CG Companies Unveil Olympic-Themed Products and Campaigns
With the 2008 Olympic Games only a few weeks away, consumers can find Olympic-themed products everywhere: there are Olympic-themed contests on candy bar wrappers, Olympic-themed packaging in grocery stores and Olympic-themed apparel in our shopping malls. See how CG companies, like Coca-Cola, Hershey, Nike and Ralph Lauren, are turning their red, white and blue into green.
The Taste of Victory
The Coca-Cola Company, no stranger to the Olympics having been a sponsor for 80 years now, is unveiling new advertising that celebrates how "the Olympic Games and Coca-Cola bring people together like nothing else." Three new ads are part of the global "Coke Side of Life" campaign, which aims to reflect life's uplifting, positive moments. The commercials are supplemented by two Coca-Cola Olympic-themed vignettes that began running exclusively on NBC in June 2008.
One of the new Coca-Cola ads feature Olympians Yao Ming and LeBron James engaging in a friendly, animated "face-off" -- backed by two troupes of choreographed icons representing their respective cultures. As the ad concludes, both players display bottles of Coca-Cola -- Yao's featuring the Coca-Cola logo in Mandarin and James' bottle with English script. As the players exchange their "national bottles" of Coca-Cola, their animated images transform into the real Yao and James, who toast each other and "Unity on the Coke Side of Life."
Americans also got a 'taste' of how Coke is enjoyed around the world with the release of limited edition, Olympic-themed collectible cans and FridgePacks bearing the iconic Coca-Cola logo in different languages, including Ethiopian, Russian, Thai, Mandarin, and English. This new packaging marked the first appearance of the Coca-Cola script in different languages in the United States, with new designs appearing every two to three weeks. Hitting stores simultaneously, 20-ounce Coca-Cola bottles featured labels with multiple languages, including those of the United States, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Korea, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Finally, a special Coca-Cola "Six Pack" of athletes was featured on collectible packaging and in-store materials. The "Six Pack" includes gold medalists Natalie Coughlin (swimming), Steven Lopez (taekwondo) and Sanya Richards (track and field); Olympians LeBron James (USA basketball) and Andy Potts (triathlon); and Olympic hopeful Shawn Johnson (gymnastics). Leading by example, the athletes also are serving as Coca-Cola "Ambassadors of Active Living" to help encourage and inspire people to lead active, balanced lives. Coca-Cola is also featuring themed packaging on its Minute Maid orange juice, lemonade and fruit drinks.
While Coca-Cola's campaign aims to evoke feelings of unity, The Hershey Company is giving its consumers a competitive feel by running a "Taste of Victory" campaign to publicize its sponsorship. Consumers can purchase Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kat Wafer Bar, York Peppermint Pattie and Almond Joy Candy Bars that were available at select retailers beginning June 2008. Prizes include a 2008 Chevy Tahoe, a 42" plasma television or Visa gift cards.
What Athletes are Sporting
On the 20th anniversary of the launch of "Just Do It", Nike Inc. kicks off its global advertising campaign for Beijing, with a new emotionally charged 60-second commercial, "Courage." The ad features 31 different Nike athletes from more than a dozen different countries, including United States, Russia, Portugal, Switzerland, Afghanistan and South Africa. Some recognizable athlete faces from the past and present are featured and include: Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Liu Xiang, Michael Johnson, Steve Prefontaine, LeBron James, John McEnroe, Wayne Rooney, Joan Benoit and Kobe Bryant. The ad also includes amazing athlete stories such as seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and closes with South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius.
Nike athletes, including Lauryn Williams, premiered Nike's USA Track and Field (USATF) uniforms, which was worn by members of the 2008 Olympic Team for Track & Field, before a sold-out crowd of 20,000 fans at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials. The uniforms and footwear are reduced in weight to prevent less drag for athletes. Sean McDowell, Nike's Footwear Design director says the apparel is industry-defining and game-changing.
Another official outfitter of the Olympics is Ralph Lauren. Its Web site features everything from videos of athletes making powerful statements, to photo essays, to a sports-themed magazine. With its Olympic Games collections, customers can buy and wear what the athletes are wearing if they want to participate in a sport, or just want to look the part. There is also historical information about the opening ceremony throughout the years.
Let the Games Begin
Just as consumers look forward to the Super Bowl's commercials, advertisements for the Olympic Games are arguably anticipated just the same. Who owns the official beverage, candy, shoes or clothes? While there is no doubt that Olympic-themed products serve a CG company's bottom line, their messages of hope, dreams, struggle and victory are all apparent in these campaigns and products, which promote the acceptance of different cultures and languages through the shirt they wear, the can of soda they drink and the candy they eat.
