The Social Media Games: How Twitter is Affecting the Olympics
Going into this year’s Summer Olympics in London, most people knew that social media was going to play a larger role in the games than it ever had in previous Olympics. Ever since the winter games in Vancouver two years ago the use of social media has boomed around the world. More and more people are using social media as a way to discuss major events in real time, and clearly the Olympics would be no exception. But just a few days into these summer Olympics, no one could have predicted the turn out we’ve seen so far. One social media site in particular, Twitter, is shaking things up for better and for worse.
If you watched the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London then you certainly weren’t alone. An independent study done by Bluefin Labs reported that during the opening ceremonies alone there were 5 million social media comments made about the event, 4.86 million of which ended up being tweets. In fact, so many people are tweeting while watching the games that according to TwitterUK there have been more tweets during London’s first day than the length of the entire 2008 Beijing games! Fans all over the world are using Twitter to keep up with results, athletes, and other fans in real time. Countries are encouraging the use of Twitter as well, hoping that their residents will tweet positive thoughts and messages to their favorite athletes throughout the games. Jamaica for example, although being ranked 141st in the world as far as population, ranks third only behind the United States and Great Britain in terms of the number of tweets they have sent to athletes from their country.
Although it’s great to hear how Twitter is being used worldwide to encourage sportsmanship towards athletes and fans all over, many could argue that it has been used to do more harm than good. Before the games even started, Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou was expelled from her Olympic team for tweeting a racist comment mocking African immigrants in Greece. Just a few days into the games, after the Swiss soccer team was defeated by South Korea, a Swiss player was expelled for tweeting that South Korean athletes were “Mongoloids.” There have also been reports that British police arrested a 17 year old after he posted several malicious tweets to a popular British athlete who came in fourth place in his event, making negative comments about his recently deceased father and possibly threatening his life as well.
The social media site has acted as a hub for athletes in the game to air their unhappiness with the marketing rules set in place by the International Olympic Committee. The IOC’s Social Media, Blogging and Internet Guideline’s Rule #40 states that athletes are not allowed to mention their sponsors during the games unless they are official Olympic sponsors. Athletes with little known sponsors are arguing that this is directly affecting their income. These rules haven’t stopped some athletes from posting controversial tweets on the topic however. United States track athlete Lee Manzano was forced to take down a tweet in which he mentioned a lesser known footwear brand that sponsors him. Many athletes have banded together to started a campaign against the rules by using hash tags “#WeDemandChange” and “#Rule40” to directly express their discontent. Dawn Harper, a U.S. 100 meter hurdler, took it a step further when she posted a picture of herself with a piece of tape over her mouth with “Rule 40” written across it.
The IOC isn’t the only organization involved in the Olympics that is catching grief from Twitter users. NBC and their coverage of the games have been under fire since the first day of the games. Thousands of Twitter users have started using the hash tag “#NBCFail” in their tweets complaining about the coverage. A British journalist based out of Los Angeles had his Twitter account suspended after tweeting harsh criticism of the opening ceremonies and the fact that NBC had decided to tape-delay events in the United States. He also posted the e-mail of an NBC executive, asking his followers to e-mail their complaints to him. Twitter stated that posting the e-mail address was a direct violation of their privacy policy and suspended the account. Many are questioning Twitters motives behind the suspension, since NBC and Twitter are official partners for these Olympic Games. Many argue that NBC prompted Twitter to silence their critic and Twitter complied due to their commercial relationship.
Twitter, which is now used by more than 140 million users, has become much more to the Olympics than anyone had originally anticipated. The exponential jump in the use of Twitter since previous Olympic Games is likely due to the advancement of smart phones which users take with them everywhere. But the unexpected nature of Twitter in these games raises the question of just how far the negativity will span. Regardless, social media has become essential to today’s generation by giving them a way to connect with the athletes and feel more included in the games. The idea of banning the use of social media entirely from large events such as the Olympics is almost unimaginable in today’s day and age. Exclusion of Twitter from the Olympics would be the equivalent of losing a large part of the experience.
