Marketing the 2018 Winter Olympics

Although the 2018 Winter Olympic Games are still a few months away, marketing has been in full swing for some time. Already, the list of global marketing sponsors for the PyeongChang Games is posted on the official website.

• Official Olympic partners include Coca-Cola, Alibaba, Atos, Bridgestone, Dow, GE, Intel, Omega, Panasonic, P&G, Samsung, Toyota, and Visa.
• Official Winter Games partners include McDonald's, KT (Korea Telecomm), The North Face, Korean Air, Samsung, Hyundai/Kia, SK, LG, Lotte, and Posco.

The official Twitter page has 200k followers; official FB page has nearly 500k followers; official Instagram account has 33k followers; plus there's a Weibo account for the many hundreds of thousands of Asian fans.

NBC is selling advertising for the televised games...and sales are quite strong. The advertising world has changed a bit since the Sochi Winter Games, so viewers are likely to be exposed to many more 6-second commercials than last time.

NBC is also segmenting the market for coverage: "We are getting deeper into the mindset and motivations of Olympic viewers … we are not looking at demographics, but leaning more toward psychographics," says the CMO of NBC Sports Group. With content tailored for each segment, NBC expects better viewer numbers (which helps advertisers reach the people they're trying to reach).

Home Depot Ends Olympian Program

As this photo from Home Depot's site shows, the retailer has supported Olympic and Paralympic athletes since 1992 with a unique jobs program that allows them flexible hours and a living wage so they can afford to train. Now that program is ending because the retailer must tighten its economic belt to cope with recessionary pressures. More info in this news story.

Although I understand that Home Depot's financial situation requires major changes, I'm sorry to see its Olympic support go away. The retailer really polished its image with the Olympic program, even including its Olympic employees in advertising, etc. I'm especially disappointed because Olympic hopefuls are in full training mode for the 2010 winter Olympics and some may not be able to continue training at the level they need to make the U.S. team. Will another sponsor step up?

Big Olympic Win for WIN

clipped from www.windetergent.com Stubborn Odors Most liquid detergents do not target embedded odors and even after gym clothes are washed, these odors stay entrenched in the fibers. After a few workouts, even the best high tech fabrics typically develop a musty odor. This is caused by bacteria attracted to sweat soaked fabric. Innovation

Who even knew that the US Olympic Team had an official laundry detergent? Well, it does, and WIN is winning over athletes and skeptics, thanks to a special formula for washing sweaty odors out of high-tech sports clothing. Today's Wall St. Journal also has a story about WIN. Small company, big Olympic bet, big payoff for smart marketing.