McDonald's Fails to Capitalize on Olympic Marketing Efforts

The Olympics are big business not only for the hosting nation. Advertisers stand to reap big rewards for their products which people are most apt to purchase in an effort to support the Olympics by proxy. However, the advertising isn't cheap and there's no guarantee that t will be successful either. In some cases, an advertiser may shell out $100 million for the exclusive rights to pitch their products as associated with their nation's Olympic team.

Blue Chip company Proctor & Gamble scored with its early advertising among its targeted demographic of female shoppers. The ad featured nurturing mothers’ bearing their children up during their early disappointments and defeats in sports. It underscored who is the true force behind the Olympians. The ad went viral being viewed 18 million times which puts it on par with a Justin Bieber, Rihanna, or Taylor Swift video.

McDonald's tried to ride the social networking craze by putting out a specific hashtag for their Olympic support. However, the hashtag was taken over by gay rights activists who used the moniker to launch criticism of the burger giant's corporate irresponsibility for seeking Olympic lucre while ignoring the plights of homosexuals in Russia. It goes without saying that their Olympic advertising efforts backfired.

Source:
http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/pg-wins-olympics-marketing-gold-mcdonalds-fails-to-step-up/story-fnki1jcy-1226833494348