Some of Bluewood’s clients are official sponsors, some of our freelance trainers are going to be back at the BBC helping to get the vast amount of coverage onto our screens and even if you are a Londoner who’s planning on being out of the country this summer, you can’t afford to miss any opportunities for your brand during the Olympics.
The games will be huge for London and the UK, with; 26 sports, 205 competing nations, 10,000 athletes, 1 million tourists and 25,000 accredited media, there’s no denying the impact the event will have. While the 55 sponsors will get the majority of the branding during the games, there are still going to be many chances for businesses and organisations to boost their profile. However, while the potential benefits of getting involved will far outweigh them, being prepared for possible risks is vital; from ensuring your marketing team are fully versed on Rule 40 of the Olympic charter (covering the use of participants in advertising) to having your corporate messages up to scratch on; flexible working, security measures and any extra expenses you will have to budget for.
There’s no doubt that the media will be hungry for relevant stories (although PRs need to be careful to ensure they aren’t just forcing their stories to link into the games) – The Telegraph Group are planning at least 40 pages of Olympic coverage per day during the event – so this is going to be a valuable PR opportunity for organisations.
Of course it isn’t just the sports that journalists will be covering; the media will be looking at a range of other issues like travel and transport, security, money spent on the games as well as the wider economic effects for the UK. So making sure your spokespeople can handle questions on the specific issues you are involved with is vital, but don’t overlook the opportunities there will be for your team to be put forward as commentators on the wider topics too.
We all know that working and commuting in London during the Olympics will be a little more difficult than usual (especially in Canary Wharf!) but this will be a once in a lifetime event and you’ve got to be ready to grasp the opportunities.
Written by Will Edwards – www.bluewoodtraining.co.uk – April 2012
