In the run-up to London 2012, UK consumers are going to hear more and more about Olympic pins, and the trading thereof. This cranked up another notch this week with the launch by LOCOG of ‘Landmark London’ pin badges, featuring iconic locations in each London borough, such as the Lambeth London 2012 pin featuring the London Eye below. They go on sale later this month and you can see them all here.

With London 2012 in mind, this led me to consider what else captured the unique geography and zeitgeist of London, and what immediately sprang to mind was Ian Dury’s brilliant rendition of ‘The Bus Driver’s Prayer’. Being of a certain vintage, I was lucky enough to see Dury perform it several times live, but as I expect most of you will be unfamiliar with it, it’s the Lord’s Prayer as - perhaps - recited by a London Bus Driver, and it goes like this:

Our Father, who art in Hendon, Harrow Road be thy name. Thy Kingston come, thy Wimbledon, in Erith as it is in Hendon. Give us this day, our Berkhamsted, and forgive us our Westminsters, as we forgive those that Westminster against us. Lead us not into Temple Station, and deliver us from Ealing, for thine is the Kingston, the Purley and Crawley, for Iver and Iver, Crouch End.

It would be nice to think that it could be worked into London 2012 in some way: as part of an ‘Essential London’ album perhaps - or maybe in the Opening Ceremony? After all, a London bus famously featured in London 2012’s section of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony…

By Tim Crow on March 11th, 2010

Tags: Beijing 2008, Default, London 2012, Music, Olympics

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Those little red mittens came to symbolise the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. At $10 a pair, with half going towards Canadian athletes (though I’m not sure by which specific route), they were the must-have item for those attending the Games.

As I left the BA lounge for the flight back from Vancouver last week, I fell into step behind a group of passengers who were debating the success of the mittens and what London 2012 should produce that might perform a similarly symbolic role. One of them thought it a good idea to produce a specially commissioned football shirt. I thought at the time that this was a silly idea; on reflection I think it would be borderline catastrophic. Here’s why.

The mittens performed a number of roles, some obvious and others less so, but all of which were entirely relevant to the occasion: they kept your hands wrapped in fleecy warmth; they branded the Games as they featured in their deep red multitudes in TV coverage of every Olympic event; and they allowed viewers to show their appreciation and applause for competitors as they clapped their mitten-clad hands together or held them to the sky.

I’m led to believe that the mitten is also a traditional Eskimo garment, which has positive cultural overtones relating to the native population; and they also supported a worthy cause, looked great and were priced accessibly.

Contrast these benefits with the message that a football shirt would send. It would reinforce (mostly) ill-founded foreign views of British sports fans as an ill-mannered rabble; its symbolic function is to divide us into tribes rather than unite us in support; it is unlikely to be cheap to buy; and it sure as hell won’t protect us from our weather.

I think the right souvenir garment - London’s version of Vancouver’s red mittens - is a stellar idea, but what should it be? Suggestions on a postcard please (or in the comment box below) as to what we might produce for London 2012.

By Scott Garrett on March 2nd, 2010

Tags: Advertising, Football, London 2012, Olympics, Vancouver 2010, Winter Olympics

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I’ve been with Synergy clients and colleagues here in Vancouver for over a week now taking in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. This is the seventh Games I’ve attended, and as always it’s been a fascinating experience, but this time with a heightened sense of importance and uniqueness, because we’ll be applying the insights we develop here for our clients to their London 2012 sponsorship strategies.

With this in mind, here are a just a few examples of how the Olympics has played out here in Vancouver and Canada, with some thoughts on the associated implications for London 2012.

1. The Weather

This has of course been a major theme in the Vancouver 2010 story, both around the world and here in Canada, with the effects of one of the warmest winters ever in BC impacting heavily on the events in Whistler and Cypress Mountain. But it’s been less of an issue here than you might expect, because so many major events – in particular ice hockey, of which more later – are being staged in indoor venues in the Vancouver metropolitan area.

Whilst the weather is of course a much less critical factor in the summer Games than in the winter edition, there’s no doubt that a wet summer in two years’ time – and let’s face it, a wet summer is hardly a rare event in the UK – would have a major effect on the overall image and experience of London 2012.

2. Olympic Scepticism

Vancouverite scepticism is not getting in the way of the party, but it’s always there in the background. Games-time has brought with it a huge surge of excitement and celebration, but there is a palpable undercurrent of scepticism about the effects and benefits of the Olympics here. It’s characterised by what Vancouverites would be the first to admit is their opinionated mindset, and framed by Canada’s proud tradition of free speech. I’ve experienced it every day, face-to-face, in the news and in social media, across a wide spectrum of topics, such as Government policy, the economy, tax, house prices, and travel disruption.

