Olympics vs. World Cup - a Marketing Perpsective
The Olympics versus the World Cup: A Marketing Perspective
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the concepts of ambush marketing, buzz marketing and how companies can transition from regional to global brands. These three marketing approaches will be analyzed from the viewpoint of both the World Cup and Olympics. From this analysis, this paper will determine if these approaches are effective, which ones have the most risk, and how this risk can be managed. Finally, it will look at implications and conclusions for international marketers who want to get involved in the World Cup or the Olympics.
The World Stage
The world of sports has the ability to unite people from all four corners of the globe. It allows people from all different cultures and backgrounds to band together and support their teams and athletes. This is especially true when it comes to two of the world’s most popular sporting events: the World Cup of football and the Olympic games. A staggering 1.8 billion viewers watched coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics (“Vancouver 2010 Olympic...”, 2010); which represents more than a quarter of the world’s population. In addition, 2.2 billion viewers watched coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup of football (“Hyundai-Kia drives on..”, 2010); which represents an astounding 32 percent of the world’s population. Statistics like these make it clear why both events are highly sought after by companies for promotional placements.
The sheer amount of potential consumers focused on a single event creates a very large opportunity for the international growth of a brand. Due to this potential, companies are willing to pay a large amount of money to reserve the rights as exclusive event sponsors. There are many examples of companies, like Hyundai and Samsung, who went from regional brands to global brands via sponsorships (Gillespie & Hennessey, 2010, p. 421). Large sporting events also create the opportunity for companies to perform tactics
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the concepts of ambush marketing, buzz marketing and how companies can transition from regional to global brands. These three marketing approaches will be analyzed from the viewpoint of both the World Cup and Olympics. From this analysis, this paper will determine if these approaches are effective, which ones have the most risk, and how this risk can be managed. Finally, it will look at implications and conclusions for international marketers who want to get involved in the World Cup or the Olympics.
The World Stage
The world of sports has the ability to unite people from all four corners of the globe. It allows people from all different cultures and backgrounds to band together and support their teams and athletes. This is especially true when it comes to two of the world’s most popular sporting events: the World Cup of football and the Olympic games. A staggering 1.8 billion viewers watched coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics (“Vancouver 2010 Olympic...”, 2010); which represents more than a quarter of the world’s population. In addition, 2.2 billion viewers watched coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup of football (“Hyundai-Kia drives on..”, 2010); which represents an astounding 32 percent of the world’s population. Statistics like these make it clear why both events are highly sought after by companies for promotional placements.
The sheer amount of potential consumers focused on a single event creates a very large opportunity for the international growth of a brand. Due to this potential, companies are willing to pay a large amount of money to reserve the rights as exclusive event sponsors. There are many examples of companies, like Hyundai and Samsung, who went from regional brands to global brands via sponsorships (Gillespie & Hennessey, 2010, p. 421). Large sporting events also create the opportunity for companies to perform tactics
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