Food and beverage sponsors embrace Olympic affiliations
The Olympic spirit is being served with burgers and soft drinks across the nation as the task of spreading the Games' goodwill message outside the capital is adopted by the major food and beverage sponsors.
Giving the general public access to the Olympics is the premise of the Coca-Cola and McDonald's marketing campaigns. Both are using their affiliations to strengthen internal branding, retain their best staff and boost recruitment.
With sports stars Yao Ming and Liu Xiang as ambassadors, the Coca-Cola campaign is reaching out with nationwide marketing including souvenir trading centres, online design competitions, extensive outdoor signage, fresh product packaging and its high-profile support of the Olympic torch relay.
Phyllis Cheung, chief marketing officer for McDonald's China, said the fast food chain's restaurant outlets would be a focus for Olympic activities. 'We want to make the Olympics relevant locally and will host co-ordinated special events to make it happen. The vision is that McDonald's outlets will be venues for mass participation.'
The McDonald's campaign includes a programme for children, encouraging expression of artistic talent in restaurants, brand connection with adults through an online cheering competition and spreading a message about food hygiene. More than 80,000 people have uploaded cheering routines online and five lucky winners will perform on a national tour and attend the Games in Beijing.
