Well, I must admit, I did not get up at 4am to watch the Gold Medal final today, but I certainly saw the second and third periods live. Â Amazing game and another incredible Olympics for Canada.
That being said, it leads me to question what the Olympics truly means in terms of marketing and National Marketing specifically. Â Did Canada “Own the Podium”? Â Did Russia truly win if they did not get a hockey medal in either the Men’s or Women’s competition? Â I leave that for you to decide. . .
Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
1 | Russian Fed. | 13 | 11 | 9 | 33 |
2 | Norway | 11 | 5 | 10 | 26 |
3 | Canada | 10 | 10 | 5 | 25 |
4 | United States | 9 | 7 | 12 | 28 |
5 | Netherlands | 8 | 7 | 9 | 24 |
6 | Germany | 8 | 6 | 5 | 19 |
7 | Switzerland | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
8 | Belarus | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
9 | Austria | 4 | 8 | 5 | 17 |
10 | France | 4 | 4 | 7 | 15 |
What I find interesting, and will be curious to see, is how each country markets their individual success now and moving forward. Â Â Norway was dominant in Cross Country Skiing, the Netherlands was dominant at the Speed Skating Oval, Canada had Hockey, Curling and it’s share of X Games Medals. . . but how will they continue to tell their stories now that the games are done. Â Â Will we continue to celebrate our heroes through the next four years, or will we ignore them nationally until the win again? Â Â I am one to think it is the latter and will be disappointed if I am correct.
Marketing the success of the Olympics should be a full time national program. Â Â Allowing both for the success of the athlete’s and the pride of the nation. Â Â Â Corporations understand that tying their success to that of an athlete is good for business, why don’t nations. . . and Canada specifically?
We live in a world that is full of bad news and things that go wrong. Â Taking the time to celebrate the good and tying that to national pride cannot be a bad thing. . . hey it may even inspire future Olympians allowing the cycle to perpetuate.
I for one am very proud of our athlete’s and I hope that we give them the kudos they deserve for the months and years to come. Â Want to know more about the Canadian Olympic Foundation. . . click on the image below!