While the 2000 Summer Olympic Games are set to kick off Sept. 15 and run until Oct. 1, the commercial push from Olympic advertisers began long before the famed torch embarked on its circuitous route to Sydney.
Although some had conjectured that the ongoing actors’ strike might put a dent in the number of Olympic spots produced, major advertisers generally proceeded with their planned ad campaigns. Some managed to avoid problems by producing commercials in advance of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ (AFTRA) strike, which began May 1. Others forged ahead with production during the strike. A significant share of that work entailed filming outside the U.S., in some cases to access foreign acting talent and to avoid union picketing. However, a fair amount of foreign filming would have taken place regardless of the strike. This was particularly true Down Under as agencies and clients desired backdrops and/or slices of life from the Olympics’ host country.
Supposedly several spots were also produced under interim agreements with the actors’ unions, though that could not be officially confirmed as SHOOT went to press. Signatories to the interim pacts were believed to be boutique agencies and small production shops that in some instances allegedly served as conduits through which significant advertisers could access SAG performers.
Typically, spot story lines and concepts are kept under wraps when it comes to premium mega TV events such as the Super Bowl and the Olympics. But this time around, that secrecy was heightened further for the Summer Games-and in some instances extended to basic production info such as filming locations-due to the strike.
Nonetheless, through informed sources and the industry grapevine, SHOOT was able to confirm some of the key players in Olympic advertising. Indeed the spotmaking community will have a broad electronic canvas on which to make its mark, much to the delight of NBC. At press time, the network had reportedly sold out nearly all of its advertising time for the Summer Games. NBC will air more than 160 hours of Olympic programming, and its cable affiliates-MSNBC and CNBC-will carry another 279 hours, for a total of 441.5 hours.
Official worldwide sponsors of the Games include Visa, Coca-Cola, IBM, McDonald’s, Xerox, Kodak, UPS, Samsung, Panasonic, John Hancock and Sports Illustrated. Official sponsors of the U.S. team include AT&T, Bank of America, General Motors, Texaco, United Airlines, Anheuser-Busch, Delta Airlines, Home Depot, U.S. West, Seiko, Lucent Technologies and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
