The Olympics may be over for another four years; but the opportunity to learn from this epic brand experience is there for the taking, right now. Is your brand ready to step up to the podium? Our newest article presents lessons from the Olympics on brand building best practices: Myth #1 You can’t get staff to care as much as volunteers Myth #2 Brands can’t evoke that kind of emotion Myth #3 We’ll never touch that many people Myth #4 An iconic setting is beyond our reach Myth #5 Of course the budget has to be huge

1. Olympic lessons for every brand

2. WHAT’S INSIDE
3/ INTRODUCTION
4/ MYTH #1 5/ MYTH #2 6/ MYTH #3 7/ MYTH #4 8/ MYTH #5 9/ FINAL WORD 10/ TALK TO JACK
“You can’t get “Brands can’t “We’ll never “An iconic “Of course the
staff to care evoke that kind touch that setting is budget has to
as much as of emotion“ many people“ beyond our be huge“
volunteers” reach“

3. INTRODUCTION
The Olympics are undoubtedly in
a class of their own. Yet we believe
there is much that brands can learn
from the Olympics,
and so many ways that brands can
create engaging brand experiences
‘Goodwill, positivity, advocacy – that leave their audience with the
call it what you will: same warm afterglow.
in 2012, London generally and Some might say that brands can’t
the Olympics specifically have borrow the lessons of the Olympics.
generated it in spades.’ That they shouldn’t aspire to create
this groundswell of goodwill or
The atmosphere has been so inspiring that people have “think big” for their brands. (These
literally been bottling it and attempting to sell it on eBay. naysayers may be related to those
pre-Games doubters).We think
It’s a stunning turnaround from the pre-Games scepticism of they’re wrong.
whether we could actually pull this off (among the UK populace
at least; when I asked colleagues outside the UK about those We’ve identified five key
doubts, they were confused as to why I’d even ask). Now, myths (or myth conceptions)
among even the most sceptical generation – 18-35 that may be keeping your
year-olds – over 90% agree that the Olympics was brand from the medals
a good thing for the nation. table. We hope by the end
of this paper that we’ll have
dispelled these myths
and inspired you to
Olympic greatness.
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4. MYTH #1 “You can’t get staff to care
as much as volunteers”
A staggering quarter of The common factor uniting volunteers Here’s the Olympics lesson: Give your employees an
was a passion to be involved with experience they want to be part of, a sense of purpose,
a million people applied a cause, a reason to believe in your brand. Remember,
something significant, to be part of a
to be Games Makers those 250,000 volunteers wanted so much to be part of the
once-in-a-lifetime movement.
(the name given to the experience they were willing to work countless hours for
It’s this passion that you want in your employees. As the no pay. Of course even the most passionate employees
Olympic and Paralympic first point of contact people may have with your brand, expect to be paid – but research by Gumtree indicates that
volunteers). getting them to feel as committed and involved as Olympic less than half of men and only a mere quarter or women are
volunteers is not just desirable, it’s good business sense. primarily motivated by money when looking for a new job.
So how do you attract Sadly, too much of how companies engage employees is
So get ready to give your employees a reason to
dictated by functional silos. But however separate Internal
such passionate, engaged Communications may be from External Marketing in your
believe. Don’t know what inspires your staff?
Ask them. You might be surprised at what
people to be part of company’s eyes, however far apart your brand team may
they tell you.
your organisation? What be from the HR team, that’s not how people experience your
employer brand. There’s just one Olympics cause; what’s
lessons can this teach your employer branding cause?
us about recruitment? We need to think Brand to Everyone. People don’t
define themselves in such narrow terms as job-hunter,
employee, consumer. Successful brands create positive and
differentiating experiences that make people want to engage
with them on every level. Your staff need to feel every bit
as inspired about your brand as the rest of the world. Why
should they receive diluted or second-hand versions?
Internal communication must be every bit as imaginative and
engaging as external communication.
It’s been shown that companies with highly engaged
employees perform better financially. Research by Towers
Watson has shown that companies with “exponential” levels
of employee engagement deliver operating margin that is
three times higher than those with low levels of engagement.
In his book Grow, former P&G CMO Jim Stengel tracks
the stock performance of companies with highly engaged 4/
employees and shows how they outperformed the S&P500.

