Coca-ColaĬoca-Cola’s Olympic strategy, “Move to the Beat,” is all about getting teens excited about the Olympics by tapping into their passion for music and fusing it with sport. By sponsoring an egg and spoon race to take place in the Burgundy, France town of London on August 1, Paddy Power claims in its current poster campaign to be: “Official sponsor of the largest athletics event in London this year! (Ahem, London France that is).” LOCOG’s response–to instruct outdoor company JCDecaux to remove the campaign from high profile sites–prompted the bookmaker to instruct its lawyers. With its reputation for controversial advertising it was only a matter of time before Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, not an official Olympic sponsor, crossed swords with LOCOG (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games)–which it did just days before the Games’ opening. An accompanying web site, mobile and Facebook apps have also been created. A “mission control” structure at the London Eye will enable visitors to participate using digital and social media.

The results will be used to put on a “low carbon” light show each night at 9pm drawing attention to EDF’s London Eye sponsorship and London 2012. Twitter users with tweets filtered by brand experience agency Ignite and a team of graduates from MIT. The “Energy of the Nation” initiative will measure the nation’s mood using data from 10 million U.K. power company EDF Energy will illuminate the London Eye during the Olympic Games and Paralympics with a light show made from Games-related tweets.

London olympic games commercial