The Taste of Victory
The Coca-Cola Company, no stranger to the Olympics having been a sponsor for 80 years now, is unveiling new advertising that celebrates how "the Olympic Games and Coca-Cola bring people together like nothing else." Three new ads are part of the global "Coke Side of Life" campaign, which aims to reflect life's uplifting, positive moments. The commercials are supplemented by two Coca-Cola Olympic-themed vignettes that began running exclusively on NBC in June 2008.
One of the new Coca-Cola ads feature Olympians Yao Ming and LeBron James engaging in a friendly, animated "face-off" -- backed by two troupes of choreographed icons representing their respective cultures. As the ad concludes, both players display bottles of Coca-Cola -- Yao's featuring the Coca-Cola logo in Mandarin and James' bottle with English script. As the players exchange their "national bottles" of Coca-Cola, their animated images transform into the real Yao and James, who toast each other and "Unity on the Coke Side of Life."
Americans also got a 'taste' of how Coke is enjoyed around the world with the release of limited edition, Olympic-themed collectible cans and FridgePacks bearing the iconic Coca-Cola logo in different languages, including Ethiopian, Russian, Thai, Mandarin, and English. This new packaging marked the first appearance of the Coca-Cola script in different languages in the United States, with new designs appearing every two to three weeks. Hitting stores simultaneously, 20-ounce Coca-Cola bottles featured labels with multiple languages, including those of the United States, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Korea, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Finally, a special Coca-Cola "Six Pack" of athletes was featured on collectible packaging and in-store materials. The "Six Pack" includes gold medalists Natalie Coughlin (swimming), Steven Lopez (taekwondo) and Sanya Richards (track and field); Olympians LeBron James (USA basketball) and Andy Potts (triathlon); and Olympic hopeful Shawn Johnson (gymnastics). Leading by example, the athletes also are serving as Coca-Cola "Ambassadors of Active Living" to help encourage and inspire people to lead active, balanced lives. Coca-Cola is also featuring themed packaging on its Minute Maid orange juice, lemonade and fruit drinks.
While Coca-Cola's campaign aims to evoke feelings of unity, The Hershey Company is giving its consumers a competitive feel by running a "Taste of Victory" campaign to publicize its sponsorship. Consumers can purchase Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kat Wafer Bar, York Peppermint Pattie and Almond Joy Candy Bars that were available at select retailers beginning June 2008. Prizes include a 2008 Chevy Tahoe, a 42" plasma television or Visa gift cards.
What Athletes are Sporting
On the 20th anniversary of the launch of "Just Do It", Nike Inc. kicks off its global advertising campaign for Beijing, with a new emotionally charged 60-second commercial, "Courage." The ad features 31 different Nike athletes from more than a dozen different countries, including United States, Russia, Portugal, Switzerland, Afghanistan and South Africa. Some recognizable athlete faces from the past and present are featured and include: Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Liu Xiang, Michael Johnson, Steve Prefontaine, LeBron James, John McEnroe, Wayne Rooney, Joan Benoit and Kobe Bryant. The ad also includes amazing athlete stories such as seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and closes with South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius.
Nike athletes, including Lauryn Williams, premiered Nike's USA Track and Field (USATF) uniforms, which was worn by members of the 2008 Olympic Team for Track & Field, before a sold-out crowd of 20,000 fans at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials. The uniforms and footwear are reduced in weight to prevent less drag for athletes. Sean McDowell, Nike's Footwear Design director says the apparel is industry-defining and game-changing.
Another official outfitter of the Olympics is Ralph Lauren. Its Web site features everything from videos of athletes making powerful statements, to photo essays, to a sports-themed magazine. With its Olympic Games collections, customers can buy and wear what the athletes are wearing if they want to participate in a sport, or just want to look the part. There is also historical information about the opening ceremony throughout the years.
Let the Games Begin
Just as consumers look forward to the Super Bowl's commercials, advertisements for the Olympic Games are arguably anticipated just the same. Who owns the official beverage, candy, shoes or clothes? While there is no doubt that Olympic-themed products serve a CG company's bottom line, their messages of hope, dreams, struggle and victory are all apparent in these campaigns and products, which promote the acceptance of different cultures and languages through the shirt they wear, the can of soda they drink and the candy they eat.