From CNN.com
Review by Calvin Parson, Jr. in SRM 435 (section 2)
The Winter Olympic games have been a staple in World History for over 90 years. Since 1924 athletes from around the World have gathered in one city to compete against each other in events such as skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, and curling. This year, Russia has the privilege of hosting the games for the first time in history in Sochi.
As the largest resort city in Russia, known for its resorts and sports facilities, Sochi is considered an obvious choice to host a sporting event of this magnitude. However, recent terror threats against the city, as well as civil unrest between Muslim extremist groups in the North Caucasus region of the country has provided much concern for many nations around the country who are participating in the games.
On January 20, 2014 CNN reported that a video had been posted on a Jihadi forum, and in that video, threats were being made against Sochi and specifically about a planned attack during the Olympic games. The two terrorists in the video were later identified as the suicide bombers who were responsible for attacks in Volgograd, Russia in December. The article went on to promise that regardless of the unrest in the Northern part of the country and the many attacks that have happened in Russia since Sochi was announced as the host city, that the games would be safe and that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his staff were doing everything in their power to ensure and promote safety during the games.
Unlike previous Olympic games, much of the focus this year has been taken off of the events and the athletes and placed on the threats themselves. Each day, new developments are being released regarding the attacks and what the country plans to do to keep participants and tourists safe. There is no positive “hype” surrounding these games and the nostalgia that usually comes along with the Olympics is nowhere to be found. Many people are also lashing out about Russia’s views on gay rights and how all partners of the Olympics are supporting the “Homophobic Games.”
The news surrounding the threats on the games is having an affect on many aspects of the games including the promotional elements (or lack thereof.) NBC, who is broadcasting all Olympic games through 2020, has done their due diligence to promote the athletes of the games with mini videos and commercials. However, other sponsors such as McDonalds, Samsung, Coca-Cola, and Visa have been ridiculed on social media for their partnerships with the Olympics. Ticket availability to events have also been cut in half compared to previous years games in hopes to aid security efforts. Travel has also been affected, as tourists are not allowed to fly directly into the city and hotels have been put on high security alert.
It is apparent that the threats are having a direct impact on the games and how they are being marketed and promoted in the media. Regardless if an attack occurs or not, the terror group in charge has instilled fear in the hearts of sports lovers around the world.
---
Review by Caroline Snedgear in SRM 435 (section 2)
This article addresses the recent threats specifically a video that has surfaced threatening the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. In the video two young men known to be involved in the suicide bombing attacks a month ago, state “we’ve prepared a present for you and all tourists who’ll come over.” These recent threats and video being released has made the public and government very concerned about the safety and security needed. Even U.S lawmakers state the games aren’t safe and wouldn’t want their families attending. This overall portrays a negative image for people traveling or thinking about attending the games. There has also been a lack of communication between the Russian and U.S. government
These threats bring up many concerns from a marketing and sales standpoint. People have already begun to boycott and this can overall affect the tickets and merchandise sales. If there is such controversy surrounding the games there is less of a chance people will want to support the games by attending this year. The city of Sochi and the Olympics in general have to make sure that they are making people aware of security and precautionary measures being put in place from a marketing standpoint for current and future concerns. With the games coming up very soon the committee will have to work very hard and make last attempts of creating a positive and safe image for the city of Sochi. The cost of the games has also risen to $45 billion where the initial budget was $12 billion due to claims that corruption was one of theses factors for pushing up the costs. Such high costs can also affect the total revenues. There has also been concern with a law that was passed outlawing “gay propaganda” where it makes it illegal to tell children about gay equality. Western leaders who have called it “archaic and discriminatory” have generally criticized this new legislation. Which has also portrayed a negative image upon the games and Russia.
From Bloomberg, PBS, and SportsBusiness Daily
Review by Ryan Biever in SRM 334
Olympic season after Olympic season, the Paralympics keep gaining air time in the United States and around the world. Even though the London Paralympics in 2012 was considered "The Best Paralympics Ever", the United States only aired five hours of coverage which consisted of highlights and a wrap up a week after the events ended. Other countries such as Britain and Australia had full coverage of the events and even shows showing the different stages of some disabilities. (Sherman, 2012) Britain has also gone to lengths of showing the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in London to show a split between the Olympics and Paralympics for the first time in history. (Stewart-Robertson, 2012) People need to be more aware and help spread the word, so the hard working athletes get the credit that they deserve and become known as a top athlete like they already are.
