When Coca-Cola executives met with the Beijing Olympic Committee in 2002 for a status report on the first anniversary of the city’s winning bid, China was Coke’s sixth largest market. Today, a year away from opening ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, China has moved to No. 4 — and is still growing.

(It is no part of this editorial to discuss the health effects of Coke consumption and whether such a product should be associated with an important sporting event of world stature.)

Per capita consumption in China has grown as follows.

2002: 10; 2003: 12; 2004: 15; 2005: 18; 2006: 20

Coke’s sponsorship of the Games is a key component of the company’s global sports marketing program. Coke wishes to push its 200 brands deeper into consumers’ consciousness.

Paul Etchells, deputy group president for Coca-Cola Pacific, said, ‘This will be the biggest Olympics ever as well, I think, in terms of almost any measure. The number of athletes, the number of spectators, the number of media people who are forecast to come to China during the games.

We talk about the legacies in relation to the Olympics. In other words, what is it about our Olympics activation that’s going to survive the Olympics and is going to make a difference beyond August 2008. And the principal legacy has got to be the consumer view of our brands.

‘There are a very large number of outlets and it’s a three-week window during which these outlets are open and you have to ensure that you are up and running by the opening of the Olympics and that the execution during the Olympics is flawless. You realize there is a very large behind-the-scenes element in terms of the logistics . . . You visage immediately selling products to consumers, to spectators, but you have to provide products to the whole Olympic family — all the athletes, all the team managers, etc. So, a very large number of people, quite a complex logistics exercise.’

The mind boggles.
Source: AJC