CBS Outdoor London 2012 briefing

9.2 million tickets, 4 billion global audience, 20,000 accredited media, 15,000 athletes. In just under 430 days, all eyes will turn to London for the world’s largest event – the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Last Tuesday my colleague and I were invited to hear a number of talks on the subject of the upcoming Olympic Games, hosted by CBS Outdoor. As we scaled the dizzying heights to the thirty-first floor of Centrepoint, we expected to be given an insight into the ways in which brands are using the Olympics as a marketable commodity.

First up was Greg Nugent, Brand and Marketing Director for the London 2012 committee, who, in between fielding queries about why various members of the audience hadn’t received any of the tickets they had tried to buy, gave an exciting update of the progress of the Olympic site to date.

We also heard from Fran Hegyi, who divulged as yet ‘unreleased’ information about the programme of events comprising the ‘Cultural Olympiad’ – something we learned, we could still get tickets for!

Then it was the turn of the marketing director of TFL to provide us with insight into consumers’ travel behaviour, and the role of public transport during the games – including facts such as the number of people on the tube across the Olympic period will be the equivalent of hosting the Royal Wedding, every day…

Fiona FitzGibbon, Head of London 2012 Strategy at CBS Outdoor then took us through a showcase of the advertising opportunities in London for the Olympic Games. This prompted a discussion around how brands using outdoor advertising across the Olympic period will be able to achieve standout and how to make the most of consumers’ passion for the Games.

It seems that the key lesson now for marketers targeting the London 2012 Olympics is that sponsors and advertisers alike will have to develop intelligent and evolving strategies if they are to make the most of their significant investment into the Games. Competition to stand out will be fierce, and all will want to cash in on the collective and growing excitement surrounding the Games.