Olympic sponsors spent millions of dollars hoping the Games would propel brand awareness of their products into the minds of 1.3 billion Chinese consumers. But for many, the pay off is yet to come writes Simon Adriatico.

There have been many comparisons, opinions and scorecards on the legacy and lasting effects the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will have on a country that in just one decade has already stamped its proverbial chop on the 21st century.

Clearly the Beijing Games were run competently - the torch got to the top of Mt Everest, and more importantly, into the stadium. The Opening Ceremony, although partly mimed, was generally well received. And for the vast majority of Chinese citizens it was a generation defining event.

An Olympic Games is an opportunity to showcase technological advancements in a wide range of fields and industries. Historically this is especially true for the likes of architectural design, construction, logistics and television coverage - consider the Birds Nest and Water Cube. But in terms of branding during the Games there were few real advancements, and in particular the experiential nature of the field such as advertising, marketing and sponsorship activation programs.

In the two years leading up to the Games, there was no shortage of innovative and exciting programs being planned or presented. The excitement however was soon muted by the harsh reality of actually doing business in China where cultural differences, red tape and bureaucracy slowed enthusiasm to a standstill.

Even the brand giants of Visa and Coca-Cola seemed either to abandon their playbooks or simply dust off old ones from past games. Let's take brand overlay - a very important component for a city hosting a major global event. It was taken a little too literally in China; BOCOG put a Fuwa (Olympic mascot) and Olympic logo on everything but the kitchen sink.

But in terms of advertising, there was nothing particularly new or memorable. Phelps may have won eight gold medals but how many companies sponsored Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang? He was everywhere for everyone so he was nowhere for anyone. Ubiquity can reduce impact in that regard. UPS' baggage carousel advertising installation at the airport was cool but lost its impact when luggage arrived late.

Then there was Coca-Cola's experiment at Beijing's hip new middle-class shopping mall - The Place. The outdoor area where Coca-Cola had set up camp boasts Asia's largest LED screen - and yet it hardly generated a crowd.

Budweiser House had a pool you couldn't swim in and it is debatable that Lenovo's multi million dollar gamble paid off - world's greatest idea or not.

Of course the spirit of competition and the fan interaction are always memorable especially the chanting and the Mexican waves and the Yanjing cold beers which cost a meagre 5 yuan (A$0.80) will be long-remembered.

But given the lack of new branding techniques implemented during the Games and a failure to set new branding benchmarks, it is easy to label the Olympics as nothing more than an "interruption" to branding advancements in China.

It is fair to say that Chinese companies have a better understanding of the significance and importance of brand but are still a few hurdles away from actually paying brand agencies for it. The irony is that the Chinese consumer already understands brand and the speed of adaptation should not be underestimated.

The Beijing Olympics was also unprecedented in size. Broadcast power had 5000 hours of coverage with 842 million people in China alone tuning in to watch coverage of the Opening Ceremony.

The general consensus is that although more people knew the Olympics were on, sponsors never really established a link through the broadcast channel. More effective advertising strategies will need to be developed in that regard.

For Australian brand and communication companies based here in China already, many of whom commenced their China operations because of the Beijing Olympics, there has been a realization that this is a highly complex environment and one in which you have to pitch the value of a proposition in a way that can be more easily understood by the businesses being targeted.

Highlights of the Games were the willingness of Australian companies to assist and cooperate with other Australian companies in this region through joint activity and knowledge sharing. And as a result being able to lever off the great reputation of other Australian firms in different fields to help Australian companies gain further credibility. This will assist more Australian companies when pitching for other major events in China and Southeast Asia in the future,
including the Shanghai 2010 World Expo, the Guangzhou Asian Games, the Shenzhen University Games and the Singapore World Youth Games.

The programs and campaigns during the Olympics did not advance branding in China, however, the lessons learned, mostly from business and operational viewpoints could see a more significant role for Australian brand and communication agencies in China - an important consideration given the future of China is inexplicably linked to our own. ■

*Simon Adriatico heads Australian brand agency RealBrand&Business in China and is based in Beijing.

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