Olympic Sized Branding Mistakes & How to Fix Them
South Korea spent $13.4 BILLION to host the Olympics. The primary justification was to promote tourism & attract foreign corporate investment. They are failing with both.
A Few Mistakes:
#1 When the TV cameras pull out for the aerial overhead shot during the nightly big air events, viewers around the world repeatedly see surrounding slopes that look barren. It may be cold & windy but where is the real snow? These imagines make S Korea look like a horrible tourist destination for winter sports. In this regard, S Korea failed with both the presentation of the product and in their contract negotiations with the IOC. They could have easily blown more snow to improve the visuals of the surrounding landscape while also maintaining some meaningful contractual control of the aerial camera shots.
I once covered an area 3/4 of a mile long in 2 inches of fresh snow for a kid's party. The visiting families saw nothing but pretty white snow on the ground as they approached the house. The project required a few tanker trucks and only 2 days of work. The results were spectacular. This is show business after all.
#2 I've watched 11 days of coverage yet I still know virtually nothing new about the country. South Korea has world class hotels, restaurants & nightlife plus cultural sites that are 700+ years old. They should have negotiated the inclusion of extensive broadcast time for the promotion of their tourism industry. Royal Caribbean & Princess Cruises even visit S Korea regularly but you wouldn't know it from watching the Olympics. The tourism "features" broadcast on-air have been few and far between. I'll bet $1 million that their hotels are mostly empty in April even though the average tempeture for the month in PyeongChang will be a beautiful 65 degrees. This is a huge missed opportunity.
#3 South Korea has one of the most affordable skilled labor forces in the world for complicated tech manufacturing. More than half of your phone was probably made there. They should have insisted on significant & favorable commercial ad time during the broadcasts to promote themselves and their interests. Has your inclination of doing business with South Korea changed over the past two weeks? The answer is probably "no".
The window of time is small if they want to benefit from their $13.4 BILLION investment. People forget things quickly. If you don't believe me then just ask 3 people in your room right no to name the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Here's a hint. The country spent $22 Billion to host them. If all 3 of them got it right then I'll buy you lunch at The Grill.
The Easy Fix:
Experiential events that target tourism & business investment can help South Korea achieve their goals before it is too late. If we were a client (we are not), our team would start with inspiring events at shows such as SXSW that bring together global thought leaders. We would then develop actionable event plans for the largest trade shows and conventions that attract business, tech and finance leaders. Finally, we would focus press worthy events for potential tourists. The obvious place to start would be in wealthy, progressive areas on the west coast. The flight time from San Francisco to Seoul is shorter than NYC to Hawaii. Most people will never consider it unless we take an interesting story into the streets, parks and festivals and "ask for the sale".
I know that we could help them achieve their real goals. Can we help you? Let's talk.
#Olympics #Pyeongchang #Events #ExperiencialMarketing