Olympic sponsors investigation: Worldwide Olympic partners (1)

Olympic sponsors: TOP programme on Dipity.

Continuing from the spreadsheet generated previously, it is important that you focus on specific elements when conducting further research. For example in this investigation information specifically about TOP and the worldwide partners has become the main point of focus and several forms of visualisation have been generated. In this post, a timeline has been generated to map the progression of worldwide Olympic partners historically. From this visualisation further explanations, visualisations and investigation should be conducted to give your audience the bigger picture. In this case I will use these techniques and tips to explain the investigation of TOP which relates to previous research presented on this blog.

What are Worldwide Olympic partners?

Worldwide Olympic partners also known under The Olympic Partners (TOP) programme was established in 1985 by the IOC. This was based of the product category exclusivity model utilized by Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. This initiative created in coordination with 159 NOC's (National Olympics Committee) along with the Seoul and Calgary OCOG's (Organising Committee's of the Olympic Games) both of which also launched independent marketing campaigns. The IOC also required the OCOG to develop a joint marketing programme with the host countries NOC for the first time. This started the relationship between the Olympics and the high budget marketing and sponsorships campaigns.

TOP facts and figures - from www.olympic.org (2009)

This relationship and concept has developed over time resulting in ever increasing revenue from the selected partners. From the graphic provided you can see a correlation between the NOC'S and overall revenue. Additionally it is possible to make certain predictions about the revenue that will come from the London 2012 Olympics. With the London 2012 Olympics having 16 TOP's it could predicted by specialists within the marketing campaigns that a high revenue will be achieved. With the figures behind the cost of being an Olympic sponsor, in regards to London 2012, being heavily protected by LOCOG and other respective companies it is impossible to draw a correlation between spending and revenue but by researching around advertising you can develop a strong indication of how much TOP's spend on their marketing. For example in a news report posted in 2011 by Sports Business Daily stated that:

"Spending information is based on standard rate-card prices for specific national and regional live and taped sports broadcasts on English and Spanish networks. The staging of the Olympics and World Cup can skew year-to-year comparisons for companies, making two-year comparisons notable in some cases. For example, U.S. Olympic Committee and FIFA sponsor Coca-Cola increased its ad spending by 160 percent over 2009, a non-Olympic year, but just 20 percent more than 2008."

By discovering statistic such as these it is clear that TOP's invest a lot of money into their marketing campaigns which ultimately has an effect on the overall revenue, which then pays the sponsors and funds the Olympics - it's one financial and strategical driven cycle. This conclusion can be further strengthened by information supplied by Mischon who reported:

"Although there has been a massive increase in sponsorship revenue over the past 20 years (TOP sponsors paid $95million in 1988, rising to $866million in 2008), this has to be considered in the context of the growing costs of hosting the event over the same period (with estimates that Seoul 1988 cost $4billion, to Beijing 2008’s $40billion). Whilst modern Olympic Games can be profitable, this would not be feasible without the increasing sponsorship revenues. As such, the IOC is understandably  anxious to protect what has become a valuable asset."

The roles of TOP's

As stated within the Olympic Marketing Fact-file:

"The TOP programme provides each Worldwide Olympic Partner with exclusive global marketing rights and opportunities within a designated product or service category. The global marketing rights include partnerships with the IOC, all active NOCs and their Olympic teams, and the two OCOG's and the Games of each quadrennium. The TOP Partners may exercise these rights worldwide and may activate marketing initiatives with all the members of the Olympic Movement that participate in the TOP programme"

Source: Seguin, IOA, 2008 found through Slideshare

With this established power within the Olympic games and campaigns the Worldwide Olympic Partners have certain roles and responsbilities in alignment with the marketing campaigns. These roles and responsibilities are expected to be fulfilled by all Worldwide Partners and are listed in the table above. Some of these roles aren't necessarily visible to the general public but some of them are very clear. It is imperative that the sponsors full fill these criteria as it directly influences the success of campaign leading up to the Olympic Games. A lot of these listed are dependent of the success of their marketing campaigns which will explored in a follow up post.