Recognise any similarities with the UK?

3. The Opening Ceremony

Fuelled by a tidal wave of rumours and a surprising lack of leaks from inside the dress rehearsals, last week everybody here was talking about the opening ceremony, in particular who would perform (apart from Rush, most of the rumours I heard turned out to be true) and who would light the Olympic flame (who else could it have been but Wayne Gretzky). The post-ceremony debate was equally fascinating. Whilst the consensus was “brilliant show” (and it was – the minor technical problems did not detract at all) there was also a significant debate about to what extent the ceremony truly represented Canada.

We’ll see exactly the same things happen in the UK around the London 2012 opening ceremony: indeed if anything, the pre-show rumours and the post-show debate will be even more intense.

4. Bad Luck, or Bad Games?

Although every Games has its problems, Vancouver 2010 has of course already had more than its fair share. They have ranged from the unfortunate to the tragic and – depending on your point of view – resulted from either misadventure or mismanagement. Inevitably this has become a major media theme worldwide, with the most strident criticism of IOC and VANOC coming from the UK, as well as some early – some would say too early – comments by UK journalists that this is ‘the worst Games ever.’

The Canadian media and Canadian consumers aren’t denying that there are problems – quite the reverse. But it’s hardly surprising that many have reacted furiously to some of the more extreme criticism from the UK. If London 2012 comes in for similar criticism from another country’s media, we’ll see exactly the same reaction in the UK.

5. In Canada, It’s All About Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey – just ‘Hockey’ here - is king in Canada. Think football in the UK, cricket in India or gridiron in the USA in terms of its dominant popularity. And so it follows that for Canada, this games is going to be defined by whether or not Canada wins the hockey gold medal. Of course, every Canadian success is going to be a cause for national celebration, as it was when Alex Bilodeau won Canada’s first-ever gold medal on home soil – an occasion I was lucky enough to witness at first hand – in the freestyle skiing moguls. But hockey is what really matters. So it was that on Tuesday night, after Canada beat Norway, the energy and noise in the streets and the bars of Vancouver went way up, to the levels we see in the UK when England play a big FIFA World Cup or UEFA Euro match.

Will London 2012 be different in the UK? Yes and no. We’ll see, I’m sure, huge support for all of Britain’s athletes, and national celebrations when a gold medal is won, particularly in the blue riband events. But although medal success will definitely be a key measure of how UK consumers judge the success of the Games, the focus will be spread across most of the Olympic sports rather than just one.

By Tim Crow on February 18th, 2010

Tags: London 2012, Olympics, Vancouver 2010

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Channel 4’s successful bid against the BBC to win the UK broadcast rights to the London 2012 Paralympics defied predictions and surprised leading observers. The latest in a series of bold and innovative moves by the London 2012 Organising Committee in their quest to create and deliver a Games for a new era and a new generation, it’s a decision that will be good for the Paralympics, for consumers, and for London 2012 sponsors.

Justified or not, there was always a concern that the BBC would prioritise resources to the Olympics over the Paralympics. Channel 4’s bid removes the issue with a raft of unprecedented commitments: re-branding itself as The Paralympics Channel during the Games; 150 hours of Games-time coverage;  two ten-part peak time documentaries in 2011 and 2012; dedicated coverage of the Paralympic Torch Relay; and the biggest marketing campaign in the broadcaster’s history - a particularly crucial feature given the key Paralympic legacy objective of changing attitudes to disability.

But not only is changing to Channel 4 all good for the Paralympics: it’s good for consumers too.

Being free-to-air, access for all to coverage of the Games is assured - a vital consideration. Channel 4 also has a strong and proud track record of innovative coverage (Italian football, horse racing, cricket) that consumers will no doubt now see applied to the Paralympics And isn’t it good for consumers - indeed for society as a whole - that after a decade of Big Brother, Channel 4 is returning to its traditional diversity/minority remit?

I’d also argue that for consumers, having two London 2012 broadcasters is better than one, in that the inherent competition it will engender between the two stations (already visible in their somewhat barbed PR around the announcement of Channel 4’s win) will drive up coverage quality.

And finally, it’s undeniable that Channel 4 winning the rights to cover the Paralympics is brilliant news for the London 2012 Games’ sponsors. Leveraging an Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship is one of toughest challenges in the sponsorship playbook, owing to the nature of the rights: leveraging it in the UK, with - up to now - the non-commercial BBC as the only Olympic broadcaster has made it even tougher. The entry of a commercial station offers London 2012’s sponsors a new, and welcome, marketing option.