Contributed By Nicole Juliano
The Red, White, and Blue is Going Green!
By now everyone who is keeping up with the latest news on the Olympics is sure to know that team USA’s clothing isn’t very American. News broke recently that the clothing was actually manufactured in China. This deeply upset many Americans due to the fact that the textile industry in the United States continues to struggle, and the Olympic clothing line would have been a great boost to the economy and morale. Ralph Lauren, designer of the uniforms, quickly issued a statement late last week saying that the clothing for the opening and closing ceremonies for the next Olympics, the winter games taking place in Sochi, Russia, will indeed be made in the United States. While it might be too little too late to fix the situation in the mind of Americans, Team USA sponsors are looking for every available opportunity to promote the United States in a positive light.
Regardless of the Olympians casual clothing, there is good news when it comes to the athletic uniforms they will be sporting in the 2012 summer games. With recent advances in technology and the growing desire for everything we produce to be environmentally friendly in some way, the athletic gear for Olympians has undergone revolutionary changes since games past. Nike, designer of the athletic uniforms for many countries in the games, is one sponsor that has especially taken this to heart. In order to boost both Team USA and the United States with positive publicity, they have come up with extremely innovative ways to make sure that the uniforms worn during the games are environmentally friendly in order to distinguish us essentially as our own brand.
Among some of the cool new features Nike has planned for the Olympic athletes is a ground-breaking cleat that promises to deliver lightweight performance and high-speed control for soccer players in game situations. The Nike GS (short for Green Speed) is what Nike is calling its lightest, fastest, and greenest cleat ever. Every single element of the shoe was purposefully designed to reduce weight and waste, making it the lightest shoe Nike has ever created; only 160 grams for a size nine. The shoe features mostly recycled and renewable materials. For example, the sock lining is made of 100% recycled castor beans. “When you can deliver a boot that combines high end performance and a low environmental footprint that’s a winning proposition for players and planet” said Andy Caine, global design director for Nike Soccer. You’ll be able to catch a glimpse of these amazing cleats in action during the Olympics when they will be worn by Nike sponsored athletes from around the world.
The soccer pitch isn’t the only place you’ll be able to spot state-of-the-art equipment however. The United States Men’s basketball team will be wearing uniforms that were specially crafted by Nike to be some of the most revolutionary basketball uniforms ever. Each white jersey is made with 96% recycled polyester and an average of 22 recycled bottles, making it 58% lighter than the basketball uniforms worn in the Beijing Olympics and the lightest national team uniform ever. The difference in weight from past uniforms adds up to roughly a full can of soda! According to Nike, the shoes for the basketball players will also be innovative, being equipped with special new features. The shoes will feature sensors that can measure how high the players jump and transmit the results right to the player’s smart phone. Nike also designed FuelBand, a bracelet designed for all Olympians that measures their different daily activities, including how many steps they take to how many calories they burn each day. It will be interesting to see if all of this new and improved gear will help our Olympians perform better.
While the above mentioned efforts by Nike prove to be extremely fascinating and fun to learn about, it’s easy to forget that the Olympics are not just about finding ways to ensure that our athletes perform better than those from other countries. As one of the biggest events in the world, each country essentially becomes a brand of its own and how they promote it is entirely up to them. Our own country’s image in the Olympics comes down to much more than the clothes and uniforms. Supporting Team USA is about national pride and what we as a country believe is important. By incorporating eco-friendly and technologically advanced themes in many aspects of this year’s games we are showing the rest of the world that being sustainable and green is something that is important to us and is a value that we stand behind collectively as a country. It gives viewers around the world a more personal look into what it means to be American and in turn will make it easier for them to relate to our country as a brand. Environmental enthusiasts and Olympic fans everywhere are sure to agree that green looks good, but that the meaning behind it is what's most important.
Contributed by Nicole Juliano
Sponsors Benefit From Olympics, But Do The Athletes?
