Who's Bearing Olympic Flag in Advertising Games

The Olympics started. The advertising games started even earlier. Criticism has long been blaming the International Olympic Committee for making the Games over commercial. Fortunately, the true Olympic spirits and sportsmanship are still sparkling throughout every stadium. Even more encouraging, advertising campaigns around Olympics are finding their way to showcase the spirits in their own products, services and brands.

I'll give my full compliments to P&G without reservation. The P&G commercials feature moms supporting their children training year after year for their best. Very touching, very warm, and a very smart movement that aligns perfectly with its positioning. If there is one norm in sports sponsorship, it's that the advertisers always target male audience. It needs some courage to use Olympics as a channel to talk to moms. Apparently, P&G's courage is backed by serious market research and deepest understanding of moms. Moms are behind each and every superstar on the Olympic arena, and moms are behind each and every superstar in their hearts. The P&G tagline "official sponsor of moms" really wins moms over. More than that, sponsoring moms of Olympians and moms of everyone equally is what Olympics mean to be.

Also talking to moms, and dads as well this time, is Petro Canada. Surprisingly similar creative as P&G's. However, there is less of a connection between the message and the business. P&G has dozens of products that have been partnered with and trusted by moms for years, but Petro Canada does not have that consistancy in its brand image. RBC's Arby mascot also did a great job in being cute and waving for the Canadian Olympians, but again, from a customer's perspective, what's in it for me?

Some official sponsors are making their efforts to connect their brands with Olympics. Coke is getting to the fun part of the Olympics. Acer is exploring beyond limits through both sports and computing. Panasonic is committed to bringing the games to you on a large screen so you would not miss a single detail that the athletes have trained years for.

Unlike the sports games where you have to qualify to compete, in the advertising games, there is no lack of free riders. The shining one this time is Nike. In its series of 17 second Youtube videos, Nike shot average athletes playing all kinds of sports in places called London around the world except London UK. From London Ontario to London Nigeria, on London Ave and in London gym, boys and girls are having their own enjoyment in the sports of their favorite, and are driving towards their own greatness. The 'find greatness' campaign is so truly bearing the real Olympic flag and cheering for the spirit that Nike has positioning itself for.

Nike's smartness may bring the debate up again - do you need to be an official sponsor to have a wonderful campaign? In the days when sky high costs lead to questions around marketing ROI after almost every major sports event, Nike makes a role model of taking another way to the podium.