2008 Olympic Observations, Part 2:
Meeting Your Sponsors' Business Goals

One of the most important improvements you can make to your sponsorship program is to focus on addressing your sponsors' business and marketing objectives.

Why is this important? Because corporate sponsorship is a marketing-driven initiative, and the role of marketing in any operation is to foster a positive selling environment for a product or service. Translation: a sponsor's goal is always, ultimately, to sell.

I am willing to bet that if you're not constantly thinking about how well your offerings meet your clients' goals, your corporate sponsorship program may lack value. It may resemble some hybrid form of a corporate gift.

Join me in revisiting the Beijing Olympics. I'd like to share with you my observations about the likely business goals behind the activation tactics of a sampling of the corporations that sponsored last summer's Olympic Games. These examples will help you understand how to recognize the ways that sponsorship fulfills business goals.

Coca-Cola

Two initiatives by the soft drink manufacturer were launching:

1. collectible bottles designed by eight Chinese artists, each paired with a song composed by a musician from some part of the world, and

2. commemorative cans, some featuring Coke's logo in different languages and others featuring six Olympic athletes. The athletes were also the subjects of vignettes aired on NBC during the summer.

TV spots that ran during the Olympics proclaimed, "If you've had a Coke in the last 80 years, you had a hand in making every Olympic dream come true."

Business goals:

1. Sell more Coca-Cola. A TV spot that ran in Philadelphia encouraged viewers to collect all the cans, available at the local Acme Markets.

2. Sell collectibles to Coke's more active customers, Coca-Cola memorabilia collectors.

3. Reinforce Coke's image as a global brand through this beloved global event.

McDonald's

These were among McDonald's initiatives as the "Official Restaurant":

1. McDonald's Champion Kids program engaged young people worldwide in activities that focused on body, mind and spirit.

2. It operated 4 new McDonald's Olympic venue restaurants.

3. In McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew program, a longstanding McDonald's Olympic tradition, the company recognized and rewarded its top restaurant employees. 1,400 of McDonald's "best-of-the-best" restaurant employees from around the world traveled to Beijing to serve the world's best athletes and thousands of others.

4. McDonald's also launched new menu items around the world:

1. Beijing Burger, Caramel and Banana Sundae, and Rice Sticks in Latin America.
   
   
2. In Russia, the McFresh line, Chicken and Fish sandwiches, and a Shrimp Salad.
   
   
3. In the U.S., Southern Style Chicken, which featured nine Olympic and Paralympic athletes on the packaging.
   
   
4. In Australia, a Flavor of the Games promotion featured 5 different burgers: The American, The Euro, The African, The Asian and The Australian.

Business goals:

1. Reinforce its commitment to nutrition and well being, and enhance its repute among youth and families.

2. Increase sales and expand its global business. Well before the Olympics kicked off in Beijing, McDonald's opened drive-through locations throughout China. Why? China is home to millions of first-time car owners.

3. Reinforce McDonald's commitment to its employees at all levels of its operations. Employee programs, like the Olympic Champion Crew, provide incentives to staff and showcase McDonald's to prospective employees and customers as an exceptional employer.

4. Build traffic and increase sales by extending its Olympic promotional message into retail locations.

Omega

The luxury watchmaker was the Official Time Keeper.

Business goals:

Promote its product line of sophisticated timepieces in the context of the Olympics, where fractions of seconds mark the difference between the Gold and Silver Medalists, and between a medal winner and fourth place.

Visa

Visa card was the only credit card accepted at the Games, and in the U.S. TV campaign, Morgan Freeman, a trusted figure, was the spokesperson of a brand building campaign, "Go World." They've sponsored the Olympics for more than 20 years " . . . for the simple reason that the Olympic values of dedication, excellence, and inclusiveness are values we share."

Among the ways it activated its sponsorship were:

1. The placement of ATMs with Visa branding around Beijing.

2. Creating the Olympic Reunion Center, which it conceived with the International Olympic Committee. Visa's association through the Center with this "amazing elite - Olympians from past Olympic Games," the company notes on its website, ties to their values (above).

Business goals:

1. Increase card usage.

2. Reinforce brand identity on a global platform.

Developing appropriate, meaningful, and results-driven sponsorship programs takes time, creativity, and an excellent relationship with your sponsors. Sometimes, this is a benefit of years of working together, so that the activities are just the right fit for both parties. Whether you are creating a new program or re-imagining an existing sponsorship program, don't rush through this process. Work with your partner and allow your creativity to come to life.