P&G Gets Bronze with Family-Focused Product Placements

We are continuing our coverage of the Olympics using Newsdesk to understand how the top Olympic sponsors at the London Games are benefiting from their advertising dollars and pounds.

The majority of our focus has been on how commercials or negative publicity have been resyndicated and have contributed to the coverage of the top 11 Olympic Sponsors. Proctor & Gamble became a bronze medalist yesterday by a different method.

P&G has used their association with household products to focus on families of the Olympians competing in London this year. At the P&G US Family Home site, speakers are discussing the necessity of family support of athletes:

Tonight at the P&G Family Home dads of Team USA were saluted with a guest appearance by Tyson Chandler, a center for the U.S. basketball team and a father of three. Chandler talked about how his grandfather helped him become the man he is today.

P&G helped Canadian athletes remember that they are not alone as they compete for the gold:

At the mid-way mark of the Olympics, Canadian Olympian and Secret brand ambassador Clara Hughes, along with Pantene brand ambassador Annamay Pierse today joined Procter & Gamble at Canada Olympic House in London for a “Home Away from Home” celebration. Hughes and Pierse spoke to fellow Canadian athletes and their families about the impact family support has had on their careers, and guests were treated to a surprise video of heartfelt messages from family, friends and fans back home. Classic Canadian treats, like poutine with a British twist, were on the menu.

Proctor & Gamble has also benefited from housing the families of athletes by being the site of interviews:

“When Dana didn’t qualify for the Beijing Olympics it was so disappointing but we all learnt from every disappointment and every injury,” Vollmer told Reuters at the P&G House, a centre set up in London for athletes’ families.

The other Top Finishers today were Visa and Coke, with Gold and Silver respectively.

What do you think of P&G’s family-centric approach to sponsorship? They seem to have dodged much of the negative publicity endured by the other top sponsors. Will this continue?

1 Comment August 7, 2012