NEW YORK, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Results from the Dow Jones Insight-2008 Olympics Media Pulse show that Coca-Cola and McDonald's are leading media share through mentions of their Olympic collectible soda cans and cups hoping to evoke goodwill toward the brands. The 12 global sponsors are expected to spend an estimated $6 billion on ads aimed at the Chinese audience alone before and during the Games.
Dow Jones Insight analyzed traditional and social media sources and saw Coca-Cola's share of coverage increase to 24%, or 257 of the total 1,062 mentions, during the period of July 1 to July 14. Social media paid particular attention as Coca-Cola is putting its soda in special commemorative cans labeled in languages of different participating countries. It has also invited recording and visual artists to contribute to another project, recording tracks or decorating soda bottles inspired by the theme of "What the Olympics means to me."
McDonald's had 162 mentions, or a 15% share, as the company is also marketing Olympic collectables including commemorative soda cups. Lenovo, the only Chinese company among the global sponsors, had 5% of the total mentions.
Safe Water Emerges as Latest Environmental Issue as Coverage of Athletes' Health Concerns Increases
Water pollution is the latest environmental issue to emerge in Beijing amid rising health concerns among athletes training to compete in the Olympic Games. The Yellow Sea in the city of Qingdao, the site of the Olympic sailing and yachting events, has been inundated with a thick algae bloom. News of the slimy green problem precipitated a spike in media coverage of the environment and athletes' health.
Coverage increased more than fourfold, from about 50 mentions of environmental issues on July 5 to 236 mentions on July 8. The increased coverage included reports of the algae bloom, China's extensive clean-up effort and expressions of concern from athletes who will be competing at the venue. The environment stayed in the news, though with a bit less fervor, in the days that followed. Coverage turned to Beijing's continuing pollution problems and the government's additional remedies, including closing some factories and other businesses such as dry-cleaning, cement-mixing and auto-repair facilities until after the Games.
During this time discussions surrounding the effects of pollution on athletes' health tracked closely with coverage of the environment around Beijing in general.
Top Athletes Covered by Media -- Golden Girl Torres Shares Limelight with Phelps; Aussie Team Just as Popular
The Beijing Olympic Games begin in a little more than three weeks, and the media spotlight is shining more brightly on the athletes with the potential to become stars of the Games. Swimmer Michael Phelps continued to lead the way among the 10 U.S. athletes being tracked by Dow Jones Insight, with 2,799 of 8,380 total mentions, or 33%, in traditional (print and online) and social (blogs and boards) media sources analyzed.
However, fellow swimmer Dara Torres, 41, made headlines by being the oldest American swimmer ever to qualify for the Olympics in two events in Beijing. She has won nine medals over four Olympics and came in second with 1,916 media mentions, or 23%.
Among the tracked athletes from outside the U.S. hoping to use success in Beijing as a springboard to increased exposure, it was ironically Australian Jana Rawlinson who led coverage during the past fortnight, with 455 of the 1,907 total mentions, or 24%, for her failure to make the Australian team in the 400-meter hurdles. Nevertheless, the Australian team dominated media attention, holding five of the top ten spots on the Dow Jones Insight list. The British followed, holding three spots on the list with marathoner Paula Radcliffe leading the way in both global and UK media sources.
Top US Athletes
1. Michael Phelps
2. Dara Torres
3. Tyson Gay
4. Jeremy Wariner
5. Allyson Felix
6. Sanya Richards
7. Paul Ham
8. Shawn Johnson
9. Nastia Liukin
Top Non-US Athletes
1. Jana Rawlinson (AUS)
2. Asafa Powell (JAM)
3. Grant Hackett (AUS)
4. Liu Xiang (CHI)
5. Libby Lenton (AUS)
6. Paula Radcliffe (UK)
7. Leisel Jones (AUS)
8. Ben Ainslie (UK)
9. Cate Campbell (AUS)
10. Jo Pavey (UK)
The Dow Jones Insight-2008 Olympics Media Pulse provides accurate, high-quality media analysis to optimize communications strategy to nurture reputation, increase earnings and achieve business objectives.
The charts are available at http://www.dowjonesinsight.com/olympics and can be reproduced in print and online media. For further information about the Dow Jones Insight solutions or The Dow Jones Insight-2008 Olympics Media Pulse, please contact Shannon Sullivan at +1 609 627 2312 or shannon.sullivan@dowjones.com
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