By Tim Crow on January 12th, 2010

Tags: London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics

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Back in September I wrote a blog about the Synergy team outing to the Olympic Village. We were hosted by Des Blake, a local resident who is working with the ODA to promote the tours available to the public. Well, having read our blog, Des has been in touch with the Synergy team and I thought I would share his comments with you:

Dear Caroline,

My name is Des Blake, thank you so much for your kind and positive words on your blog about my first tour. Do you remember I said I may see you or get touch on 2012 well I am keeping my promise. Please see picture, and today’s date 2012!!!

I now have a far better out look on life, more positive about things, and local people are always stopping me in the street to chat about the 2012 games! (When I have my 2012 top on or when they see my Olympic badge!) I have always had a dream since a boy to represent the UK in the Olympics, or to be involved in one, I feel by doing this work I have gone along way in achieving this!

The pleasure I get from for seeing the smiles and the excitement on the people’s faces and the thanks they give me as they leave the tour bus is incredible!

Kind Regards,

Des Blake

Des, thank you for getting in touch and we’re really pleased to hear that the Olympics is already making a difference. We look forward to seeing how the village develops and hope that the tours keep you busy right up to July 2012.

By Caroline Ayling on January 4th, 2010

Tags: London 2012

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Visitors to these pages will know that since questioning Andy Burnham’s now-infamous Medal Hopes announcement last year, I’ve written several posts on the issue’s evolution. So, with Team 2012 having risen last week like a phoenix from the ashes of Medal Hopes, it seems only appropriate to mark the issue’s apparent resolution with a few observations.

1. Team 2012 should not have been necessary

Let’s remember that the budget problem Team 2012 is designed to help solve was created by the Treasury in 2006. Let’s also remember that the problem was then exacerbated by two years of DCMS inaction, and finally exploded by the obvious flaws in Fast Track’s Medal Hopes ‘plan’ - memorably described by the BBC’s Matt Slater (author of a number of excellent blogs on the subject) as being ‘up there with Baldrick’s finest’. Quite a contrast with the Vancouver 2010 Own The Podium programme, launched in 2005 with adequate national and regional Government funding and a joined-up long-term plan.

2. The launch of Team 2012 is a triumph for LOCOG and UK Sport

Given the mess they inherited from DCMS and Fast Track, this is indisputable. Consider the list of their achievements: uniting the various stakeholders; creating a new property; resolving (apparently) the incendiary issue of elite Olympic athletes’ image rights; and persuading global Olympic sponsor Visa to come on board as Team 2012’s ‘Presenting Partner’ for £10m to start the fundraising.

3. Visa: sponsorship – or patronage?

I use the term ‘fundraising’ advisedly. Team 2012 is unashamedly a fundraising initiative designed to dent the shortfall in our Olympic sports’ budgets for London 2012, and increase Team GB’s chances of success: the official press release talks of nothing else. In which case, is Visa’s role more about patronage (financial aid with little or no expectation of ROI) rather than sponsorship (a win-win marketing partnership)? Don’t misunderstand me: I wish Team 2012 and Visa the best of British. But getting a meaningful return from this particular £10m investment looks like a big ask.

4. Sponsorship is not the only answer to the budget problem

A month after Andy Burnham’s original Medal Hopes announcement, I began advocating that any replacement programme should also incorporate innovative non-sponsorship fundraising models that had evolved elsewhere, such as Team Business West Midlands and the Vancouver 2010 Patron’s Programme. It’s good to see that this approach has been built into Team 2012, in the shape of the SME Club and the Official Donor programme.

By Tim Crow on October 7th, 2009

Tags: DCMS, Default, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, London 2012 sponsorship consultants, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Synergy, Team GB

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Being a Londoner and a huge sports fan I can’t tell you how excited I am that we are hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.  However, 2012 can seem a long way off. I have no doubt Seb Coe and his team will deliver the ‘Greatest Games on Earth’ and leave a real legacy for the next generation but it can be hard to get truly excited about something that is still two and half years away. Well, that was what I thought until last night.

Yesterday as the milky autumn sun set on Docklands’ skyline a few of the Synergy team headed East, to Stratford. In fact none of us had ever been to Stratford before so that was a first in itself. We boarded the official Tour Bus and prepared for our hour long trip around the 2012 Olympic Village.

Our guide was the brilliant Des Blake from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA),  a very friendly chap with a unique grasp of the English language. His energy, enthusiasm and knowledge of the local area was fantastic. He’d evidently been briefed to cover what each area will look like during the Games and then emphasise that the Park will leave a real legacy for the local commmunity. But with Des you really believed he meant it, in fact you believed he wasn’t just reciting a brief but he genuinely knows that the Games will make a huge difference to the area.

When we arrived at the site entrance, the bus was given a full once over by the security team, each yellow jacket clad team including a Ghurka - Joanna Lumley would be very proud! We then proceeded into the Olympic Park. With the River Lea running through the centre of the site you really begin to feel what it will be like in August 2012  (with the help of the odd animation or two).

