CSM Olympic Sponsorship Benchmarking Survey (wave 6) shows Supporting by different angles
focus on key subject —— new stage for Olympic sponsorship

CSM Media Research continues to develop its TV and radio audience measurement to support the advertising industry’s ROI efforts across both broadcast media. CSM at the same time keeps in step with market developments through continued innovations. The 2008 Beijing Olympics are a significant event for China and the entire world and from June 2006 CSM Media Research (in association with R3) created and launched an Olympic Sponsorship Benchmarking Survey. This survey is a continuous survey aimed at supporting advertisers in delivering more complete information for their 2008 Olympics Sponsorship performance evaluation. CSM at the same time is leveraging its TV audience measurement data all during the different survey periods, focusing on TV program developments, specifically TV programs with clear Olympic themes or content. TV programs related to the Olympics are of particular interest to advertisers and the industry as a whole and we will continue to investigate this area and its audience characteristics up to and through the Olympics.

The Olympic Sponsorship Benchmarking Survey (wave 6) showed that all three Olympic
Torch Sponsors, Coca-Cola, Lenovo and Samsung, focused their promotions on Torch Bearer Selection activities. Coca-Cola’s selection activity conducted through the Icoke website drew a large amount of interest attracting millions of votes. Lenovo rolled out a series of new TV ads highlighting their torch relay association and activity. Additionally, they sponsored a TV program called “You are Torch Bearer” broadcast on CCTV-5 at the same time. Samsung launched their own Olympic Torch Relay TV Ads as well, this time featuring Liu Xuan (gymnastics champion in the 2004 Olympics) as the spokesman for their Torch Bearer Selection.

The three Torch Relay Sponsors strategically highlighted this event throughout the period covered by this wave with powerful promotions (both above and below the line) to support the overall activity. Coca-Cola tapped Yao Ming as an ambassador in the “Yao Ming’s favorite, who doesn’t like it?” commercial. This TV ad featured excellent recall among respondents in this wave. Lenovo continued to work on and fine tune the association between Liu Xiang and Lenovo products. As part of this work they invited Liu Xiang to attend a variety of PR activities. On Samsungs side they continued to feature gymnastics talent in their TV ad creative.

Strong support across multiple platforms with a clear focus on a key activity and theme characterize the work related to the Torch Relay Sponsorship and its surrounding sponsor promotions. This work on the Torch Relay represents a new stage in the Olympic Sponsorship program, one which will have significant importance as the relay spreads across China over the coming months. This sponsorship requires comprehensive communications planning linking all sponsorship activities both above and below the line in support of the Torch Relay Sponsorship. Another sponsor utilizing a comprehensive and consistent communication strategy across media platforms is Yili, which improved its performance wave on wave even though it is not a Torch Relay Sponsor.