Two-thirds of the Olympic organising committee's £2bn operating budget has been raised through sponsorship. This means we have big brands to thank for the Games. So why is the UK public apparently so ungrateful?
Sport sponsorship is an expensive but high impact marketing activity. It can be difficult to prove return on investment. However, the temptation to advertise to a mass audience in a protected space is often too good to turn down; particularly if one's competitors threaten to muscle in on the opportunity. Which helps explain why the Olympic sponsors have paid handsomely to associate themselves with the 'greatest show on Earth'.
Social media provides an opportunity to listen to the crowd and understand whether brand association has captured the public's imagination. Analysis of social media enables us to gauge, to a greater or lesser extent, which brands have won people's attention.
So has Olympic sponsorship been worth it? Precise analysed social media conversations about the sponsors over a two week period, covering the later stages of the Torch Relay; the Opening Ceremony and the first few days of competition. We discovered that, while Worldwide Partners Samsung and Coca-Cola are successfully generating positive interest in their brands on social media, more generally sponsors are having a harder time inspiring support.
The sponsors fared very differently to one-another when measured on favourability and not just buzz, with the sentiment scores of the top four sponsors by share of voice ranging from +89 to -7. For at least some of the sponsors, then, the public has effectively disregarded the substantial contribution they have made to the successful delivery of the Games.
McDonald's generated the most brand mentions out of all the sponsors; however, these mentions were more negative than positive. McDonald's also bore the brunt of more unfavourable comments about the sponsors in general.
However, there are success stories. Based on favourability, Samsung stands out from the crowd and has also excelled at generating sponsorship-related news that has been widely shared across social media. This is largely a consequence of its deft use of the Samsung ambassadors, David Beckham and Zara Philips; its Facebook prize competition; the free Samsung Hope Relay app and its support of athlete Jenna Randall. Its involvement in the Torch Relay also drove brand mentions. Notably, the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note devices featured in the Opening Ceremony. As a result of this coup, the Galaxy devices were mentioned in more than a third of all comments about the brand in relation to its sponsorship; demonstrating that clever product placement is powerful, even when the logo and brand name are not in view.
Coca-Cola also benefited from playing such a visible role in the Torch Relay and in so doing, largely overcame issues related to its perceived suitability as a sponsor. Our analysis shows it managed to tap into popular culture and inspire excitement around the games by hosting 'Move to the Beat' music events, which were mentioned several hundred times over the two weeks researched. Linking itself with respected celebrities such as Mark Ronson, added to the appeal, and was frequently mentioned in association with the events.
Following our research, Adidas managed to capitalise on the mood of celebration and the success of the British team at the end of the Games, releasing a video clip of some of its biggest stars, including Jessica Ennis and Sir Chris Hoy, miming to the classic Queen song 'Don't Stop Me Now'. The ad, which formed part of the brand's 'Take the Stage' campaign, ends with the hashtag #stagetaken. The original video has been viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube and has been shared by thousands of Twitter users, including Tom Daley, Victoria Pendleton and Stella McCartney.
These Olympics were trailed as being the first truly social Games. Social media has seen explosive growth since Beijing and Twitter reported that 150 million Tweets about the Olympics were posted during the London Games. On the face of it, the opportunity to influence online conversations is immense. However, for some of the sponsors, either brand cut-through has been muted, or social media has exposed them to attacks from a new(ish) flank.
As a result of the social media phenomenon, brands need to work even harder to activate their sponsorship. Investing in the Games does not automatically generate conversations or curry good favour. The winning brands will be those that are seen to play a meaningful role and bring real benefits to people. To win hearts and minds they need to earn the right to association.