The Olympic Games are the greatest sponsorship marketing opportunity on the planet. Two-thirds of the entire human race is expected to watch the London 2012 Olympic Games. But recognizing the potential of the opportunity is not the same as capitalizing on it. How can a company or brand get the most out of a partnership with the global Olympic Movement?
Recently, John Liporace and I were fortunate to hear a fascinating perspective on this. We attended an Olympic planning workshop where the keynote speaker was a senior marketing executive from a Taylor client partner, Coca-Cola, a longtime Olympic partner widely recognized for the excellence of its programs around the Olympic Games.
There were many great lessons from that day, but two in particular made a lasting impression on me.
The first is that great companies learn from other great companies. What better way for companies to acquire knowledge about Olympic partnership marketing than by seeking out a peer company like Coca-Cola that is among the “best in class” as an Olympic partner, and asking them to share their best practices.
The second was something that the Coca-Cola executive said during his remarks. He reminded his audience that Coca-Cola didn’t just become a widely-admired and emulated Olympic partner overnight. It took a lot of trial-and-error, and learning of lessons along the way, before Coca-Cola hit its stride. The key was that Coca-Cola’s commitment to the Olympic Movement was a long-term one, so the company was willing to invest in constantly implementing the best practices it learned at each successive Olympic Games.
As he said that, I couldn’t help but be reminded that Taylor has been present with our client partners at the last twelve Olympic Games – a record unmatched by any other public relations agency. And like our client partners at Coca-Cola, we too have been able to absorb and implement the best practices we have learned each time… Allowing us to help our client partners get the most out of the Games.
