Stop arguing. Rio’s win to host the Olympics was a won on branding know-how
What do cities vying for Olympics hosting rights have in common with shampoo? Or cookies? Cars? How about sneakers? Like any brand, which, yes, cities and countries are, they have to identify something to represent to consumers that’s different and better than any competitive claims. More so, this difference has to be genuinely meaningful to those whose attention these brands are trying to grab. While millions of people worldwide followed the competition among cities bidding for a chance to host the 2016 Olympic games, I watched with the perspective of a branding guy. Given the continuing nattering between political pundits regarding the IOC’s final choice, I decided to write about why this win was based on very smart branding. Take a look at Forbes Online and read all about it. Hopefully it will put any lingering doubts to rest.
image courtesy of www.cob.org.br