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Jun 25, 2004
final paper

So, here's the blog-distprted version of my final paper


Utrecht University

Faculty of Arts

Institute for Media and Performance

Participatory Culture

 

Olympic Games and the Internet:

Athens 2004 Organizing and Broadcasting Culture Online


 

Giedre Ciuzaite

F030475
Group 2

 

 

June 25, 2004



Contents

 

 

Preface: Why Athens 2004 Online?..................................................................................1

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………... 2

  1. Olympic Games culture………………………………………………………… 3

1.1.Olympic Dilemma: the conflict between the public and the commercial…...…… 4

1.2.Olympic Games marketing traditions……………………………………………. 5

1.3.Broadcasting policy……………………………………………………………… 6

  1. Internet and the Olympic Message……………………………………………. 8

2.1.New media and Olympic philosophy…………………………………………….. 8

2.2.The beginning of Internet era…………………………………………………….. 9

2.3.  The XXI century Olympics……………………………………………………...10

2.3.1.      The internet shut out: Sydney 2000..................................................................10

2.3.2.      Further steps to “digitalization”: Salt Lake 2002…………………………..11

2.3.3.      Political interference.......................................................................................12

  1. Athens 2004: Olympics online? ……………………………………………….13

3.1. The Official Web Site: www.Athens2004.com....................................................14

3.2. www.NBCOlympics.com: multimedia from the main broadcaster……………..18

3.3. www.BBC.co.uk/sports : public cyber-Olympics.................................................20 3.4. Sponsors…………………………………………………………………………22

4. Concluding remarks…………………………………………………………….23

References………………………………………………………………………….25

Bibliography


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final paper

Preface: Why Athens 2004 Online?

 

While the entire World is solemnly invited to “Celebrate humanity”, in Athens 2004 Olympic Games, more and more skeptical opinions on the Olympics are heard; many scholars diagnose the era of post-Olympism. It’s definitely clear though that Olympic Games still is the biggest international event which carries multiple cultural messages. By organizers Games are praised as the celebration of many all encompassing values: humanity, noble competition, equality… Started in 776 BC, reborn in 1896, in 2004 Olympics are promised to be more exciting than ever; and less commercial the same time. To examine the conflict between the commercial and the public, the profitable and the noble, the loudly expressed and the real in this mega-celebration was my first vaguely defined idea for the final paper for the course “Participatory Culture”. Being interested in some sports, in MediaSport as the phenomena and having small journalistic experience in finding out about international sport competitions online, I planned to discuss the commodification of Athens 2004 Games online.  Later the broadness of the topic appeared to be greater than I expected and I was having “inner conflicts” what narrower angel would be the most relevant today.  Each lecture of the course gave input to think, cyberspace kept me updated and the period of watching Euro 2004 and knowing about it is providing me with new points to think on.  I decided to turn a little bit from the broad definition of topic – commoditization of Athens 2004 –- and  overview not only the institutional use of internet but also main  media  partners web sites. Internet changes all cultural landscape and as Manuel Castells wrote, the power 'is no longer concentrated in institutions, organizations or symbolic controllers; it is diffused in global networks of wealth, power, information and images[i]. It’s the time for new spots of power to appear and for old not lose their positions… When it comes to such big networks as Olympic Games Organizers’ this means the multitude of crucial decisions and entrepreneur flexibility in coping with the changing environment. The word “celebrate” has two meanings: (1) enjoy occasion; (2) praise. In what ways organizers and broadcasting partners of the Games offer to enjoy the Olympics online? Are there any reasons to praise the use of internet affordances in making Games accessible and fulfilling Olympic Ideals? These are the questions to be answered.  

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

In the writing “Olympic Games and the Internet: Athens 2004 Organizing and Broadcasting Culture Online” I will focus on the reflection of the Olympic Games culture in the official Athens 2004 Olympics web site www.athens2004.com  and also appraise the use of internet affordances in two Games broadcasters’ web sites: of National Broadcasting Company  (NBC) www.NBCOlympics.com launched for the Games and of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) www.bbc.co.uk/sports which plans advanced performance during the games. By examining these web sites and complementing my findings with other relevant sources and examples I will seek to find out how internet is used for spreading the message about Olympic Games in Athens and how the use of the medium flows into the whole process of complementing public and commercial tasks of the Game organizers.  

 

The Athens 2004 website is chosen as an object of research because it is the official web site of the Game organizers reflecting their marketing objectives and policy regarding internet; the NBC is main broadcasting partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its web site achieved leadership in as main actor in the internet during Sydney 2000. Else, the advanced performance using broadband is prepared for Athens 2004. The case of BBC is used as an example of public webcasting which marks the trends of online broadcasting regulations. As new and lacking scholar research topic is discussed in the writing, I find the IOC Corporate Culture of great contextual importance to the issue, that’s why much attention to the historical overview of the Olympic Games marketing history, and the use of internet among other media is given.