All three articles that were used in writing this paper relayed the same information but from different perspectives. The article from Sports Business Journal simply states that each upcoming Paralympics is set to break the previous viewing record and in order to continue to do so, networks such as NBC needs to recognize the true potential and power of the Paralympics. The Telegraph, which is a UK newspaper wrote about how they fully covered the Paralympics to their best ability while the U.S. only aired five hours, and out of those five hours, zero were live events. Some disability groups even condemned NBC due to the poor coverage. Chief executive of the disabilities council in UK was disgusted by NBC's decision saying, “For NBC to take such a decision is really, really appalling. It’s a very disappointing decision because as one of the foremost American networks they should want to celebrate these true examples of amazing sportsmanship.” (Sherman, 2012) Finally, the article from PBS just reiterated what both of the previous articles stated but also showed the comparison of the two networks approach to the event. Channel 4 of Britain showed commercials, advertisements and etc., while the U.S. exerted little to no effort to give the Paralympics any hype which is appalling.
Each Paralympics following the previous come bearing with record breaking numbers for viewers and publicity, so why won't NBC take on more than six hours of air time? There are some athletes with disabilities that are far superior in their fields than Olympic athletes, but none of their names leave anyone's lips nor does anyone acknowledge who they are. This is a big problem speaking from a media standpoint due to the issue that news and information is rarely spread and if so, it is scarce and minimally covered. If more networks were to pick up broadcasting rights for the Paralympics, it'll broaden their spectators horizon, increase revenue. attract new audience members, and offer another outlet for sports which in turn could introduce a whole new world of sport that people might find intriguing. The Broadcasting stations are failing to communicate to the audience which in correlation, the Paralympics aren't receiving the full number of fans that they actually have. Being that the Paralympics are rapidly growing, more air time is required which NBC has just now realized according to Sports Business Journal (SBC). SBC stated, "The 2012 London Summer Paralympics attracted a cumulative TV audience of 3.8 billion in more than 115 countries. The IPC now expects to beat the record viewing figures for the Winter Games..." (journal, 2013) Even though the issue has been recognized, they still only booked fifty hours of coverage which is an improvement, but not as much as what was anticipated.
The sports world continues to widen as more and more sports are introduced, it's our job and the medias job to help communicate to others to broaden their spectrum of sports and so the Paralympics can meet their full potential publicity wise.
From Adweek
Review by Alyssa Hough in SRM 435 (section 2)
There is a commercial that BBC came out with for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The commercial is getting a lot of attention because it is unlike any other Olympic commercial made. It does not have the exciting music playing in the background with pictures of past Olympians celebrating their victory. Instead, it is seen as a much darker, epic commercial with a more intense demeanor to it. The commercial is causing a controversy over whether or not the new approach taken by BBC in producing this commercial was a good decision. Even though the commercial is getting mixed reviews the author of the article praises BBC for trying something new and branching out. The article talks about how you could not go wrong incorporating more about the athletes and events, but the challenges illustrated in the commercial that come with the Winter Olympics evokes interest.
I think from a sport marketing aspect it was a good risk to take because it catches the average viewer off guard, and draws in their interest to something new. It also emphasized how intense the Winter Olympics can be, and all the elements the athletes must face to achieve their dreams. I like how a different approach was taken, and the fact that the commercial is from natures point of view was very cleaver. Most Olympic commercials are inspiring in a different way because they have victorious music playing, and images of the Olympians winning their sport. Although, I still think this commercial by BBC is inspiring because it makes you look at what the athletes have to face to become triumphant, and the new approach was refreshing.
This article relates to our class because its focus is on a marketing commercial for the upcoming Winter Olympics. It shows that in marketing you are constantly wanting to find new ways to present something to the public in a way that will grasp their interest. I think BBC Sports did a great job in doing so because the commercial grabs your attention and gets you thinking. The commercial personally made me even more excited for the Winter Olympics to start. To me it felt like a movie trailer was playing for a movie that I could not wait to come to theaters. Now I am excited to see how the Winter Olympics will play out.
