While the competition for medals does not start for another three days, the competition between the brands looking to create an association with the Olympic Games is well under way here in London and it’s as fierce and cut throat as anything we’re likely to see at Olympic Park. From the moment I touched down in Heathrow, it was clear that this was truly a ‘Super’ Games, a term reserved for Olympics that are even bigger and more impactful than usual. While Beijing and Athens were undoubtedly huge the last Super Games was Sydney back in 2000.
As soon as London was announced as the host city back in 2005, the official sponsors have been planning their campaigns meticulously and all other non-sponsor brands have been creatively plotting how to get their piece of the pie.
As you’d expect nearly every outdoor site, print ad, TVC and London taxi is currently Olympic themed and the front and back pages of every newspaper is rammed with Olympic content.
Wandering around Central London at the moment, the brands that really stand out are Adidas and Nike – these two always go hard at the Olympics and this year Adidas have another string to their ‘official partner’ bow as the manufacturer of the Great Britain team kit.
Unusually, Nike are currently playing nicely and within the guidelines set by the IOC (International Olympic Committee). The Nike campaign is the opposite of what you’d normally expect from a giant sports brand. It features none of the athletes they sponsor but ‘normal’ people, as this huge outdoor ad in trendy Old Street demonstrates.
They are even taking a cheeky dig at the Olympics with the copy that is also plastered all over Oxford Circus Underground Station next to their flagship Nike Town store. Nike has set up an experiential site - the Nikefuel Station - on Clapham Common where they’re trialing footwear and organising running and training events. Although it’s a great concept it feels like something they could implement when the Olympics is not happening and probably get a lot more interest.
When I went, I was the only person there and Clapham - in South West London - seems like a strange location choice, away from the hordes streaming into the City for the Games.
Adidas is everywhere with its ‘Take The Stage’ campaign featuring the cream of Team Great Britain (who they also sponsor). However, apart from traditional outdoor print I have not seen anything particularly inspiring on my travels thus far. Although, some stickers on the window of a fashionable East London hotel allude to something exciting ahead. They have also gone down the experiential route with the largest ever pop-up shop in the official Olympic Hyde Park live site that seems very similar to the Nikefuel Station with product trials and sampling.
However, due to their location they are guaranteed a huge number of people passing through and interacting with their brand. They also seem to be dominating the PR battle and surprised people visiting their photo booth in Stratford’s Westfield with David Beckham, driving branded coverage in all the papers this morning.
With regards to other sports brands, Puma have unsurprisingly put all their eggs in a Usain Bolt-shaped basket. He’s the global superstar of athletics, which their competitors would love to sign, and they have created the Puma Yard in his honour.
The venue in London’s famous Brick Lane will feature a series of concerts and events throughout the games and has been heavily promoted with fly posters throughout Central London. It’s a nice execution but you can guarantee that the Puma executives are hoping Usain brings home the gold as that will do more for their brand than anything within their control.
Finally, from a non-sports brand point of view, a quick Coca Cola example. There’s been a lot of talk here about non-sponsors having activity cancelled by the IOC. But even official sponsors can come unstuck, as Coke found out when they created a large graffiti mural in the shadow of the Olympic Park in Hackney. The area is famous for it’s artistic residents and they didn’t take kindly to having their own work covered with the famous logo. Fearing a PR backlash Coke allowed the locals to paint over it again as my photo shows.
My next post will focus on the brand activity in and around the Olympic Park itself. Stay tuned!
Jack Lamacraft
Head of Events
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment