IOC TOP sponsor P&G was not a sponsor of the '08 Beijing Games, which was the most-watched event in U.S. television history, but the company is "trying to capture those eyeballs this time around,” according to Mae Anderson of the AP. P&G has a corporate campaign “in addition to initiatives for 34 separate brands, ranging from Pampers to Duracell" during the London Games. Additionally, the company is "sponsoring more than 150 global athletes." P&G Global Marketing & Brand Building Officer Marc Pritchard said, “It’s the largest multi-brand program we’ve ever done.” Anderson reported the company expects the campaign “to drive $500 million in sales,” which is much “larger than the $100 million in sales the company garnered from its campaign at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the first time P&G was an Olympic sponsor.” In the U.S., P&G’s corporate campaign kicked off in April with its first “Thank You, Mom” TV spot. It also has a dedicated “Thank You, Mom” Facebook page and app that allows people to send messages to their mothers. Many of the company’s “separate brands also have campaigns.” Pampers diaper brand “rolled out an ad in April showing babies climbing a chair as if it were an Olympic sport.” It is also “selling limited edition U.S.A. diapers and baby wipes in the U.S” (AP, 7/23).
SHARING IS CARING: Pritchard said that one in three people who watched the "Thank You, Mom” campaign shared it with others, making it one of the most shared videos of all time. The high rate of sharing for the commercial has contributed to 53 million people watching the company’s Olympic videos in 20 languages. P&G complemented the commercial with a series of short digital videos called "Raise an Olympian," which use moms and Olympians to narrate their journey to the Games. P&G’s activation on the ground in London will be limited to its Family Home. The company will open the home to 10,000 Olympic family members over the next few weeks, giving them a place to rest and eat during the Games. The home opened to Olympic families yesterday (Tripp Mickle, SportsBusiness Journal).
