http://adage.com/rss-feed.php?section_id=632 en-us 120 http://adage.com/rss-feed.php?section_id=632 http://adage.com/img/adage-logo-sm.gif http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130531
When the Olympics began nearly three weeks ago, I wondered whether the internet had doomed television coverage of the Olympics. Today, I have the answer: Hell, no. The games proved that when it comes to live events, the internet has a long way to go.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130531 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:09:35 -0400 wolfgroupasia@gmail.com(David Wolf) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130530
As the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games come to an end, I can't help but feel a bit emotional. I will truly miss these games, and I'm not just talking about the sports event. I will miss the way this city looked and behaved over these past two weeks.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130530 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:57:31 -0400 chien.hwang@tbwa-cn.com(Chien Hwang) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130529
Bravo! China's Olympians performed brilliantly. I traveled a bit last week outside of Beijing, and no matter where I went (Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shanghai) there always seemed to be a television screen with a smiling Chinese athlete leaning over to accept a gold medal. People have been glued to the screens around the country, and lustily cheered on their athletes.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130529 Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:18:17 -0400 ptblack@jigsaw-i.com(P.t. Black) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130528
Today they will lock down the Olympic Green, which won't open again until September when the Paralympic Games begin. Now that things have begun to quiet down, I've had a chance to reflect on the challenges of handling PR during the games and at how well China has challenged its own PR during the past month.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130528 Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:17:17 -0400 richard.burger@knprbj.com(Richard Burger) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130496
The Olympic Games have brought more than fancy new sports venues to Beijing. They have also introduced some great party venues. Bars and clubs all over town are hopping with international celebrities and super-athletes, often hosted by sponsors. Adidas, for example, kicked off the Olympics with a "Black and Gold" party attended by sports legends Maurice Green and Ian Thorpe.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130496 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:51:13 -0400 chien.hwang@tbwa-cn.com(Chien Hwang) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130495
Watching beach volleyball on a bright sunny day in Beijing you could almost think you had been transported to Rio or Sydney's Bondi beach. This was especially true when Beijing's own bikini-clad cheerleaders came out to play and gave an otherwise serious sporting event a carnival atmosphere.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130495 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:23:11 -0400 ray.ally@landor.com(Ray Ally) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130391
Liu Xiang's shocking decision to pull out of the qualifying heat for 110-meter hurdles event was big news. It changed the mood of the games in China and put Liu's future as a commercial spokesman in jeopardy.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130391 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:23:13 -0400 chien.hwang@tbwa-cn.com(Chien Hwang) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130371
In a devastating turn of events for China, one of the mainland's biggest sports celebrities pulled out of the Olympic Games today. Liu Xiang was unable to compete in a qualifying heat for the men's 110-meter hurdles because of an injury to his right foot. Liu may not be a household name in the U.S. or Europe, but inside China, he is a star.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130371 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:50:01 -0400 greg@rthree.com(Greg Paull) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130372
Since Michael Phelps scored the sixth of his eventual eight gold medals here at the Beijing Games, I have heard several people -- all very experienced marketers, and all non-Chinese -- suggest that Michael Phelps has a golden career ahead of him here in China doing product endorsements. They're wrong.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130372 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:07:55 -0400 wolfgroupasia@gmail.com(David Wolf) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130369
I've had quite a few fascinating experiences over the last few days at the games through people-watching around Beijing, hanging out at the Olympic Green and spending time with the athletes in their temporary home, the Olympic Village.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130369 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:07:56 -0400 ktressler@na.ko.com(Kevin Tressler) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130347
The talk around the office for the past week has been all about sports. People are recounting games, calculating stats and even talking smack. With the Olympic Games happening at venues all over Beijing, this isn't surprising, but it certainly is new. In the past, sports were rarely brought up around the proverbial office water cooler.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130347 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:45:21 -0400 chien.hwang@tbwa-cn.com(Chien Hwang) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130346
Li Ning has been almost unanimously crowned the king of the Olympic ambush marketers, but in one case, the Chinese sportswear company's efforts appear to have publicly backfired. The Chinese sportswear company created a promotional photo of the Spanish Olympic basketball team, with the players all posed, in uniforms sponsored by Li Ning, with their eyes narrowed in a caricature of Chinese facial characteristics.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130346 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400 wolfgroupasia@gmail.com(David Wolf) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130326
The words "China" and "fake" are inextricably linked. The problem has been out of the headlines for a while but they're back with a vengeance following recent events at the opening ceremony.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130326 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:33:47 -0400 ray.ally@landor.com(Ray Ally) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130325
Now that the five-ring circus has started, the knives are out on all the sponsors. If it's not because they are supporting Darfur or an anti-Tibet sentiment, it must be because they have put a poor value on their sponsorship. And every new TV spot from them will likely have someone calling them the "next Leni Riefenstahl of the 21st century."]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130325 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:35:34 -0400 greg@rthree.com(Greg Paull) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130300