5. MYTH #2 “Brands can’t evoke that
kind of emotion“
The Games inspired a But of course the Games heightened character in the performance you’re more likely to have a
emotions, you may say: We were memorable experience. No more sitting in the back yawning
myriad of emotions: or texting. And of course you will be more likely to share the
hosting the biggest sporting event
adventure with your friends.
Wonder when the cauldron in the world, welcoming millions of
people from across the globe. Make them feel special:
was lit, joy when the first Secret Cinema, another recent phenomenon, makes people
gold medals were won, Can brands do that, too? Can they overcome the seen-it- feel a special kind of participation. Instead of watching the
all sensation of yet another product launch, yet another action unfold onscreen, viewers are led to a mystery location
amusement at Usain Bolt’s conference or tradeshow? Another speech, another day of where they’re fully immersed in the film’s world – perhaps
showmanship, sadness observing and nodding politely? Another day of not being even selected to play a role. Deliberately vague, the Secret
when it was all over. engaged? Yes, they can. Brands can connect emotionally if Cinema website invokes a strong sense of mystery; their “Tell
they do three things the Games did: No One” tagline makes you feel part of something exclusive.
The common thread: Appeal to basic humanity: Before the event you’re part of an experience, and you’ve
become involved in a mystery to which you’re one of the few
these moments resonated, Athletes’ connected when the public could identify with
privvy. As with interactive theatre, cinema routine is turned
them. Behind all the elite cycling, swimming and running,
forged an emotional we glimpsed real people – and real stories about their on its head. Reactions are provoked. Emotional responses
connection and got experiences, sacrifices and often, failures. This is what made are earned.
people talking. us root for them. Similarly, P&G’s ongoing “Proud Sponsor of When brands take this counter-conventional
Moms” campaign made people fall in love with athletes and approach, when they react to people by
brands, whether they were mums or not, and in a way that displaying their own humanity and humour (not
felt authentic and respectful. For example, P&G practised just a blank corporate statement), a similarly
what they preached by providing a P&G Family Home for strong engagement can result.
athletes and their relatives in the Olympic Village.
Vistors were
Keep them on the edge of their seats:
able to create
The pavilion with the biggest crowds in the Olympic Park their own
was Coca-Cola’s Beatbox. Why? Easy: not only did it use beat for
innovative technology to capture attention; it was pure London 2012
by remixing
storytelling with the viewer as protagonist. the sounds
Over the past few years interactive theatre has become of Olympic
increasingly popular. Following in the footsteps of early sports.
pioneers like You Me Bum Bum Train, theatre companies
and comedians are pushing the boundaries further to truly
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engage with audiences. It goes without saying: as a vital

6. MYTH #3 “We’ll never touch that
many people“
150 million tweets posted about the Olympics
9.66 million mentions of the opening ceremony on Twitter on a single day
80,000 tweets per minute about Usain Bolt’s 200m gold win
1,045,469 likes on Team GB’s Facebook page
461 million visits on the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic website
Impressive statistics, especially when to the Games. Users interacted with a “barometer” through
you consider that LOCOG social media platforms, watching how the post affected
its sound and appearance. As the social buzz around
(the organising body behind the
British Olympic athletes heightened, so did the symphonic
2012 Olympics) didn’t pay a penny composition and the over half million messages posted.
for it. They earned this media by
You don’t need the backdrop of global events
creating a special experience,
like the Games to have a successful digital
which people wanted to share. campaign. Think of the viral Dollar Shave Club
That’s what is so empowering about digital: it’s the perfect series which depicts the company CEO making
medium for facilitating word of mouth – one of the most his pitch; he is unfailingly direct and honest
powerful forms of marketing. Spreading the word about about the benefits of his service. Why does
a new product, sharing a film with millions on YouTube, this work? Because it’s simple, it’s authentic,
gaining massive consumer exposure with a campaign it’s funny and begs to be shared. The ad cost
that goes viral, not to mention a new and deeper level of $4500 to make and the views on YouTube
enagement – it’s all possible. currently stand at 6.5 million. Had the company
taken a traditional advertising approach it’s
But to earn this sharing of digital content, as with any
unlikely they’d have received the same level of
experience, you must offer something unique, something that
engagement – but very likely they’d be bankrupt
adds value. Turn mere information or brand messaging into
from buying media. Instead, they earned media.
a game; use humour or imagery; or an emotionally resonant
story and you’re more likely to capture
people’s attention.
Look at how BA used their digital platform to engage with
fans with a campaign entitled “Home Advantage”. They used
Twitter to create a digital symphony, a measuring tool to find
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out how British supporters were responding

