Branding Beijing

With the Summer Olympics almost upon us (6 days woo! hoo!), I thought I would take this moment to reflect on the good, bad and ugly branding efforts centered around Beijing. I invite all other Yaybia-ers and readers to add efforts that they notice in the upcoming days.

1. adidas
For the last three years adidas has been working hard to build a relationship with China. So it's a natural fit that their three-striped logo will be draped over all the Olympic athletes during the games. An official Olympic sponsorship comes with a $100 million dollar price tag, but viewers often have a hard time remembering if Nike or adidas sponsored the games. In fact, in a survey conducted by Forbes magazine found that most consumers could not name the official sponsor of the Olympics and often named the brand they thought was "best" within that category. 40% believed that Nike was the official sponsor of the games.

adidas's Olympic TV spot is pretty spectacular in my opinion. It embodies everything an Olympic ad should be: communal, aspirational and inspiring.




2. Lenovo
This tech company is jumping on the bandwagon by producing limitied edition laptops and USB drives shaped as USB drives. The notebooks will be autographed by Olympic athletes and sold in charity auctions. Reminds me of the HP "livestrong" laptops of a few years back.

3. Gucci
This luxury retailer is introducing 8 exclusive accessories to pay homage to the luckiest number in Chinese culture. The gear includes a I-Gucci watch, a leather duffel, a soft leather messenger bag and this bizarre Gucci bicycle. (yes, a Gucci bike!)



4. Elasun
Okay, okay I couldn't resist with this one. A Chinese condom producer is getting in on the action (bad pun!). These viral ads are turning a lot of heads in Beijing.


Go Michael Phelps!!!!!