Revolution Forum: Visa to plough millions into digital Olympics

by Andrew McCormick, revolutionmagazine.com 02-Jul-09, 11:40

LONDON - Key sponsors of the London 2012 Olympics intend to channel as much as 30 per cent of their budgets into digital marketing ahead of the games.

Visa is expected to spend 30 per cent of its Olympic marketing budget online while others are predicted to spend a similar proportion on digital marketing in the build up to the games.

Speaking at the Revolution Forum this morning, Alex Balfour, head of new media at the London 2012 Organising Committee said that he intends to partner with a range of digital partners to get the message of the games to the public.

He said that as well as creating initiatives such as My 2012, a social media plan for fans of the games, it's critical to sell tickets and merchandise in order to fund the games.

"This will involve working with a Facebook, a YouTube, a Twitter or a Bebo - which ever is the best way to market," said Balfour.

Balfour is tasked with making digital valuable to the Olympics and compared implementing change at the Olympics to a ‘Christmas pudding conundrum'.

"It's a bit of a Christmas pudding problem," he said. "There's a recipe and people know what to expect and get upset if it's changed in any way. But at the same time we've got to move with the times. People have conversations online and we need to be part of that conversation."

Balfour said that LOCOG, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, has already launched 42 different online services; some to help organisers of the games, and some to generate public interest.

Upcoming projects include the chance for people to be part of the torch relay, an e-commerce store, a campaign to attract 70,000 volunteers for the games and the huge task of ticket distribution.

"We have nine million tickets to distribute. I'm terrified as in anticipation of the European Championships the first release of tickets got 10 million applicants," said Balfour.

Coverage of the Olympics will also be a big part of the new media strategy for LOCOG, according to Balfour.

"The Olympics will create six months of video content and all this wants to aggregate and digital is the obvious way to do so."