International Olympic Committee : Marketing

McDonald�s �Lost Ring�

McDonald’s has introduced a new game, but it doesn’t come in your Happy Meal. Since March of this year, the TOP Olympic sponsor has been the force behind the largest alternative-reality game (ARG) and website, The Lost Ring. As this is McDonald’s first venture into the world of ARG, it could make it their biggest undertaking yet. And with the culmination tied to the Summer Games and wide-reaching recognition of the brand, more and more people are being introduced to this new form of entertainment. McDonald’s global chief marketing officer, Mary Dillon, explains the goal of the programme to be “strengthening [its] bond with the global youth culture”.

Investigate forgotten mysteries

The Lost Ring adventure calls for gamers from across the globe to join forces online and in the real world as they investigate forgotten mysteries and urban legends of the ancient Games. After nearly six months of play, the Lost Ring will culminate in Beijing near the Closing Ceremony. For the past few months players have been receiving a wave of clues both online (via YouTube and Flickr) and off (e.g. players found clues in a post box in Tokyo and a bookstore fireplace in Johannesburg). In addition, the game’s official website offers a forum where players can discuss theories and work together to solve the puzzles.

The Backstory
The game began more than four months ago with 50 bloggers receiving a package containing only an Olympic poster and various clues directing them to the game’s official website. Once there, a cryptic trailer begins to play. The short film depicts a woman asleep in a deserted field who wakes to find the words “Trovu la ringon perditan” – Esperanto for “find the lost ring” – tattooed on her arm.

An Internet and International Sensation
Since the trailer first launched, 2.5 million players across the globe have continued to follow the stories of five characters who all awake with the same markings tattooed somewhere on their body. Players can communicate with the characters via email, but as they come from all around the world (South Africa, Korea, Japan, Argentina and England), the language barrier adds an extra twist to an already enticing plot.

To get in on the game, go to www.thelostring.com.

Coca-Cola goes green and reveals its eco-friendly efforts

Coca-Cola might have its secrets (like the recipe for its famous soft drink, locked up in an Atlanta bank vault), but its relationship with the Olympic Games is anything but hush-hush. A sponsor since the 1928 Summer Games in Amsterdam, Coca-Cola holds the record as having the longest continuous partnership with the Olympic Movement.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
At this year’s Summer Games in Beijing one of the things Coca-Cola is focusing on is how to help the environment. Its plan is to raise awareness about the many ways plastic can be reused.

“Coca-Cola is promoting recycling at the Beijing Games with extensive signage and numerous recycling bins,” reports David G. Brooks, General Manager of the 2008 Olympic Project Group. “And we are very happy to report that all PET plastic bottles collected from all official venues will be fully recycled into valuable reuses, through a Coca-Cola partnership with BOCOG and the City of Beijing.”

One of their initiatives includes gifting every 2008 Olympian and Paralympian with an exclusive t-shirt made out of recycled beverage containers. The limited edition shirts will feature the slogan “I’m From Earth,” and the back will depict five beverage bottles, the same number of recycled containers it took to make the shirt.

Environmental Champions

On 13 August, the company will premiere its new documentary film, which tells the stories of seven torch relay runners selected by Coca-Cola in honour of their dedication towards the environment. Some of the featured “Environmental Champions” include: Alby Wooler of Australia, known for his volunteer environmental work, and China’s Liu Hong-Liang, a noted environmental scientist specialising in lake research. The movie was shot and edited by student filmmakers from the torchbearers’ respective countries and will be shown inside the “Shuang Experience Center” located on the Olympic Green.

China Air

And as if that wasn’t enough, Coca-Cola also plans to help improve the air quality in Beijing by using only electric or human powered delivery vehicles throughout the Olympic venues. Additionally, within each stadium, Coca-Cola will be offering up its products out of high-tech coolers and vending machines that will emit upwards of 400 tonnes less greenhouse gases (the equivalent of taking more than 19,000 cars off the road for two weeks!).

Find out more about Coca-Cola and the Olympic Movement

Beijing 2008: GE and their bright ideas for the 2008 Games

Without GE there wouldn’t be much of an Olympic Games. That is of course unless the athletes have been practising in the dark! The company has been working around the clock to make sure all 37 official Beijing Olympic venues have a variety of essentials, power and lighting being key among them.