 

One of the main problems I faced when researching the topic was the lack of objective and scholar writings on the Olympic Games and new media. The sources were either the articles in the media, which are not aspired to be deep analysis of the issue, also texts written by strongly IT oriented sources (such as press releases of companies), also the official texts of Game organizers or the researches made by scholars related to the IOC. For appraising the whole situation I had to overview all sorts of literature, and trying to relate those arguments was one of the main tasks. As I have mentioned before, the historical overview of the Olympics corporate culture and use of internet makes a big part of the writing and later follows the description of web sites. As for this part, I chose to group the findings in all web sites in several categories what makes them easier to compare.

 

As for the sources, besides the already mentioned ones, I also use literature on the Mediasport and sports commodification as background, also the course “Participatory Culture” material shaped the questions of the research. 

 

It is important to recognize that Olympic Games is an event carrying multiple cultural messages, though there is not much done in the researching Games within new media and cultural economies domain. Internet is changing the cultural landscape that fast, that during the Athens 2004 even more forms of new media applications in both institutional and business levels could be presented, I find it important and interesting to overview condition when a little more than a month until Athens Olympics is left and we wonder what technological novelties and forms of their regulations expect us in the nearest future.

 

1. Olympic Games culture

“The world of sports in the age of mass media has been transformed from nineteenth century amateur recreational participation to late twentieth century spectator centered technology and business”

(Real, 1998, 18)

By organizers, the Olympic Games are presented as the world's largest stage for athletic skill, competitive spirit and overall “celebration of humanity”. However, today the Games are often criticized as being an international platform exploited by multinational corporations, and the organizers of the Olympics as the structure supporting corporate interests this way making actual athletics and values conveyed by sport secondary to merchandising and the interest of the businesses[ii]. What is more, scholars often approach the commercialization of Olympic Games as a triangular phenomenon and emphasize the role of media in the whole sports commodification process.  In this chapter I will provide with an overview of IOC mission and its marketing policy so that the actual topic of the paper would be put in the context which is crucial when we speak of such a long traditions carrying event as the Olympic Games. Else, I will focus on the definition of the conflict between public and commercial domains which IOC has to deal with when deciding the ways new media should be used in the Olympic Games.

 

1.1. Olympic Dilemma: the conflict between the public and the commercial

 

All sports for all people. This is surely a phrase that people will consider foolishly utopian. That prospect troubles me not at all. I have pondered and studied it at length, and know that it is correct and possible".

 Pierre de Coubertin[iii]

 

First, I want to define what is actually meant by saying “Olympic Games organizers”. According to the IOC shaped Olympic Movement structure[iv] the organization of the Olympic Games is entrusted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the country of the host city as well as to the host city itself. The Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games communicates directly with the IOC, from which it receives instructions. In addition, it generally includes representatives of the public authorities. So, the  IOC is the main body in Games organizing structure; as far as the ideology of this organization is the main factor shaping the forms of participation of all related organizations such as sponsors, media, services providers, etc. To use the words of L.Kung – Shankleman, when studying the espoused values of organizational culture, we can not take this officially expressed level of culture  for granted, because it might always reveal underlying assumptions[v]However, they are a contributory factor to organizational performance. 

 

IOC presents itself as an “international non-governmental non-profit organization and the creator of the Olympic Movement. It owns all rights to the Olympic symbols, flag, motto, anthem and Olympic Games. The 2nd of fundamental organization principles expressed in IOC Charter is that “Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles”[vi].

To quote some other of IOC marketing objectives, Games’ organizers seek, “to create continuing long-term marketing programmes and to build on and support the successful activities developed by each Organizing Committee, thus ensuring the financial stability of the Olympic Movement” , also  “to curtail uncontrolled commercialization of the Olympic Games”.[vii]

One of the roles of IOC written in the IOC Charter is to collaborate “with the competent public or private organizations and authorities in the endeavour to place sport at the service of humanity” (2). So, IOC the participation of both public and private domains in the organization of Games is a part of IOC policy.

By saying “public domain” I wan to focus on the “for everyone”[viii] meaning of the term and speak of Games’ accessibility.  This domain is also related to the ideal of Olympism to serve  publicly supported principals of humanity, which maybe be not profitable. IOC relates the category of publicity with its broadcasting policy; in broadcasting values’ system the care of Olympics publicity is named as an objective to reach the widest possible audience.

