Once in the central Vancouver area, a few things immediately struck me: I didn't expect the ratio of Canadians to non-Canadians to be so high, and there was advertising EVERYWHERE. Another overarching theme of the Olympics was that all its sponsors and other companies present wanted to show that they were "going green," and are an environmentally friendly organization.
Going to to the games, we really had no plans but to experience the city from marketing point of view. We had no tickets, no time constraints, but we would consider buying tickets if a good opportunity presented itself. And we did in fact have the opportunity to, but I wouldn't call them a good one. Tickets were sold out long before our arrival to the Canada/Finland game on Friday, but on the street they were going for about $500 each. We could have seen a single race of speed skating for $150, but the idea of just a few minutes of action at that price couldn't be justified.
So with no scheduled events, we walked. And we walked. And walked some more. But we never stopped encountering cool stuff! We came across a "mini-curling" event put on by Vitamin Water, where I won a tee shirt for sliding a bottle across a table onto a target. The walls of the buildings were all either wrapped or projected on with promotions or Canadian patriotism. One block long wall of Sears had an enormous Nike projection on it that read phrases that Canadians had submitted through Nike's Facebook page.
We then needed to find a place to watch the semifinal Canada/Finland game where there would be overzealous Canadians. We found that place at Ceili's. And sure enough, Canada won, but it was a close game in the final few minutes, and afterwards, they went WILD. I understand that Seattle isn't much of a Hockey city, so maybe I'm just used to this kind of passion, but it was more than that. Canada had won the chance to gain redemption on the U.S. for their earlier defeat. I don't know who chose the music there, but soon afterwards, Springstein's "Born in the USA," came on, much to our approval. Then later Miley Cyrus' "Part in the USA," was played, more to our embarrassment.After meeting some fun Americans from Minnesota, and teaming up with them to talk some friendly trash, we left to roam around some more around 1:00am. Once we stepped out of the pub, we were immediately overwhelmed by the sight of Granville Street. It was flooded with Canadians. They were going crazy: chanting, screaming, singing, dancing. It was absolute insanity and we were loving it.
The next day, we walked more, of course. This time I was on the hunt for souvenirs. Not as easy as expected considering their pricing, and that most U.S.A. stuff had been sold out for days, and in some cases, weeks. At one point we even waited in line for 30 minutes to get into the "Official Olympics store," in the Hudson's Bay Co. which I learned was like the Canadian version of Macy's/Norstrom, but had actually been around longer.
We then walked down to the Olympic Cauldron to see the flame, and then went to the Live City Plaza in Yorktown. Inside was a huge stage, food from around the world, an Acer, Panasonic, Samsung and (the best of all) Coca-Cola mini-venues. Each company was displaying their new products and what was new for them. For example, Panasonic gave a viewing of a recap of the Winter Olympics so far, in 3D and had displays showing how it worked. The longest line, by far, was for Coca-Cola. I thought to myself- what "new product" could Coke be promoting? So we waited two hours, and the wait was well worth it.
After waiting in line outside, we then proceded to wait in a smaller line inside. However this time we were surrounded by Coke paraphernalia, history and "Open Happiness" phrases. They displayed the different limited edition Coke cans from the different Olympics and the different Olympic torches. Once through the doors, we watched a video on Coca-Cola's influence on the Olympics
and Paralympics, and their drive to "Open Happiness," and be a green, sustainable company. It left us feeling... well, happy! The screen then slid up to surprise us by unveiling the rest of the event.Inside we were given a limited edition 2010 Winter Olympics bottle of Coke to drink and carry with us to the different activities. The first activity we did was to have our picture taken holding a faux Olympic torch. Instinctively, I took the American Flag off of my shoulders and waved it proudly next to the torch, to quickly be booed. Next we took a picture with the Coca-Cola polar
bear. Before taking the picture, the brand ambassador asked us, "Did you know that by purchasing Coke, you are actively fighting to preserve the endangered polar bears of North America?" Well, no I didn't. Just when I thought I couldn't be any happier, knowing that I was preserving those cute carnivores elated me even more. But this was more than your average actor in a bear suit. The bears eyes, nose, ears and mouth moved, and he had an incredible sense of humor. When we went up to take our picture, he stole our America flag by biting it and pulling it out of our reach, making us jump for it. After we left, I saw him sneak up behind a lady, bite her head, then collapsed and rolled around with laughter at her screaming response.
We did a few more of the activities and then showed our Coke bottles with the stickers from each activity we did to receive out VERY limited edition glowing Coke bottle. Only 50,000 of these foam bottles were made, which had information about the new Plant Bottle made from organic materials on it, was hand numbered. Inside is a small LED light that changes colors. With the on/off switch is a place to even replace the battery! How clever. I later learned these were being sold for upwards of $100 dollars on eBay, but I won't be selling mine.One of the most impressive things about this entire Coke experience is that they were able to have people line up for about a total of two to three hours, in the rain, and I did not see a single grumpy, frustrated face on the inside. They truly were "Open[ing] Happiness." The brand equity those who attended earned from that presentation will be unforgettable and more valuable than any clever print ad. I must admit that I cannot think of a better event for Coke to sponsor. The Olympics was an experience unlike anything else. People were patriotic and competitive yet everyone was nice to one another and constantly... happy.
Less than 100 days until the World Cup... and who knows- maybe I'll make it to London for 2012?
Happiness - [hap-ee-nis] n. 1. good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy 2. Coca-Cola
If you want to see more of the pictures I took, please check out my Picasa album.
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| XXI Olympic Winter Games |
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