It only comes around every four years, and after all of the NBC hype dies off, usually within the first couple of days, there's a void that could easily be filled with a well timed event, press release or some other marketing opportunity that draws on the energy of the Olympics.

I got a message today through an online networking group referring to a 'local' wine reseller that was doing a "free tour of wines from the Piedmont Province of Italy, which is home to Turin." What a beautiful concept. Simply beautiful!

Yeah, I know, the big brands like Visa are all over this, so, why aren't you? In fact, many big brands bypassed the ultra-expensive Superbowl ads this year and focused on doing an entire campaign, and a more cost-effective one, around the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Here's a few thoughts:

- A coffee shop that offers special drinks named after a different event for the remainder of the 17 days and nights of the games.
- Hometowns of olympic athletes getting together with the chamber of commerce to celebrate the occasion in their establishments
- A grocery store that highlights a section of products that are of Italian heritage or that are olympic sponsors
- Sporting goods stores that capitalize on the brand names used at the olympics (skis, snowboards, etc)
- Sports bars that have "Olympic parties" similar to football parties during football season
- Local gyms that run promotions for classes or workouts that highlight the muscles used in each of the different events
- Local bookstores and libraries that set aside special sections of books on the Olympics and on the Olympic sports in general - special discounts on any books written by Olympic athletes.
- How about a cross of a health club teaching people how to participate in these winter events and giving away recipes for "healthy" Italian dishes.
- An import shop could highlight items from medal-winning countries.
- Local breweries could do a 'medal winner beers from around the world' special

I'm sure there are more. The bottom line here is that you still have almost 10 days to put something together. If that's not enough time, the next olympics are coming up in Beijing in 2008. That should give you plenty of time to plan!

Technorati Tags: Advertising, olympics

Down in New Zealand, the Olympics are nearly a non-event, probably hampered by an absence of marketing. When we proposed a story on Torino in one magazine, we had no takers for that particular issue. I have a feeling it just wasn’t that well marketed this time, unlike the Games in 1984 and 1988. I would only enter into the Olympics’ promotions if I knew there’d be a fit—and that means some link between our businesses and an athlete or a sport. Still, 2008 could bring some possibilities …

Great ideas! One dampening force that consumers don't hear much about - marketers pay big money to claim official sponsorships in sporting events such as the Olympics, Super Bowl, and World Cup, so governing bodies typically put the word out to prohibit unauthorized use of the terms in non-sponsor marketing. That's why you see some promotions about "The Big Game" or other vague terms. While it's unlikely that you'll see a local coffee shop sued for using Torino-related terms, you never know...

It's funny you mention Beijing - I think that's going to be HUGE. The Olympics have really lost a lot of public interest since the Cold War ended. Better for the world, worse for corporate sponsorships.

Yes, I agree. Marketing stuff could very well take advantage in occasions like this one. I think that one factor to consider here is that you should not slip the opportunity to increase your sales. I agree that planning is also crucial here although you could expect that you have a lot of target buyers. However, you should also try to consider that in this kind of event, there would be a lot of competitors too. So better be prepared.