I love the Olympics. And I love the Olympics because it’s bigger than the sporting events – it’s seemingly superhuman ability, it’s a unified spirit, it’s dedication, national pride and history (even more so than American Idol!). The 2010 Vancouver Olympics are no different. But this year, dubbed the “social games,” spectators have been drawn into the experience more interactively than in years past. Here’s how an integrated digital experience has expanded our Olympic access and ultimately our level of involvement with the games.
Digital Matches Traditional Reach
Timo Lumme, the head of TV and marketing for the International Olympic Committee, stated that digital media has matched the efforts of traditional coverage, each contributing over 20,000 hours of coverage. Combined, the Vancouver Olympics expects to reach 3.5 billion viewers worldwide – that’s half of the world’s population. The NBCOlympics.com page views beat the total views of the Winter 2006 games in just 10 days and has seen over 35 million unique visitors. With widgets, interviews, stats, medal counters, playbacks and anytime access, the website has proved to be the hub of 2010 Olympic activity.
Mobile As Important Access Point
Mobile has accounted for a quarter of the digital coverage… a quarter!! The NY Times reported that NBCOlympics.com delivered over 62 million page views to mobile devices, surpassing total views from Bejing and tripling the number of video streams. And, with increased mobile capabilities and greater smart phone penetration, the market has expanded immensely – 7 out of 10 Vancouver games mobile viewers did not access the Bejing games via mobile. In addition, the Olympic iPhone app adds an interactive mobile experience that 60% of users rate as “very good.” The app moves beyond static schedules and stats by frequently updating with breaking news and videos, linking access to social media buzz and the creating a personalized experience with favorites.
Social Games Engage Spectators
Nielsen measured that 13% of viewers watching the opening ceremonies were simultaneously surfing the web and 41% of those surfers were on Facebook. Viewers are using the platform to connect with other spectators in conversation, but also in competition. Facebook’s Vancouver 2010 MiniGames app lets users get in on the action virtually with social games and a video game. Mimicking the Olympic model, users compete in the global Facebook community to win medals in selected winter events. Talk about increased brand engagement – now anyone has the opportunity to win a gold!
Real-time Interaction
Twitter allows users to interact both around and with the Olympics. The NBCOlympics.com page integrated not only a live Twitter feed, but an interactive Twitter tracker to help viewers quantify trending traffic around the games. Twitter itself has created an avenue for increased interaction with the games by creating a list of athletes. Followers can see updates from the athletes themselves to get a real-time, first person perspective that has previously not been possible.
With the close of the 2010 Olympics, the digital bar has been raised. Consumers now expect multi-screen, full content access and marketers must adapt. With personalization, multiple touch points and user engagement as digital trends, brands must look to emerging technologies and product enhancements to differentiate. Marketers are challenged to not only differentiate, but seamlessly integrate all efforts to create a full digital experience. By offering varied benefits on each platform and promoting the touch points throughout, Vancouver 2010 did a nice job of creating a truly integrated digital campaign. Thanks for the digital experience Vancouver! Now let’s see what London will offer in 2012.
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