Since the games are now over, I thought it would be interesting to debate which of the Olympic sponsors came away with gold and which pulled a hamstring.

It is an important question, as Shaun Rein has pointed out on a couple of occasions, and for me it has been interesting process not only watching the games but keeping Shaun’s comments in the back of my head as I watch the games.

So, were I a judge, and I were judging who made out the best through these Olympics I would awarded the following metals:

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With firms spending 80-100 M USD to be sponsors of the Olympic Games, there are going to be questions.

What I have found interesting through my discussions around this topic, and through reading the perspective of others, is that it is all in the matter of context.  Whether firms were trying to use this as an opportunity to reach consumers in China (Adidas), trying sell industrial lighting products (GE), or were looking to launch their brand on a global basis (Lenovo).

It will of course take time for the final numbers to be realized, but through this report you can see that Adidas clearly is finding ways to leverage their sponsor status.. and that with 60% increase in sales, they already have some big ammunition to be used when defending their sponsorship.

One thing I noticed, and sparked some thinking, was that they have spent a lot of money on their workers through the dormitories, and the conditions (as far as I can see) are pretty good.  firms like these were already at a higher level, so I am wondering why the new labor law hit them as hard as we are lead to believe… need some time with this one

If you were to just read the popular press, it would be easy to laugh at the term “green Olympics”.  Journalists carrying hand meters taking air measurements, cyclists wearing face masks, and even air quality widgets all provide a bit of comedy to what is the serious conditions that their hyper development has created.

The problems though are much more complex that smog, will continue to be serious issues for the 1.3 billion residents of China, and while the government is taking “draconian measures”to reduce the air pollution, there are a lot of other issues to solve and programs/ technologies that are being put in place as part of this Olympics that will improve the quality of life for 20% of humanity.

Earth to Tech’s article 10 Cleantech Companies Greening the Olympics has stepped out of the smog box to look at 10 firms whose products are part of the larger “green Olympics”.

Ranging from LED lighting, clean water, energy management, and mass transit, the products and technologies highlighted will surely see a huge boost as they leverage the benefits of their programs to Beijing’s residents ongoing.

Looking back at Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I think that we are seeing an excellent case study of research and analysis practices in China.

During my many conversations with firms entering China, or those looking to expand, there invariably is a question of how to measure the potential market of China. Of course there are 1.3 billion people in China, but every firm will have a different segment of that population which would offer the potential for a sale.

1) How much of Samsung’s growth was in consumer products (telephones) vs. industrial products (software)

Why this is important, is that industrial firms I have spoken with are doing very well already for reasons I covered in the part 2. typically less about branding, the industrial sponsors are able to walk into a second or third city and say:

• “it was our steel that built the birds nest” - deal for 1000 tons of steel for new soccer stadium inked
• “we put the lights into the water cube” - done deal for new street lighting in Suzhou
• “Our security systems are in the Beijing airport” - done, 120 airport deal

Additionally, the network that it took to get the steel into the Birds Nest would also be very valuable for introductions when other stadium projects come online

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Following my post earlier in the week Olympic Sponsorships (Part 1). What a Waste of Money, I wanted to follow up with a post that reflected some of the benefits of sponsoring the Beijing Olympics which have less than 48 hours before getting underway.

To recap, my original post was in response to - or was catalyzed by - Shaun Rein’s recent interview on the BBC. It is a topic I have spoken about with others, and as the sums of money that are being committed by sponsors are so enormous, it makes a lot of sense to study just how effective the dollars spent are.

One of the first showing of support for their sponsorship was the article Samsung Sees Big China Boost With Olympics in the WSJ about Samsung’s Olympic sponsorship, and what they believe it has brought them. As this is a subscription only article, I will simply post what I feel is the critical paragraph to this subject:

Mr. Park said the Olympics sponsorship has greatly increased Samsung’s profile in China. The Games have had “a relatively big impact on our business,”

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