Olympic Rings Still Shine with Consumers - Column

Gordon Kane is director of marketing and brand development at the US. Olympic Committee.

After years of brand management in packaged goods and sports properties, I have been taught a valuable lesson about the power of a brand by the consumer. For the past few months, we at the U.S. Olympic Committee have been extremely concerned with how consumers would react to the embarrassing events that have affected the Olympic brand. Our fear was that the selfish efforts of a few administrators would undermine 100 years of positive Olympic values. Words like "crisis" and "damage control" have entered our lexicon.

The good news is that the American public has shown continued faith in the essence of our brand. A recent poll of 1,000 randomly dialed households Jan. 30 and 31 by independent research firm Wirthlin Worldwide, N.Y., has shown us where our focus should be.

Here are some results:

      Overall, would you say your feelings about the Olympics are...

Very positive        38%
Somewhat positive    45
Not very positive     8
Not positive at all   5
Don't know            4


For the American Olympic Athletes, tell me if your impressions over the
past several weeks have...


Become more positive 19
Become more negative  3
Stayed the same      72
Don't know            6


Again, based on what you know right now, would you say your interest in
watching the Olympic Games has...

Increased        6
Decreased        7
Stayed the same 86
Don't know       1

The Olympic Games are financed in large part by corporate sponsorship. Based on what you know right now, would you say your feelings about Olympic Sponsors are...

More supportive 11
Less supportive 12
No different    74
Don't know       3

The true meaning of our brand is the emotional link the consumer feels with our athletes, their commitment to the Olympic values, combined with the pageantry and glory that are the Olympics. While we continue to focus our attention on administrative issues, the power of the Olympic ideals remains strong with consumers.

I watched this year's Super Bowl with my usual enthusiasm for both the game and the commercials. While the reviews for this year's advertising were mixed, I was struck by one element that was consistently missing. The commercials were entertaining, focusing on everything from lobsters to lingerie, but with one exception--the NFL's own "Thank You" spot--none of the ads attempted to address any association the sponsors or advertisers may have had with the Super Bowl. Advertisers miss an opportunity when they buy a vehicle as powerful as the Super Bowl and diminish it as purely a means to get eyeballs. Obviously, it is not appropriate association for all products, but powerful celebrations of sport can create meaningful emotional bonds with consumers; and, because of that, are rare commodities.

All advertisers are not sponsors of the event. Advertisers should search for the essence of the NFL brand that makes this game such a unique event, and then try to build a relevant association with their brand, thus tapping into the power of the consumer emotion. We recently reviewed the most impactful Olympic ads through the years from our sponsors. I became quite emotional watching ads that captured the Olympic struggle or the pride of representing the USA. I applaud sponsors for their continued understanding that being an Olympic sponsor involves a basic belief in the ideals that make the Olympics unique. They have worked hard to create a reason for consumers to believe in their products and to believe in the association between their brand and the Olympic brand.

Research, unfortunately, has yet to develop the true measures needed to validate sponsors' investments in sports television. Is the size of the audience sufficient to justify a good media buy or is there a need to measure an emotional quotient that proves that consumers are more likely to appreciate companies that support events they feel strongly about?

It is the power of the attachment that the consumer has with an event that will be the ultimate measure of its value as an advertising vehicle. The Olympics are not yet out of the woods. We have a lot of work to do to strengthen and maintain consumer confidence. But the American public has taught us a lesson in the power of the brand, that the positive values of the Olympic Games and the Olympic athletes are enduring beyond the current negative situation. In addition, our sponsors continue to believe that Olympic values, as exemplified by our athletes and the power of the Olympic Games, continue to be worthy of their support.

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