When I use the term “commercial” (“making or intended to make a profit”, “more concerned with profit and being popular than with quality”) I refer to the profitable activities and agreements with private sector, to say in other words,  to the organizers’ dependence on main revenue sources: broadcasting, sponsors and ticketing. “The Games provide a marketing platform that is based on ideals and values. The Games provide unparalleled opportunities for a company’s sales, showcasing, internal rewards, and community outreach programmes” says IOC[ix].

 

These are the Athens 2004 Olympic Games organizers expressed values:  “To organize technically excellent Olympic Games (…) To display the Olympic ideals in a contemporary setting through their traditional Greek symbols (…) To showcase the achievements of modern Greece and its potential for the future”.[x]

1.      2. Olympic Games marketing traditions

"If approached by media, please remember the following message: "I am honoured to have been given the opportunity by Samsung to be a torchbearer for the Samsung Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay."

“Samsung” is distributing these cards to the torchbearers [xi]

One part of scholars criticizes the present Olympics for commoditization and shifting from Olympic Games ideal. They point to Barron de Coubertin’s expressed values. As David Rowe writes, he was much taken with the idea of pure amateurism in sport and non-commercial nature of games[xii]. However, some researchers as J. Milton-Smith notice, the objectives of pure non-commercialism and amateurism are based upon anachronism and distort history, because Greek Games involved professional athletes, and what is relevant to our topic, commercial activity[xiii].  As history shows, already OGOC in 1986 faced financial difficulties and sought for support.[xiv] Later, the collaboration with businesses was increasing. However, despite the close relationship with private sector, also anti-commercial decisions were made. Like since 1928, IOC banned to stick posters to stadium grounds and buildings. Non-advertising in game place policy is what IOC is proud today as well.

I would also stress the Olympic Games branding tendencies, with five interlocking rings standing for a logo and Olympic ideals being the psychological meaning to be associated with. In 1972, Munich, rights to use the official Games emblem were sold and there was also the first official mascot presented.

The commoditization of Olympic Games is named as a dominant trend within the whole sports commercialization tendencies of last decades of XX century. For instance, Los Angeles Games in 1984 got the name of “Hamburger Games” as the most commercialized Games in the whole Olympics history. Though IOC describes the Games positively: “The Los Angeles Games marked the beginning of the most successful era of corporate sponsorship”[xv].  In 1985 The Olympic Partners (TOP) programme was started s the worldwide sponsorship programme managed by the IOC. The IOC created the TOP programme to establish long-term corporate partnerships (for Athens 2004 IOC has 11 TOP partners, these are such names as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Kodak, Xerox, Panasonic, Visa, Swatch, Sports Illustrated, Samsung, Atos Origin and John Hancock). The development of commercial side of Olympics was parallel to the mediatization of sport. 

 

1. 3. Broadcasting policy

 

Listen, buddy, we’re ABC Television. We bought the Olympics and we can do what the hell we like

ABC cameraman, 1984[xvi]

Many scholars support the K. M. Kinkema’s claim, that the success of spectator sport is related to the development of broadcast technologies on the whole, and Olympic Games and other huge sport events have become an international “holiday” thanks to development of TV[xvii]. International sport events always would be a stage for novel broadcast technologies to be presented; especially Olympic Games. Speaking of spreading Olympism spirit worldwide, the fundamental IOC principle set forth in the Olympic Charter, ensures the maximum presentation of the Olympic Games by broadcasters around the world to everyone who has access to television. Rights are only sold to broadcasters who can guarantee the broadest coverage throughout their respective countries free of charge”. [xviii] This is also said in marketing objectives: to ensure that the whole world can view and experience the Olympic Games via free-to-air television.  In 1996 the IOC signed a 12-year deal with NBC, making the US TV company the exclusive broadcaster for the games in the USA until 2008. This is considered to be the biggest deal with broadcasters, which as we will see later influenced the internet use policy. 

As for broadcast revenues, The Olympic Games have seen tremendous growth in broadcast coverage over the past 20 years and they averagely make more than a half of all OG[xix].  I also want to emphasize the fact that money from Olympic Broadcasting rights holders in US make more than a half of all broadcasting revenues, what simply means that agreement with NBC today brings approximately a quarter of all money of IOC.

 

Linking traditions to present reality, scholars agree that TV is considered as the main medium in the IOC policy and it remains to be. The agreements with main broadcast partners NBC and EBU are signed now until 2012. In 2001 M. de Moragas Spa wrote, that new IOC regulations regarding broadcasting could be set after Athens 2004, because the competition for world-wide audiences will probably change forms of management within the new communication spaces which are local and global  at the same time[xx].We’ll discuss this later in the writing, but here I’d like to emphasize that the players remain the same media corporations.