“Build our brand”

But this isn’t the company’s first time around the block. Director of PR for GE, Deirdre Latour, says the reason GE has once again teamed up with the Olympic Games is because “it’s a great opportunity for us to build our brand around the world in key cities like Beijing, Vancouver and London. And the values of the Games align with the values of GE.”

Leading by example
One of GE’s strategies is to provide environmentally advanced technologies to the Games from cleaner energy generation and water purification to efficient lighting technology. And they are doing that by providing water recycling technologies to the National Stadium as well as supplying more than 100 wind turbines to wind farms north of Beijing, which will supply energy to the Olympic central area.

A hands-on approach
On-site GE is showcasing its innovative technology via its Imagination Center. The 1,500 square-metre pavilion allows visitors to see first-hand the pioneering solutions GE created in order to help Beijing host the largest, most technologically advanced Olympic Games to date. Latour adds, “The Imagination Center brings to life GE’s sponsorship of the Beijing Games. It showcases our innovative technologies like wind, water and lighting that have contributed to building the infrastructure of all 37 venues and 168 commercial buildings around Beijing.”

Waterfall and interactive tour

The two-storey building features an outdoor waterfall and interactive tour and is located in the Sponsor Village on the Olympic Green. It is open daily to the public from 4 to 24 August between the hours of 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. After the Games, the Center will be moved and installed in the lobby of the new GE-China headquarters in Shanghai.

�Heroes� on the big screen

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s latest TV public service announcement ‘Heroes’ will be shown to thousands of Olympic fans during the Olympic Games on the giant Panasonic ASTROVISION screens in the Olympic stadiums and venues.

Federer, Yao Ming, Liu Xiang

Legendary Olympic athletes including Roger Federer, Yao Ming, Laure Manaudou, Liu Xiang and Yelena Isinbayeva are among the stars of the IOC’s public service announcement entitled “Heroes”.

Discover the video

Bubka:”Positive role models”

Sergey Bubka, Chairman of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, commented: “When I was growing up there were many athletes to look up to, and so I know young people need to have positive role models. To get so many of the world’s best known athletes together for the 'Heroes' advert shows the athletes' commitment to the Olympic Movement and the Olympic values, and on behalf of the IOC I am grateful to them for giving up time out of their busy training schedules for the project. We hope that the 'Heroes' advert will really capture the imagination and inspire young people around the world.”

The ‘Heroes’ public service announcement and the first PSA of the campaign, entitled ‘Teens’ have also been played by rights holding broadcasters and on third party websites around the world, on the Panasonic screens in Times Square, NYC and in locations across Japan.

The Best of Us

The theme of the promotional campaign is "The Best of Us" - a simple, powerful idea that transcends cultures and borders, motivating young people around the world to participate in sport by proving that sport can bring out the best of them. The campaign was launched in 2007 and will continue to run beyond the Beijing Games.

Viral campaign

In addition to the TV spots, the humorous, fictional ‘Puskitas’ ‘viral’ campaign has been made available on a number of websites, including www.olympic.org and www.nbcolympics.com as well as many popular community websites such as www.youtube.com. The film features Puskitas, an underdog judo athlete, who amazingly wins his match and proceeds to celebrate in a very original way! Puskitas is capable of overcoming the odds and ‘bringing out his best’ in order to achieve his goals.

The IOC’s Best of Us’ print campaign has run in several major print and web publications around the world, including Sports Illustrated Kids, Sports Illustrated, People and Time . In fact the campaign has appeared in nearly 60 million magazines and had over 30 million on-line impressions.

Olympic Personal Trainer

In addition to all of these elements the IOC’s online ‘OIympic Personal Trainer’ has had thousands of views from Olympic fans and young athletes from around the world looking to benefit from the expertise and experience of Olympic legends including Sergey Bubka, Hicham El Guerrouj suggest adding Popov and one of the women- including their thoughts on questions like: "How do you set goals?" or "How do you learn from failure?" and "Why is teamwork important?". Olympic Personal Trainer is featured on www.olympic.org.

