A History of the
Olympic Brand
Marketing, Media and
Finance
By
Idy Uyoe
The Idy Sports Group

Evolution of the Olympic Brand
In the Beginning ...

Brand Dependency: Exhibitions and Carnivals
▪ 1896 (Athens)
• First modern Olympics founded by Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin
• Delegates at the 1894 Congress for the “Revival of the Olympic Games” favored London
but were overruled; Site selection was the first of many “Political” maneuvers of the Games
▪ 1900 (Paris)
• Held as part of the Paris World Fair
• Olympic organizers not allowed to call it an Olympic games because “Sport is for Morons”
• Medal winners not told they were at an Olympic Games until several years later
• Women participate in the Games for the first time; limited to two sports - tennis and golf
▪ 1904 (St. Louis)
• Games held in the United States for the first time
• Brand still not independent; Games held as part of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
• Chicago was original host City, but American sport politics forced Games to St. Louis

Olympic Brand Achieves “Limited” Independence
▪ 1912 (Stockholm)
• Sweden becomes the first country to requests to host an Olympics Games
• Funded by King Gustaf V who builds first Olympic Stadium
▪ 1928 (Amsterdam)
• Coca Cola becomes Olympic “Sponsor” for the first time
▪ 1932 (Los Angeles)
• First games after great depression
• Athletes’ Village established to help subsidize cost of accommodation
• Established tiered podium for medal winners
• First Olympics to make a profit - $100,000 (Approx. $2M today)

The Olympics: Television Era Begins
▪ 1948 (London) – Media Rights
• Olympics air on broadcast TV for the first time
• The BBC initially did not want to pay – Eventually settled on £ 2,000
• Had to be within 80 km of London to get the broadcast – 500,000 total viewers
▪ 1960 (Squaw Valley – Winter)
• Olympics broadcast in the US for the first time
• CBS paid $50,000 for the rights, but did not use announcers
▪ 1960 (Rome)
• The era of TV has arrived
• Games broadcast in 18 European countries
• CBS pays $400,000 for the Games, but events not shown live
• Television provides platform for nations to market themselves to the world

The Olympics as a Powerful Media Platform: Protest, Tragedy and Financial Trouble
▪ 1968 (Mexico City) - Protests
• African American Athletes threaten to boycott Games
• Lists five demands, including the release of Nelson Mandela, ending
Apartheid in South Africa, and the restoration of Muhammad Ali as the
legitimate heavyweight champion of the world
▪ 1972 (Munich) - Tragedy
• Tragedy at the Games; The group Black September takes Israeli hostages
• Global TV audience watched the siege at the Athletes village
• Eleven Israeli athletes and officials killed; Israel withdraws from the Olympics
▪ 1976 (Montreal) – Significant Financial Losses
• The Games incur losses of $1.6 B
• Takes 30 years to pay off debt (2006)

The Olympics Brand on Brink of Collapse
▪ By 1978, Olympic brand was no longer attractive
• Brand near financial collapse; Has only $200K in total assets
▪ Discussions begin for UNESCO to take over the Olympic movement
• US and allies oppose the move; Believes it would increase Soviet (Russian) influence in the Olympic
Movement
▪ The Olympic brand continues as a platform for fighting the “Cold War”
▪ The US leads 65 nation boycott of 1980 Olympics in Moscow due to the 1979 Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan
▪ Juan Antonio Samaranch becomes IOC President in 1980
• Transforms the role from Sport Administrator, to essentially, a “Head of State”
• Brings significant prestige to the office of IOC President

Commercial Success: Olympic Brand Revival
▪ Los Angeles awarded the 1984 Games as only candidate city
▪ Retains total leverage over the IOC
• Dictates terms of sponsorship and media rights revenue distribution
▪ Funding model based on private funding sources
▪ Uses brand categories for the first time at the Olympics
• Limits number of primary sponsors
• This forces brands to compete for exclusivity – Coca Cola vs Pepsi, Kodak vs. Fujifilm
▪ Turns a $225 million profit