2012 Aquatics Centre - September 2009

The velodrome is currently just a big hole but the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre are well under way,  infact ahead of schedule. The media centre and Olympic Village, that will house all the athletes, are huge and the scale of this project is really mind blowing.  From re-housing thousands of newts and toads, to deconstructing two electricity pylons and moving London’s premier salmon smoker 500 yards, the amount of planning that has made this project happen is just unbelievable.

I have to say I would highly recommend taking the tour. As a Londoner I’m going to feel pretty proud when the Olympics rolls into to town so why not feel part of it now… booking a tour is pretty easy just call 0300 2012 001. 

Finally, I have to say that the highlight of the whole tour was when Des Blake announced that the ODA has in fact been training up local residents to take the tour and we had been his first guests. He may not have spoken the Queen’s English but I have to thank Des Blake for really bringing London 2012 to life. Bravo Des!

By Caroline Ayling on September 22nd, 2009

Tags: London 2012, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympics, community

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In 2004, the Government outlined in a paper that they would like to get serious about bidding for international sporting events in this country. Five years on and this is one promise they’ve more than delivered on. With the recent announcements across both codes of rugby, the score is now 5-0 to Britain.

Not counting this year’s ICC World Twenty20, over the next six years we’re within driving distance of the following:

2010 - Ryder Cup; 2012 - The Olympics; 2013 - Rugby League World Cup; 2014 - Commonwealth Games; 2015 - Rugby Union World Cup

And if that wasn’t enough, we’re also bidding for the second biggest sporting event on the planet - the FIFA Football World Cup in 2018.

As a sporting destination, Britain ticks a lot of the right boxes - stadiums, infrastructure, a history of hosting huge events from Wimbledon to The Open, timezone (critical for the TV money) and a vibrant sponsorship sector. The economic and profile boost these events can give a country, if done right, is well documented so at a time when congratulatory headlines are scarce, Team Government has earned a place at the top of the podium.

By Dominic Curran on August 4th, 2009

Tags: Default, Glasgow 2014, London 2012, Olympics, Public relations, Rugby, Rugby League Marketing, Sponsorship, Sport

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A year ago Engine took part in the annual NABS netball tournament.  I wrote a blog about it and signed off with ‘I make a pledge here and now that by the time London is hosting the greatest games on earth you’ll see Engine’s name engraved on the NABS netball trophy.’ 

Well, in true Synergy and Engine style we have delivered and three years early as well!

Engine's NABS netball team

The Engine girls took to the court and despite taking awhile to warm up, we sailed through to the plate section of the tournament. Success in the quarter and semi-finals took us through to the Plate Grand Final against RKCR/Y&R. It was a close run game but a storming performance by Natalie Parish of WCRS - later voted player of the tournament -secured Engine their first NABS netball title. Congratulations ladies and here’s to another win next year!

For those who read my blog last year, you may be interested to know that the number of supporters campaigning for netball to become an Olympic sport on Facebook has more than quadrupled with over 40,000 members.

By Caroline Ayling on August 3rd, 2009

Tags: Commonwealth Games, Default, Employee engagement, Facebook, London 2012, Olympics, Sport, Synergy

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The newly-appointed head of Olympic legacy, Margaret Ford, interviewed in yesterday’s Evening Standard, signalled a potential u-turn in the proposed use of some of the London 2012 facilities post-Games.

This may not be a bad thing…

At the 117th International Olympic Committee Session in Singapore in 2005, as part of our winning bid to host the Games, Lord Coe stated that it was London’s intention ‘To stage an inspirational Games that capture the imagination of young people around the world and leave a lasting legacy’ and indeed this has been carried through to become one of the 10 strategic pillars of London 2012.

The question is, will we as a host nation succeed where so many before us have struggled?

One only has to visit former Olympic sites to see how hard it is to leave something that really makes a difference to the live of those around us. But it is not impossible…

We have the best opportunity we have ever had to permanently regenerate an area of London, place sport at its heart and inspire people for generations to come.

It’s an opportunity that we should wholeheartedly embrace and not shy away from, and as one of the masterminds behind the regeneration of the former Millennium Dome through its sale to the entertainment empire AEG, Lady Ford is the ideal person to lead the charge.

She has already stated that the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium may now not be reduced in size to 25,000 seats, but left as an iconic structure that could be used to host games, given a successful World Cup 2018 bid. And isn’t it good to be so positive about the future for a change?

When it comes to regeneration and legacy, visionary confidence is what we need – in abundance.

By Philip Patterson on June 26th, 2009

Tags: London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, grass roots sport

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