7. MYTH #4 “An iconic setting is
beyond our reach“
Beach volleyball in front But such iconic settings are not Be prepared to find the impossible. To discover a setting that
of Horse Guards parade; outside brands’ reach. You can create can become iconic you have to be imaginative, creative and
an extraordinary environment if resourceful and bear the following in mind:
a state-of-the-art Olympic you’re open to the idea that anything • Be flexible and open minded
Park in East London, a is possible. • Look to offer something new that hasn’t been done before
time trial race culminating A blank canvas can often provide the best setting, allowing • Prepare to overcome obstacles that may never have been
outside Hampton Court you to be more experimental and imaginative. This may challenged before
mean exploring obscure sites – we’ve scoured the world
Palace: it’s hard to think for disused air hangars and airfields for automotive clients,
• Change habits and push the boundaries with both client
and venues
of more iconic settings. looked at underground tunnels for fashion and sourced pop
up shops for product launches. Or sometimes that blank • Stay up to date with the latest trends
canvas is in a cool gallery, a hidden roof space or even a • Contemplate every eventuality
traditional congress centre. • Ensure best value for money and service
• Build and maintain strong relationships with environmental
location agencies, marketing agencies, national and
international major hotel chains, independently owned
properties, worldwide destination management companies
• Above all, have a fully integrated team – creative, logistics
and technical teams working side by side
And it doesn’t have to be about the building
– technology can create new worlds in the
unlikeliest of places. For one Olympic sponsor we
transformed an old fashioned hotel ballroom into
an enchanted forest using 270 degree projection.
Guests were then taken on a journey along the
River Thames – from the beautiful greenery of
Kew all the way to the Olympic Park, turning a
standard welcome dinner into an
unexpected adventure.
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8. MYTH #5 “Of course the budget
has to be huge“
Thinking big doesn’t 1. Invest in strong ideas that will travel Augmented reality, for instance, can bring immediacy and
necessarily mean you Powerful ideas are priceless. They can make the difference impact to global presentations; allowing a remote audience to
between a visually impressive but instantly forgettable feel immediately immersed in a 3D presentation, rather than
have to spend big. experience, and a brand experience that is emotionally passively observing a PowerPoint presentation from their desk.
engaging, memorable and reaches multiple people because
There are many clever and they want to share and retell it. Take that strong idea and 5. Make the venue do the work: if you choose
creative ways to create multiply it and you really have won gold. Think multi- somewhere that is a good fit with your brand; it can make
memorable experiences purposed content: create (and pay for) it once; repurpose, everything more cost-effective; as you don’t have to spend so
refine; re-use multiple times. If the content is good and the much dressing the space or trying to turn it into something
that don’t come with the idea strong this will work. it’s not. So if the product you’re launching, for example, is
same price tag as the a gritty urban computer game, why not set the launch in a
opening ceremony of 2. Use your audience: make them part of the gritty, urban setting, complete with already burnt out cars, and
experience; not just passive observers. Get them to become graffiti? Accompany this with army rations for the catering
the Olympics. the entertainment; set them a task; get them to share their and other props inspired by the game and you have an
talent. People learn more by doing than watching so they’ll authentic memorable launch experience.
be more engaged and invigorated and messages will be
absorbed with a longer lasting impact.
3. Use a venue you own. Don’t feel restricted
by what it looks like; it can be dressed in a multitude of
ways and props can all help bring the experience to life.
This works particularly well if you’re creating a theatrical
immersive experience, as people focus on the detail of what
they are experiencing in their immediate surrounds; other
people or actors and the props. The investment here is in
creativity rather than budget.
4. Be clever with technology. Technology
advances at such a rapid rate that it is hard to keep pace;
but it can offer exceptional opportunities for enhancing
live experience.
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9. FINAL WORD
The Olympics are, perhaps, the ultimate
brand experience but, nonetheless we
can learn from every aspect of that
amazing example to craft our own
brand experiences.
You don’t have to have the biggest
budget, the most impressive venue or
a horde of willing volunteers to deliver
a genuinely breath-taking experience.
You just need to be open to new ideas,
be willing to stop focussing on the
challenges and certainly believe that
your brand has a purpose and offers
an experience that’s uniquely compelling
for your people and your customers.
We hope we’ve inspired you to look
at things differently and that we’ve
succeeded in debunking some myths,
but we’re always interested in sharing
opinions. So do get in touch if you
want to talk some more.
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10. TALK TO JACK
Julian Pullan ABOUT JACK MORTON
E: julian_pullan@jackmorton.co.uk Jack Morton Worldwide is a global brand experience
T: +44 20 8735 2000 agency with offices on five continents. Our agency
culture promotes breakthrough ideas about how
Liz Bigham experiences connect brands and people - in person,
E: liz_bigham@jackmorton.com online, at retail and through the power of digital and
T: +1 212 401 7212 word of mouth influence. We work with both BtoC
and BtoB clients to create powerful and effective
Read our blog at blog.jackmorton.com experiences that engage customers and consumers,
Follow us on twitter @jackmorton launch products, align employees and build strong
Visit us online at jackmorton.com experience brands. Ranked at the top of our field,
we earned over 50 awards for creativity, execution
and effectiveness last year. Jack Morton is part of the
Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE: IPG).
© Jack Morton Worldwide 2012
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