Olympic Update

With only two weeks remaining until the start of the 2008 Olympic Torch Relay, and less than five months to go until the Games kick off, excitement is building in Beijing and across China. A recently released online survey by Ogilvy and Millward Brown found that on average nearly three out of four Chinese citizens (74%) are excited about the Games, with interest high in all major Chinese cities.

Residents in Guangzhou registered the highest excitement (80% being extremely excited or excited), followed by residents in Beijing (79%) and Shanghai (74%). Other areas of the country expressing particularly high excitement were Liaoning and Hebei in the north; and Fujian, Hunan, and Guangxi in the south of China.

While the results of the study were overwhelmingly positive, residents have expressed concerns over traffic and overcrowding, with 56% saying they are concerned about both of these issues. In addition, nearly 40% of respondents cited pollution in Beijing as a major concern.

The survey also confirmed attendance levels are expected to be at an all-time high. When asked “are you planning on staying in Beijing/or traveling to Beijing during the Olympic Games,” only 2% of Beijing residents expressed any desire to leave the city, while 36% of Shanghai residents and 27% of Guangzhou residents plan to travel to Beijing for the Games. Productivity will also be low in Beijing specifically, as 48% of locals plan to take their annual leave during the Olympics.

Many experts forecast the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will have a significant impact on the global aspirations of such local brands as Lenovo, Haier and China Mobile, as these companies share Olympic marketing platforms beside world-class brands like Coca-Cola, GE and Johnson & Johnson.

For marketers, the survey also threw up some interesting results - consumers cite plans to purchase mobile phones, property for investment, and LCD TVs as the top three goods they plan to buy pre-Olympics. Post-Olympics, these priorities shift, with property for investment or property to live in ranking first.

In terms of specific media consumers plan to use to follow the Games, television ranked highest, with 86% saying they will watch the Games live on TV. Online media followed at an average of 59%.

Images by Daniel Allen
Survey information courtesy of Ogilvy

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