Samsung takes gold, media analysts say
Role in opening ceremonies generated positive buzz
Social media has changed the ground rules for Olympic sponsorship so that just shelling out millions to be a top-tier sponsor is no longer enough to buy goodwill, post-Games studies have found. McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Samsung snagged the biggest attention in all English language social media, an analysis by Precise media analysts said. Of the three, however, only Samsung “won sponsorship gold,” senior brand insight analyst Gareth Price told the Star. The tech company’s creative move to become part of the opening ceremonies at the London 2012 Games paid off with 89 per cent of people talking about it favourably, Precise found. Samsung negotiating a role for its mobile devices was a coup for the brand, Precise said. Like Coke’s Torch Relay presence, it “went well beyond the traditional mechanics of sponsorship, harnessing elements of pop culture.” “The public appears to need to believe that a brand is creating value through its sponsorship,” rather than just selling a product, the report said. The best way, the analysis found, is “creating opportunities for the public to participate.” The Precise study examined all English-language social media content for two weeks up to July 31, just after the start of the Games. Coke’s Torch Relay also offset criticism over whether a pop-maker should be cashing in on atournament for elite athletes, Precise found. McDonald’s never managed to shake that criticism, Precise said, and ended up with the negative publicity outweighing the positive. Apoll of U.S. adults over the two weeks of the Olympics also found the controversy surrounding McDonald’s and Coke’s suitability as sponsors hurt public perception.
YouGov’s BrandIndex, which polls 5,000 people a day from a pool of 1.8 million who have registered for its panels, tracked a rise in negative perception particularly for McDonald’s as the Games progressed.
In fact, only Visa, with its high-profile TV spots, truly achieved a strong improvement in its image, particularly among Americans18 to 34, said BrandIndex global managing director Ted Marzilli.
“You are up against people spending a lot of money,” he said. “It’s hard to break through the clutter.”
BrandIndex did find BP, damaged by the bad publicity of an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago, managed by promoting its BP Team USA contingent of nine athletes to wash some of the gunk from its image and end with a more positive profile.
Creative use of social media paid off for sportswear maker Adidas, Precise and the social media consultants Sociagility found.
“The Adidas of the stars of Team GB singing ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ was perfectly timed to the mood of the Games,” said Price.
Adidas, which relied on a hashtag slogan of “Take the Stage,” managed to outperform archrival Nike despite Nike’s attempt at ambush marketing, Sociagility’s Tony BurgessWebb said.
“The online and offline world are two very different and distinct things,” Price said. Sponsors now need to “better co-ordinate” the two. “Smartphones and mobile react to everything all the time.”
Interbrand London’s analysis of sponsorship benefits also found a strong recognition factor for Visa, although inside the Olympic Village much of it was negative because Visa was the only credit card allowed.
For the company, though, that didn’t matter as much as its global bounce, said Graham Hales, chief executive officer of Interbrand London.
“What happened in London is just a localized skirmish,” he told the BBC. “Its battleground is global.”