The Olympics Achieve Brand Stability
Sponsorship + Broadcast Rights + Ticketing/Merchandising = Olympic Marketing

The Olympic Partner Program (TOP)

The Six Major Sources of Olympic Funding
The IOC Manages
• Global Broadcast Media Rights
• TOP (“The Olympic Partner”) Program
• Official Supplier and Licensing Program
The Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG) Manages
• Domestic Sponsorship
• Ticketing
• Licensing

IOC Revenue Distribution

Brand Dilemma
The IOC Olympic Rule 40

The IOC Rule 40: Intent and Challenges
▪ Designed to shield Olympic Partners from Ambush Marketing
▪ Prevents the ”unauthorized” mention of protected “terms” during the Olympics
• Olympics, gold, medal, [Host City Name], etc.
▪ This extends to social media mentions or images / logos worn by athletes, coaches, or any
non official sponsors
▪ Athletes currently seeking more control over their images and personal brand
• Athlete brand value has the highest currency during the Olympic Games
• Court ruling in Germany gives athletes leverage over personal brand
• Ruling only applies if Olympics are held in Germany
▪ The IOC defers to National Olympic Committees to enforce

Still Unclear ...
▪ Limited global understanding of the details of IOC Rule 40 “Rule”
▪ Most National Olympic Committees not set up for enforcement of IOC Rule 40
• Do not have resources for extended litigation
▪ National Olympic Committees not likely to sanction its own athletes
• Not expected to withdraw medal because of a “Tweet” or similar infraction
• Excessive punishment risks bad optics for sponsors and brands; May be perceived as bullying
▪ The current model may require “tweaking” during review
• Should reconsider approach in digital media era
• Olympic athletes’ brands, in some cases, now rival their respective NOCs in terms of value now have
powerful media (social) platforms, with significant viewership (followers)
• Current model leaves IOC with significant exposure

Still Unclear ...
▪ Limited global understanding of the details of IOC Rule 40 “Rule”
▪ Most National Olympic Committees not set up for enforcement of IOC Rule 40
• Do not have resources for extended litigation
▪ National Olympic Committees not likely to sanction its own athletes
• Not expected to withdraw medal because of a “Tweet” or similar infraction
• Excessive punishment risks bad optics for sponsors and brands; May be perceived as bullying
▪ Olympic athletes’ brand value, in some cases, rival or exceed their respective NOCs or Sport Federations
• NBA players in basketball
• Neymar (Soccer)
• Professional Tennis Players
▪ Current model potentially leaves IOC with significant exposure

Summary
• Brands sponsor for different reasons
• The Olympic brand has evolved significantly over 122 years
• The Olympic platform among the most powerful in sports
• Olympic Marketing – TOP + Broadcast + Ticketing/Merchandising, provides
financial stability for the brand
• The IOC Rule 40 requires further discussion; Inadequate enforcement strategy
may impact Olympic partners, and as a result, future earnings potential

About the Presenter

Brief Bio - Idy Uyoe
Academic: MA, Sports Administration, Northwestern University
Focus: Marketing and Public Relations
Bachelors, Industrial Engineering (Computer Science)
Professional: IBM Corporation – Global Sales & Marketing; The Idoy
Sports Group
Strategic Consulting: The IOC, Sport Federations, Nonprofits & the Arts
Notable Projects: Three Olympic Games, The Olympic Torch Relay, The
FIFA World Cup, Associate Producer, Ali’s Comeback (Streaming on
Amazon), Executive Director, The Olympic Moment Series,
Publications: The Huffington Post, Around the Rings, Africa Today

My Brand Engagements

With Award Winning Actor, Louis Gossett Jr.
With Carl Lewis – 9X Olympic Medalist With Ambassador Andrew Young
With Ed Moses – 3X Olympic Medalist

Thank you!
E-mail: idy@idysports.com
Website: https://www.idysports.com
Idy Uyoe, Senior Partner
Idy Sports Group