Olympic spend gives rise to new media

Hong Kong - Advertising spend has jumped between 15% to 20% year-on-year in the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with clients marketing spend giving rise to IPTV, mobile and online media.

The data was revealed today by Richard Basil-Jones, MD for Nielsen Media Asia Pacific, who said while new media would get a share of clients spend, traditional media would still dominate.

Peter Tan, national director for McCann Worldgroup China, said sponsors could tap on the full potential of the event by owning a piece of the Games through connecting consumers by sharing the inspiration, creating an "iconic presence" and activation with reach.

He added that lessons learned include having a dedicated team to work on the project, a simple message embracing the big idea to share with consumers, creating experiences that cannot be bought, recognising the power of athletes and budgeting.

Lili Wang, CMO for GE consumer and industrial Asia Pacific, said the company said will use the Olympic Games to change its perception from an "old American" brand to a more dynamic and contemporary company.