The countdown begins for the 2016 Summer Olympics kicking off August 5, 2016. It may be too far off still for most of the 200 million Americans or more to watch this exciting event with different games. Not for marketers, technology firms, and media companies whose goal is to capitalize on the interest and attention that the 2016 Olympic Games will provide.
During the 2012 London Olympics, considered by far as the most-watched televised event in the U.S., most of the playbooks marketers have used will be nothing compared to the coming Rio Games in 2016 including the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
According to David Berkowitz, Chief Marketing Officer of MRY, his firm has just released a report called Marketer's Road to the Olympics. MRY is Marketing and Advertising Company that specializes in the blending media with creativity and technology to make remarkable brands. The report offers seven ways that marketing, media and technology will be used differently come 2016.
First, the coming 2016 Olympics will be favorable for personal and virtual assistants. NBC reported that during the 2012 Olympics, 46% of age group from 18 to 54 years old said that there was a delay in doing their laundry and other chores because of watching major events such as gymnastics which is according to the New York Times.
The Rio Games will surely be star-studded, but brands will be looking for more hip and contemporary influencers when choosing a brand ambassador to represent their brand. Vine and Instagram superstars will most likely be fielded as brand representatives to ocver niche markets with huge loyal following.
Unauthorized video streaming may provide available footages however, this will eat the broadcasters' ad revenue. Periscope is one of the major threats eyed by International Olympic Committee. It is a live broadcasting app that gives an up-to-the-second view. Even if mobile streaming is not allowed during the competition, this could be an effective way for marketers and media to share effective, raw, and immediate perspectives from athletes when not participating in the events.
By August 2016, broadcasters will have a golden opportunity to showcase the value for mobile video streaming on a global scale, or perhaps show why it hasn't deserved the attention it has already received.
There will be a boost in the Chinese apps activities from core messaging apps like WeChat to MomentCam and MyIdol for goofy selfie studios. China will have more than 620 million users of smartphones by 2016 as eMarketer reported. Brands that ramp up in China need to line up now to place bets on Chinese biggest mobile social properties to offer exclusive deals and contents.
Number 5 on the list are about drones. Surely there will be lots of drones hovering around the event area to get an excellent aerial view of the Rio Olympic Games. Along with these are prohibitions and regulations from the Brazil's government concerning the use of drones for terrorism and from the IOC concerning the rights of the media. Lily, which is an automated user-tracking drone, will become available in the market by next summer.
Sixth, marketers of all sorts will brag among themselves as who has the best virtual reality experience. There will be several activities for fans to try out at stores, hotels, and other venues that will revolve around the use of virtual reality experience.
Seventh, marketers will create apps that allow people to compare workouts with athletes they follow to get insights and tips to have that Olympian shape.
If you are a marketer preparing for the 2016 big day, how do you keep track of these trends to make sure you are ahead of your game?
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