Branding at the Olympics - Interview with Larry Vincent of Siegel+Gale

I’m very excited to publish an interview I was lucky enough to get with branding expert Larry Vincent, Siegel+Gale (part of the Omnicom Group Inc.) Group Director of Strategy in Los Angeles.  Larry was kind enough to answer my questions related to the Olympics and how companies use the Olympics to further their brands.  Following is my interview with Larry.

Brandcurve: What brand (or brands) do you think is doing a particularly good job of leveraging the 2008 Summer Olympics to promote their brand and why?

Larry Vincent: Adidas has done a very good job. Though at first controversial to many because outsiders thought the nationalistic imagery was pandering, it’s a great example of a brand finding a voice in a special market. The brand work (not just the advertising) really celebrates the Games and the aspirations of the host country.

Brandcurve: What brand do you think missed the boat?

Larry Vincent: It’s hard to say from afar. Some of the best brand work occurs onsite, and the sponsorship roster this year includes many new players.

Brandcurve: Could you speak a bit about branding, the Olympics and social media marketing?  How has social media marketing and new media through the popularity of the social web influenced brands as they promote themselves through Olympics sponsorships, etc.? Which brands do you think are doing a particularly good job of leveraging the Olympics and social media marketing?

Larry Vincent: I haven’t seen any social marketing activity from the Olympic sponsors that is specific to the Games, but I also haven’t been tracking it. I think there are significant opportunities, however. The focus of the Games has shifted a bit in recent years. Twenty years ago, it was all about nation state equity, epitomized by the famous 1980 USA/Soviet Union hockey match-up. Today, there is much more emphasis on individual competitors (like Michael Phelps). Fans want to get closer to those athletes and the sponsoring brands have an opportunity to enable this connection through social media. Services like Twitter and Facebook can be good conduits for a brand to stimulate conversation and provide access to the equities of the teams and the individual athletes. 

[Note from Brandcurve: in an interview on NBC last week, Michael Phelps said he received nearly 3,000 Facebook friend requests after his Olympic debut.]

Brandcurve: If you could change one thing about branding as it relates to Olympic sponsorship and advertising, what would you change and why?

Larry Vincent: Though it has gotten better in the past few years, there’s still a lot of brand slapping — using the Olympic marks as a trust mark that belittles the Olympic brand and feels like a crutch for the sponsoring brand. One of the reasons I like what Adidas has done is that it elevates the brand connection. It’s not just an endorsement by the Games, it’s a statement about the Adidas brand itself. I think more brands need to think about how they tap their own brand platforms, use their own brand voice and deliver their own equity value with the Games playing the role of catalyst. I don’t see that very often. At best, it’s just a parity play. At worst, it’s complete pandering.

Brandcurve: What can we expect to see from brands in the next Winter Olympics and Olympic Games after that?  How will the face of Olympics-related brand marketing change?

Larry Vincent: The Winter Olympics are an interesting challenge. They draw a smaller audience and rely more on media, so advertising plays a greater role. Also, the success of the X Games has challenged the winter organizers to make the Winter Games a bit edgier, and that doesn’t always work. For sponsoring brands, the biggest challenge is finding a powerful way to leverage the equities in a way that is relevant across the span of events. You can always count on figure skating, but the brand that figures out how to make curling a part of the brand platform will get some great attention.

Image: SiegelGale.com