It's no secret that the Olympic Games rely heavily on corporate sponsorship. It was true in Athens and it certainly is true in Beijing. Sponsors have an extremely high-profile position on the Olympic Green, and some of them are doing some pretty interesting things.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130300 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:07:54 -0400 ptblack@jigsaw-i.com(P.t. Black) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130301
For all athletes competing in the Olympic Games in Beijing, the experience and honor that comes from representing their country on this international stage will last a lifetime. They will become heroes at home and perhaps worldwide. For some athletes, particularly the photogenic ones, the recognition will turn into something more -- celebrity.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130301 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:34:33 -0400 chien.hwang@tbwa-cn.com(Chien Hwang) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130277
Attending an Olympic team dressage equestrian event in Hong Kong over the weekend was an instructive and at times, humorous experience. The event beautifully illustrated both the political differences between this city and its "parent," the People's Republic of China, and the cultural similarities between Hong Kong and mainland Chinese citizens.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130277 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:40:33 -0400 normandym@netvigator.com(Normandy Madden) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130276
Visitors to the Olympic Green in Beijing are finding hot weather, large distances between venues, very little shade and limited food options. Poor planning has turned the space into an Olympic-size endurance test.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130276 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:20:33 -0400 ptblack@jigsaw-i.com(P.t. Black) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130275
Working on an Olympic project changes you. It changes the way you think, the vocabulary you use, the way you respond to situations of all kinds. After spending many months preparing for the games and then actually working on the ground on-site, you find you are a different person.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130275 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:19:33 -0400 richard.burger@knprbj.com(Richard Burger) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130261
Now that the Olympics are under way in Beijing, local organizers are turning a blind eye to guerrilla tactics and ambush marketing.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130261 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:20:43 -0400 wolfgroupasia@gmail.com(David Wolf) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130264
Even at the hottest Olympic events such as the U.S. vs. China men's basketball game, there are plenty of empty seats in Beijing.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130264 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:27:15 -0400 chien.hwang@tbwa-cn.com(Chien Hwang) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130262
Parents around the world are united in a desire to help their children succeed and live in a better world. Chinese parents are no different, as I discovered last Friday evening. I had the rare privilege of meeting Yao Ming's parents and Liu Xiang's father at a reception held just before the opening ceremonies.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130262 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:03:29 -0400 ktressler@na.ko.com(Kevin Tressler) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130258
Adidas beat Li Ning in the bid to win official Olympic sponsorship in China, but the Chinese sportswear company got the last laugh when its chairman, Olympic champion Li Ning, was the final torchbearer at the opening ceremonies on Aug. 8.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130258 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:28:36 -0400 greg@rthree.com(Greg Paull) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130259
For the lucky few who were able to watch it live, the opening ceremony Friday night at the Bird's Nest was a spectacular show. For the rest of us, there were three options. Most locals stayed home to watch the event with their family on TV, while expats and tourists went to one of Beijing's many sports bars showing the event live. The third option was viewing the ceremony on one of the city's new outdoor media screens.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130259 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:27:36 -0400 ray.ally@landor.com(Ray Ally) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130230
On the day the Olympics will start, there's very little traffic and, sadly, very little clean air.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130230 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:16:52 -0400 ptblack@jigsaw-i.com(P.t. Black) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130231
The days of creating Samsung's pavilion during Beijing's dreary winter are over. The pavilion opened Aug. 5 with supermodels, belly dancers and a plenty of eco-friendly extras. It was a multimedia extravaganza befitting a high-tech venue designed to impress and attract Olympic athletes and other VIPs and persuade them to hang out in the lounge and hear performances on the stage.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130231 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:04:21 -0400 onstageevents@gmail.com(Jeffrey Bonin) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130208
It's not surprising politics have flared up this close to the games. When the International Olympic Committee selected Beijing as the host city in July 2001 -- the first time it picked a city in a developing market -- political groups started planning campaigns as quickly as longtime sponsors did.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130208 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:18:48 -0400 normandym@netvigator.com(Normandy Madden) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130199
Chien Hwang is a spectator for the upcoming games. But he's also looking at post-Olympic marketing plans for all the non-sponsors who were locked out of Beijing's media this month.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130199 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:54:37 -0400 chien.hwang@tbwa-cn.com(Chien Hwang) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130200
Sponsors have covered China, including Beijing, with ads featuring local athletes such as Yao Ming. But city officials have launched their own ad campaign starring real people to help Beijingers feel like part of the games too.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130200 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:42:39 -0400 ray.ally@landor.com(Ray Ally) http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130149
If you watch CNN, you probably think that the most important issue hovering over the Beijing Olympics as we count down to the opening ceremonies has to do with air quality, or potential protests, or internet censorship. All of those things make great copy, to be sure. But if you look carefully through the haze, you begin to discern the looming outlines of problems that, while perhaps less newsworthy, are more fundamental to the Olympic movement and the companies that spend tens of millions to support it.]]> http://adage.com/olympics2008/post.php?article_id=130149 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:58:54 -0400 wolfgroupasia@gmail.com(David Wolf)