One year to go – Rio 2016

Countdown to Rio 2016

Yesterday marked ‘one year to go’ until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Unless you’re interested in sport and actively keep up to date with sporting news, you might have missed it. All the hype of London 2012 has well and truly dissipated. I know it’s not a home Games but it’s a global event – surely that merits some sort of activity? The little activity there was, was mostly from athletes, sporting associations, teams or national governing bodies. Where were all the sponsors? From what I found, not many companies have started their sponsorship activations in the UK. But is that an issue? Are sponsors missing a trick by leaving it too late or are they spending their marketing pennies wisely. Only time will tell.

Omega

A TOP sponsor, Omega launched its support of 12 ‘social action’ projects which will be revealed over the next 12 months. The social media campaign invited users to upload a heart symbol, using #omegavivario drawing attention to its partnership with the charity Viva Rio. Brand ambassadors such as Jessica Ennis-Hill and Chad Le Clos tweeted their support of the campaign.

Aldi

Well done Aldi. A new sponsor to the Olympic / Team GB family, they’re making their voice heard. As well as announcing a team of six ambassadors, they’re also planning on giving each of the 350 Team GB athletes £25 in Aldi vouchers every month. It’s not a huge amount but it ties nicely into the brand’s 25th anniversary – and at least everyone gets something.

Team GB

Ok they’re not a sponsor but they’ve launched a huge social media push, #bringonthegreat, to gather fans’ support for the team. Led by eight former Olympians, they want to encourage the public to send in messages of support, using those messages in different ways throughout the year.  The focus so far has been around the big names so it will be interesting to see how this develops over the next 12 months.

The Sun

Again, I know they’re not a sponsor but I love their ’ChaRIOts of Fire’ campaign, following 12 athletes to Rio. A few of the papers had special Olympic pull-outs and some did nothing but well done to The Sun Sport for continuing their support of Team GB. I wonder how long they’ve been waiting to use that tagline…