How Will The Sponsors Of The Olympics Fare In August?

The images that lead up to the Olympics generally bring a spirit of excitement to those watching. The torch being held high as it journeys to light the flame. This year that torch run has been marred in controversy and riots. Is this just a glimpse of what will take place at the Games?

Generally in the background of the media rush to get images consumers will catch a glimpse of logos that sponsor the Games. Not this year; brands like Coca-Cola, Lenovo and Samsung Electronics are in hiding.

Will this Olympics see the logos of General Electric, Johnson & Johnson or Visa or will they turn away to avoid the torrent of protests that have been raging on?

It may be a tricky year for the “Worldwide Olympic Sponsors” who help fund this endeavor. Giving upwards of $70 million to be at the highest level of sponsorship these companies are already committed in what happens during this August in Beijing.

“There’s been some form of political protest at each Olympics going back decades,” says Kenneth Shropshire, director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative. “With these venerable brands, you hope they were sophisticated enough to ask themselves, ‘What is our protest contingency for the Olympics?’ If they didn’t think of that, shame on them.”

Will the biggest names be able to come out of Beijing with heads held high and an extra jingle in their pockets? Will they instead distance themselves as much as possible and suffer a loss? Are they in danger of international boycotts of their products for helping to sponsor the Games in a country that is being criticized for their human rights policies?

The cost of this Olympics may be felt for years. Come August the nations will have to decide if the basis of the Games will override the problems of China when it comes to the companies that are heavy hitters in the sponsorship game.

Source: By Moments In Time