There's no news in saying that the Olympics present one of the largest brand-building events worldwide. What is new this time around, I think, is the brand that is actually being built. Certainly, the beverage giants and telecoms and car companies are turning out in force (
ad spend is topping $1.5 billion, and
sponsorships are at $3.4 billion) and will advance their positions. But the big brand story in my view is China itself.
Where China has recently represented (at least in the West) a blend of ancient tradition, unrealized and unreachable opportunity, and a closed system of government and communication, it now emerges on the world stage as uniquely modern -- even in its struggles.
With 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, we see a China that is a powerhouse of
contemporary,
iconic architecture. We see a China that is global host, not a walled world. We see an entire culture struggling with
freedom, technology and the
environment. From this view, China is a massive case study -- a window into -- the global future. Beijing is not simply the site of the current Olympic Games, it is the brand image of a modern China. The "
opening ceremonies" were for China, as much as for the Games themselves. China is ready for the world, even if the world is not necessarily ready for China.
Other Olympic Games have certainly had lasting impacts on their host cities, but none have so completely reshaped the world image of a place. The huge reach of the Beijing games can be seen in the global conversation they have started between East and West. The controversial
London 2012 brand is, in many ways, a proactive response to the issues of freedom, control and connectivity that we see China and the world struggling with now. London 2012 is a proudly democratic, "street" edition of the Games. And, while London 2012 might portend an end to classic notions of Olympic branding, Beijing 2008 certainly is the beginning of a new global brand for China.
