Marketing Case Study: Analysis of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

This case study examines the marketing strategies employed during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It analyzes the application of the 6 P's of marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, and Performance) in the context of the event, including aspects like merchandising, ticket pricing, venue selection, and promotional campaigns by sponsors like Toyota, Coca-Cola, and Samsung. The study identifies and provides examples of six sponsorship assets, highlighting how companies like Coca-Cola, Atos, Bridgestone, GE, and McDonald's leveraged their partnerships. Furthermore, it explores two activation tactics: customer activation through social media promotion and brand activation via visual campaigns and technology. The case study concludes by assessing the impact of these marketing efforts on the spectator experience and the contribution to the experience economy, noting a revenue increase and the positive influence on the national economy. The analysis draws on reports and publications from the International Olympic Committee and other sources.

ASSESSMENT CASE STUDY
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
1.0 6 P’s of marketing:.....................................................................................................................3
2.0 Identifying 6 sponsorship assets with examples:.......................................................................4
3.0 Two examples of activation tactics with explanation:...............................................................5
4.0 Olympics, and the spectator experience, contributing to an experience economy....................5
References:......................................................................................................................................6
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1.0 6 P’s of marketing:
Product:
The Rio 2016 Olympic event itself is the product here. Along with the same, merchandising,
domestic sponsorship, tickets and also the licensing and complementary commercial programs
may be construed to be the products as well.
Price:
The ticket price was designed to allow a wider range of spectators to enjoy the event. More than
half of the tickets were issued at USD 22 and USD 13 was set for the cheapest tickets for the
people (Stillmed.olympic.org, 2019).
Place:
The place was Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event was organized across in 37
venues throughout the country.
Promotion:
Advertising and promotion were done through the sponsorship of varied organizations as
follows:
 Toyota
 Coca-Cola’s print campaign
 Atos
 Bridgestone
 Dow
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 GE
 McDonald’s Kids program
 Samsung App for Rio 2016 etc.
People:
Billions of all age group people got the exposure of viewing the Olympic either directly or
through the broadcasts. The report reveals that approximately 11,000 athletes participated in the
event and also there were around 36,000 volunteers from 161 countries across the world whi
managed the entire event.
Performance:
The sponsorship programs, distinctive features of marketing, and use of marketing strategy in
Olympic marketing have enabled to enhance the overall performance.
2.0 Identifying 6 sponsorship assets with examples:
Coca-Cola offered official ‘must see’ hangout for the teenagers of Rio where there was a chance
to involve in #ThatsGold creative campaign with the heroes (Britannica.com, 2019).
Atos delivered the IT systems that offered the running status of the games and allowed billions
of people to experience Rio 2016.
Bridgestone presented the golf fan zone and also offered the Transforma Education Programme
to maintain the social legacy.
GE was the delighted sponsor of the Brazilian canoeing team as well as offered an exceptional
customer engagement programme through the social channels.
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TOYOTA was one of the major financial partners of Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
McDonald’s created scope for making communication between the fans and athletes through the
power of digital initiative named #FriendsWin contest.
3.0 Two examples of activation tactics with explanation:
Customer Activation: Customer activation strategy includes comprehensive planning to
stimulate the current customers for proceeding quickly to the subsequent step of customer
lifecycle (Chappelet, 2015). The event was promoted in social media on a massive scale to reach
out to large number of customers.
Brand Activation: Brand Activation is the sculpture of brand interaction and its involvement in
the market that actually motivates the customer towards the specific brand. Brands such as Coca-
Cola, Bridgestone, Nissan promoted the Rio 2016 Brand either by way of stunning visuals,
advertisements, technology enabled Kiosks or through PIN trading and retail experience.
4.0 Olympics, and the spectator experience, contributing to an experience economy
Due to the extensive marketing strategies and activities undertaken by the organizers, Rio 2016
Olympic has witnessed an overall increase of 6.2% revenue as compared to the year 2009-2012
(Academy, 2019). The participation of visitors, athletes and corporate partners have also been
substantial leading to the growth of national economy in terms of huge revenue by way of
ticketing and sponsorship activities.
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References:
Academy, U. (2019). Marketing and Promotion of the Olympic Games. Retrieved from
Britannica.com. (2019). Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. Retrieved from
Chappelet, J. (2015) From Olympic administration to Olympic governance. Sport In
Society, 19(6), 739-751. doi: 10.1080/17430437.2015.1108648
Stillmed.olympic.org. (2019). International Olympic Committee Marketing Report Rio 2016.
Retrieved from
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