The 2012 summer Olympics based in London are only a few short weeks away. Anticipation and excitement alike have been mounting with televised trials and previews into what the games will hold this time around. Not only are the Olympics an exciting time for athletes all around the world, but for big brands looking to do some significant marketing as well. The Olympics are of special interest to big brands due to the lack of major sports events and decreased television viewing rates in the summer. The Olympics are a global event that can be enjoyed by the whole family and big brands everywhere are eager to be a part of it.
The money that will be in play from corporate advertisers in the 2012 London games has reached unheard of amounts, an estimated six to seven billion dollars from advertising alone. Brands everywhere are very aware of the impact that advertising during the Olympics can have. Visa and Samsung are two high-profile companies that saw significant improvements in their brands from Olympic sponsorships. For example, in 1986 Visa was ahead of MasterCard in market share by just a few points, but after being an official Olympic sponsor for many years they are now ahead by leaps and bounds. Samsung experienced success as well, surpassing Sony in total brand value in 2005. One brand hoping to become a success story as well is Citibank, who is hoping to utilize these Olympics to revamp their image. They have recently become an Olympic and Paralympics sponsor and plan on heavily promoting their Every Step of the Way social media campaign, in which fans can vote to distribute roughly $500,000 between eleven lesser known athletes and their charities. Fans have already voted to allocate nearly $11,000 dollars between two athletes.
Big brands clearly benefit significantly from advertising and creating sponsorships during the Olympics, but do the athletes benefit financially from the games? The answer might surprise you. Without big brands paying millions of dollars for sponsorships and exclusive rights, the Olympics might cease to exist. In order to protect these sponsors, athletes are not allowed to promote themselves, their brands, or their non-affiliated sponsors in any way during the weeks leading up to and the actual games themselves. Forget tweeting a picture of that energy bar you ate for breakfast if the company who made it isn’t an official sponsor. And don’t even dream of walking around Olympic Village with a Puma shirt on when Nike and Ralph Lauren have paid for the clothing rights. All of these strict rules make it easy for the brands sponsoring the games to overshadow the athletes.
American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds is speaking up and challenging the highly restricted branding rules in place that seem to benefit everyone but the actual athletes in the games. Earlier this year Symmonds took to eBay to auction off a section of his skin on his deltoid, open to advertisers as an unconventional way for their twitter handle to be seen during the 2012 track and field season including the Olympics, which he did indeed qualify for. He had up to 85 different brands vying for the spot, but outdoor lifestyle agency Hanson Dodge snagged the space for $11,100. He has agreed to wear a temporary tattoo of the agency’s twitter handle on his arm, which is visible at all time except for when he is running in an actual race. Regardless, the company’s Facebook likes and Twitter followers have skyrocketed due to the stunt. Although other athletes haven’t taken such drastic measures, they have taken to Symmonds Facebook wall to support him as well as voice their own unhappiness with the restrictions.
Even though the 2012 Olympics are set to generate billions of dollars, most of the athletes competing in them are struggling to get by financially. More and more athletes are beginning to speak out against the limitations placed on athletes restricting them from wearing advertising or endorsements during the games which directly affects their individual earnings. The cost of training, coaching, and traveling for those hoping to qualify for an Olympic team is estimated to reach into six-figures yet many of these athletes earn well below that. For many, it is hard to secure a sponsorship and make a living off of their athletics alone. To make up for the difference, many athletes are forced to pick up part time jobs in order to sustain their dream. “I got tons of gear, but you can’t take a Nike shirt to the grocery store and buy food with it,” Says Ben Bruce, one of the United States top steeplechasers who was forced to go on food stamps after Nike refused to increase his pay.
All of this considered begs the question: who exactly is allowed to make money off of the Olympics? The games are a tradition centered on athletes and celebrating their amazing talents, but in recent years it seems they have turned into more of an opportunity to advertise. “This country runs on advertising. To rob athletes of the right to sell our advertising space?” asked Symmonds. The Olympics are no doubt a great opportunity for brands, but with more and more athletes rallying to express their unhappiness about the restrictions placed upon their ability to advertise it will be interesting to see if it is enough to inspire change in future Olympic Games.
Contributed by Nicole Juliano
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