Overall, I think it was well done and a refreshing new way to market the Winter Olympics. It shows that in marketing you cannot be afraid to branch out and try something new. You want to make sure you are not confined to a box of ideas. I think the commercial is very inspiring, and will get the public pumped up for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia this year. There is a lot of anticipation brought by the commercial that makes you want to know how the Olympics are going to go and what the results will be. I think it was a well done invigorating marketing commercial for the Winter Olympics.
---
Review by Megan Verpent in SRM 435 (section 2)
In the United States, broadcasting companies and sponsors such as NBC, market the Olympics as must-see, gripping television. Other times, NBC will market the games as feel-good stories, by giving fans an incite to the lives of athletes. Either way, commercials generally have an upbeat tone and feature video clips of athletes in competition. However, around the world, not all broadcasting companies portray the Olympics Games in the same manner. In his article, David Gianatasio discusses the way, which BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is marketing the Olympic Games based on their newest television commercial. He writes about how BBC is promoting the upcoming games in Sochi, Russia as a suspenseful, movie-like scenario rather than a competitive sporting event. Overall, he applauded the controversial commercial, although he mentioned that some critics did not.
BBC decided to market the 2014 Sochi winter Olympics in a different fashion than many fans are familiar with. Through the article, “BBC's Sochi Ad Will Make You Never Want to Leave the House, Much Less Compete in the Olympics Hell freezes over,” David Gianatasio does a good job in discussing how BBC is promoting the games. Rather than marketing the Olympics as just another sporting event, BBC has decided to market the games as an exciting, suspenseful full feature movie, as the commercial acts as the promotional trailer meant to peak fans’ interest. The advertisement contains narration by Charles Dance, who stars in the popular television series, Game of Thrones. By doing this, BBC is able to market the Olympics as a pop-culture like event. BBC also promotes the Olympics through the harsh nature that athletes have to endure. Suspense and nature are the focal points of the Olympics that BBC has promoted through this commercial; the athletes are the supporting cast members.
Marketing is a strategy to promote a product and attract more fans; in the this article and featured commercial, in this article, the Olympic Games are the product being marketed to fans. With the Sochi games only weeks away, we in America are usually only exposed to the Olympics through the way which NBC markets them to us. This article is relevant because it examines how the Olympics can be marketed and promoted in other ways. It is beneficial to be exposed to more than one way of marketing because they can be more effective to certain audiences.
---
Review by Alexandra Sullivan in SRM 435 (section 2)
On Wednesday January 15th Adweek posted an article written by David Gianatasio on the controversial ad BBC released for its coverage on the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This ad is not traditional, meaning people usually expect commercials for the Olympics to be feel good and inspirational. This ad takes a different approach on the winter games and focuses more on the athletes conquering nature rather than the competition between one another. It over exaggerates the cold, snowy weather portraying the type of environment the athletes have to overcome to be successful in such dangerous conditions. The voiceover in the trailer is dark and powerful, which sets the dramatic tone of the commercial. The ad resembles a movie trailer creating suspense and leaving you wondering what will happen next. Some people did not like this ad because it made them feel numb and they wanted to see something more traditional that is motivational and positive. Other people like the mystery created in the ad and thought it conveyed the unique atmosphere of the Winter Olympics.
I believe this article shows that BBC was willing to take chances and try something new in promoting their coverage for the Winter Olympics. When promoting such a big sporting event such as the Olympics I believe that the ads should go hand in hand with the nature of the event. The Olympics is one of the biggest stages for athletes to compete in, therefore the advertising for the Olympics should also be memorable. BBC sparked conversation and controversy with this ad. They got people’s attention and are getting more publicity because of it. This ad is eccentric, which can be a good thing in sports marketing because it gets people talking and stayed tuned for more. The graphics and the layout of the commercial are intriguing leaving people wanting more and getting them excited for the games.
This article is relevant to Sport Marketing and Sales because it is about promoting, advertising, and gaining publicity, which are three aspects of sport promotion and sales. BBC spent a lot of money creating this ad to gain awareness and to start getting people talking about the upcoming games. The ad is informing people that the Winter Olympics are back and when the games start. I believe this was a successful marketing strategy for BBC to create this type of ad because it does an exceptional job building up the story line for the winter games. After watching this ad I was excited for the Olympics to be back and I cannot wait to see top ranked athletes compete against one another in such dangerous weather circumstances.