All of the elements of the campaign are now available to view at: www.olympic.org/thebestofus

The ‘Best of Us’ campaign has been developed by the Voluntarily United Group of Creative Agencies (United), part of the WPP Group. This first phase of creative development was led by Sra Rushmore / United, Madrid.

The IOC will work with United on a multi-dimensional campaign approach, comprising TV, online, print, viral promotion, experiential and PR activities. The global campaign will be rolled out in a phased approach in the run-up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and beyond.

Johnson & Johnson with the Terracotta Army

Worldwide Olympic TOP Partner Johnson & Johnson has teamed up with the China Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Army Museum to exhibit several of the famed Terracotta Warriors in the Johnson & Johnson Olympic Games Pavilion during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Visitors to the Johnson & Johnson Pavilion on the Beijing Olympic Green will have a chance to see authentic Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warrior statues and other relics as part of the exhibit planned in collaboration with the Museum.

A mausoleum filled with treasures

The Terracotta Warriors were created under China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who began work on his mausoleum immediately upon ascending to the throne at the age of 13 in 246 B.C. When finished, the mausoleum was filled with invaluable treasures and sacrificial objects, including roughly 8,000 life-size clay Warriors and Horses dressed for battle. After the Emperor’s death in 210 B.C., the Terracotta Warriors and other treasures remained buried for more than 22 centuries.

Caring for a healthier world

The Warrior exhibit will be one of many high-tech, interactive experiences in the Pavilion that demonstrate how the Company celebrates the spirit of caring to create a healthier world. Special water and plant features will help create an eco-friendly structure that will provide a cool, green oasis in the heart of the Olympic Green throughout the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. “Johnson & Johnson is privileged to share the history and majesty of the Terracotta Warriors with the world as we gather in Beijing for the 2008 Games,” said Brian Perkins, Corporate Vice President, Johnson & Johnson.

Legacy to future generations

“As guardians of one of China’s most treasured historical icons, the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Army Museum is dedicated to ensuring that the cultural legacy of the Warriors can be passed on to future generations,” said Cao Wei, Deputy Cirector at the Museum. “We celebrate this unique opportunity to bring the Warriors to Beijing and share them with the world in partnership with Johnson & Johnson and BOCOG.”

Find out more about Johnson & Johnson

Omega counts down to the Olympic Games

Although the countdown to the Summer Games continues to be the big story, something should be said about Omega, the company whose clock is ticking down those seconds, especially since this was the first company ever chosen to provide all of the timing devices and technology for the Games.

450 professional timekeepers

Beijing 2008 marks the 23rd time that Omega will be at the Olympic Games. More than 450 professional timekeepers and 1,000 volunteers will use more than 420 tons of equipment and 175 metres of cabling to ensure that the timing, scoring, display and distribution of the results are flawlessly executed.

Gold, silver or bronze

OMEGA President Stephen Urquhart explains why their job is so vital: "We all know that every athlete wants to win a medal for their country. And to win a medal in most disciplines, you have to be faster than your opponents. So I think the timer of the Games is responsible for the difference between a gold medal, a silver medal, a bronze medal or no medal at all, so it's a very, very important role to play."

Omega Pavilion

OMEGA held the grand opening of their Pavilion on Monday afternoon. The event took place on the Olympic Green and was attended by everyone from former Olympic athletes to the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge.

VIPs get the lowdown
After receiving a tour of the facility and trying his hand at watch making, Rogge spoke about the IOC’s 76-year relationship with the Swiss watchmaker saying:“Our partnership began in 1932 with the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and the IOC has since come to rely on the unquestionable competence, enduring commitment and assured performance of its official timekeeper.” Other big names in attendance included two gold medal swimmers, Australian Ian Thorpe and Russia’s Alexander Popov.

A place for everyone
The impressive two-storey Pavilion, which is open every day to the public from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., includes an array of exhibits, a shop and an area for special events. It is also within walking distance of both the National Stadium (a.k.a. “Bird’s Nest”) and the Aquatic Center, two places where OMEGA will play a crucial role. For all of these reasons it’s hard not to believe Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek when he says he thinks the Beijing Games will be among the best ever!

Learn more on Omega