The 2008 Summer Olympic Games came to a close in Beijing this weekend with as much fanfare as it opened. The closing ceremonies are a time to reflect on all the excitement that occurred over the past 17 days, and one can’t help but to think about the excitement that was caused by two Olympians in particular – Usain Bolt and America’s own Michael Phelps. However, there is one other thing that we here at Full Moon Design Group have also been thinking about and that is the branding that occurs during the Olympics.
Olympic Branding Getting Stronger
When it comes down to it, the Olympics are the perfect brand to align your company or product with. The Olympic brand represents stability, unity and goodwill. Borrowing the Olympic reputation really got started about 20 years ago with Coca-Cola and McDonalds sharing the Olympic brand during the 1988 Summer/Winter Olympics, according to branding experts at Seigal+Gale’s Group.
And boy did it work, when you think about the brands of Coca-Cola and McDonald’s you definitely think of stability, unity and goodwill.
Olympic Branding Under Control
However, the trend has now caught on and seems to be growing with every Olympics. Everyone wants some sort of sponsorship or marketing opportunity they can get their hands on. If it keeps growing in the way that it is, we fear that one day the Olympics’ brand might lose some of its prestige. A completely sponsored Olympics, i.e. “Women’s 100 meter relay sponsored today by Pizza Hut,” would take away from the original concept of the Olympics: the world coming together, putting everything aside, and playing a few games.
Fortunately, it hasn’t gotten to that point yet, and we can rest easy knowing that the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver will still hold true to the original Olympic spirit.
This blog was brought to you today by Full Moon Design Group. (HeeHee).