Procter & Gamble will sponsor "the most positively viewed sports property in the United States" under an alliance with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The deal announced Sept. 1 makes P&G the official, exclusive sponsor of Team USA for cold, flu and stomach remedies and the oral-care category for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games and the London 2012 Summer Games, the firm says.

Participating P&G brands include Pepto-Bismol , Vicks , Crest , Oral B and Scope .

P&G also will sponsor Team USA in personal/ beauty care ( Cover Girl , Olay , Pantene , Secret and Venus ), household cleaners ( Bounty , Febreze and Tide ) and pre-packaged potato snacks ( Pringles ).

The deal opens the door for individual athlete partnerships; print, television and online advertising; special events; and Team USA-branded in-store merchandising.

P&G says the Olympic Games are the No. 1 sports event of interest to women, teens and people 18-34 years old. "This USOC partnership speaks directly to our female consumer target as well as any sports marketing platform in the U.S. marketplace," said Kirk Perry, P&G's VP for North America.

The firm plans to launch Olympic-related retail ads in the first quarter of 2010, "with brand and retail-specific executions running throughout the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games," according to Perry.

USOC spokeswoman Lindsay DeWall Hogan said because categories are essentially "owned" by a single sponsor, "it is really important to us to find companies that align with our core values and that really match up with the Olympic ideals," such as solidarity, sportsmanship and determination.

She noted USOC promises exclusivity in its sponsorship agreements, so when a company signs to advertise its oral care products, for example, in connection with Team USA, no other brands can tie their offerings in the category to the American athletes or the U.S. Olympic effort.

Johnson & Johnson has sponsored the U.S. team in recent Olympic Games - in the pain relief category with Tylenol , as well as in the health care slot, which included advertising for medical devices and personal care (¹ Also see "Xtreme Tylenol: Wakeboarding, Olympics And Indie Film Festivals" - Pink Sheet, 30 August, 2004.).

Team USA: "Most Appealing" Sports Brand

USOC bases its claim of the U.S. Olympic brand as the leading American sports franchise on a consumer survey by Lieberman Research Worldwide. In fall 2008 - roughly five weeks following the Summer Games in Beijing - the research firm polled nearly 3,000 people ages 13 to 64 with "at least neutral interest" in the Olympics.

In a January release, Lieberman VP/General Manager Mike Clarke said "perceptions of the Olympics were very positive" before Beijing, but those games "seemed to broaden and deepen its appeal."

Approximately 67 percent of respondents were "somewhat" to "extremely" interested in the Olympic brand, versus 64 percent for the National Football League, USOC reported.

According to Lieberman findings, the appeal of the Olympic Games has increased double-digits with 13- to 17-year-olds and 18- to 34-year-olds, indicating that a younger audience is taking interest.

The Bottom Line

There still is some debate as to whether Olympic sponsorship benefits a company's bottom line. Firms in P&G's position typically pay at least $15 million to incorporate Team USA in their promotions, according to news reports.

Some previous sponsors - including General Motors - have bowed out as the global economy slowed. USOC reportedly is working to renew alliances with AT&T and Bank of America.

USOC maintains sponsorship of U.S. Olympic teams remains "most beneficial to a company's image when compared to other sports properties."

More than 80 percent of respondents to the 2008 Lieberman survey could recall at least one advertisement from a Team USA sponsor, and 21 percent said they are more likely to use products/brands that support the U.S. Olympic effort, according to USOC. Finally, 17 percent had actually switched to products from U.S. sponsors, the committee noted.

- Ryan Nelson ( ² r.nelson@elsevier.com )

U.S. Olympic Teams Hoist P&G Brand In Vancouver, London Games

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