Kriger: “We do run a specific program for China because the realities of the Chinese market and the passion and some of the things that are happening are very particular to China.” Van Sant noted the company is "creating drinks specifically tailored to the Chinese market.” Kriger said Coca-Cola’s Olympic advertising “puts us in a position of saying, ‘We were there. This was your very, very special moment … and Coke had a very special role within that moment'" (“Nightly Business Report,” PBS, 7/28).
STAPLE OF THE GAMES: In Boston, Jenn Abelson reports in a front-page piece Staples, the exclusive furniture provider for the Games, has spent “several million dollars” on their Olympic initiative, including the "cost of buying furniture, hiring temporary workers, and launching a marketing campaign that includes billboards, furniture showrooms in office buildings, and ads on city buses.” Staples also is “selling a limited edition Olympic collection, with chairs featuring the colors of the five rings and tables inspired by the striking steel architecture of Beijing National Stadium.” Staples said that its Olympic efforts are “paying off with increased business orders and consumer awareness” (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/29).
NOTES: Johnson & Johnson said that it will “encourage Olympians to get involved with Right to Play in a campaign starting at the Beijing Games.” The company “plans to underwrite five fellowships for Olympians to spend three months each working in a Right to Play office.” The fellowship also includes “field work in support of Right to Play’s mission.” Johnson & Johnson said that it will “make a cash donation to Right to Play for each of its Athlete Ambassadors’ medals” (AROUNDTHERINGS.com, 7/28)....TOP sponsor Lenovo yesterday opened six Internet lounges in the Olympic Village. The lounges include 260 computers for athletes and officials to use (Lenovo)….TOP sponsor Visa has launched 55 tourist information kiosks throughout Beijing to promote multilingual information services to cardholders and visitors (Visa).
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