 

This overview lets us to make several conclusions. First, that the conflict between commercial and public domains is inevitable because of IOC nature, and the combination of them is a part of its culture. Olympic Games are a huge event of complicated structure and the organizers aim to have continuing support of businesses lead to some inflexibility.  IOC marketing history also shows the traditional and inert corporate culture of the Games because it is a traditional classic event and long-lasting traditional relationship with businesses is consolidated. What is more, TV is chosen as the main means of disseminating information the most important partner for IOC, and actually makes US broadcaster NBC is the main co-player with IOC in the field.  How does the Internet era come to these traditional ideological-marketing- broadcasting relationships strongly dependent on several huge players in the market?   

 

 

 

2.      Internet and the Olympic Games message

 

In this chapter I will turn attention to the relation between Olympics and the internet. Olympic Movement is a global powerful movement, Olympic Games is a huge platform for technological novelties to be introduced for huge audiences. The new conditions of communication of digital era demand new regulations and flexibility of the Games marketing. I would say that the ways Olympic Games organizers adapt the current forms of communication for the humanistic and entrepreneur aims to a large extent marks the trends of internet use on the whole, that’s why they are important to be studied.   

2.1. New media and Olympic philosophy

 

Before questioning IOC policy on new media it is important to evaluate the social and technological difficulties and in implantation internet. Miquel de Moragas Spa in his research “The Olympic Movement and the Information Society. New Internet challenges and opportunities” names several dilemmas posed by internet. These could be called the reasons why the IOC should be critical of new media.

 

First is the nature of internet itself, is this a new mass media or individual medium. The inequalities in internet and technologies access levels are also to be bared in mind. One thing is to speak of the U.S. or Scandinavia audience possibilities to experience technical advances of 3rd world nations. Extremely rapid growth and changes in the sector which forces to make many decisions on never occurred problems also adds tension. The search for informational functions of internet and “mediators” on the internet is also being experiences. And overall, cultural and social obstacles influence the policies on content access and institutional ability to adapt to the conditions. All these and other conditions don’t allow using the too generalized arguments when discussing IOC policy on new media.

 

J. Milton-Smith as other scholars criticizes the Games in general because they are tainted with many values associated with globalization, like other global organizations seem to be serving first world interests. However I will not focus on the imbalanced access to new media technologies later in the paper for several reasons. First, the inequality of technological development is not just communication technologies nature; it is a part of all socioeconomic environments, what is not the topic of our paper. Games organizers themselves aim to technological excellence which is not directly related to the publicity policies of the organization.  I also think that estimation of the situation has much to do with future development scenarios, however, the history, present and future perspectives should be appraised now. And finally, even this small part of the world with high rate of internet (and much smaller with broadband connection) penetration constitute an important market for commercial Game initiatives, and for Game organizers it’s the main target audience.  

 

2. 2.The beginning of Internet era

 

The first official web site IOC launched in 1995, but actual internet era for the Olympic movement started in 1996 with Atlanta Olympic Games Organizing Committee being the first organizers launching official web site of the particular Games. The web site www.atlanta.olympic.org, it was mainly devoted for announcing results; 185.800.000 hits during 16 days were noted[xxi]. However, the first experiences with new media demonstrated not only the scope of possibilities but cast a light on new problems such as deficiencies in network capacity, lack of management know-how at the presence of new medium and above all lack of experience by users and IBM which was a company responsible for computer programming at the Games.  In 1998 IBM broke the agreement with IOC and Sema Group was announced to collaborate with IOC till 2008 and be responsible for internet management (by the way, this term was just to be defined then). This moment of Olympic Games management history can be estimated as the crucial turn in terms of the internet recognition as a much promising medium: IBM wanted to have Internet rights included as part of agreement and IOC didn’t. IOC claimed that their strategic objective was to try to share sponsorship among several companies by separating hardware, software, results management and internet as distinct fields. What else, IOC saw Internet as a new medium which trends of development were difficult predict and it might have been simply underestimated.

 

The official web site of Nagano Olympic Games www.nagano.olympic.org provided audience with 50,000 pages of information and offered also pictures of Olympics, participatory experience such as interactive games, guestbook, and also presentation of video on computer, which was still considered as experimental. It was visited 634,000,000 times in total.

 

As for commercial media, Olympic coverage isn’t treated as different from other news disseminating; at least it didn’t attract scholars’ attention as a new trend in media etc. 

 

Then scholars started to discuss when Olympic Games can become a possible place for broadcasting all the games online. Sydney 2000 and Salt Lake 2002 were supposed to be the first turns into real online Olympics[xxii]. Were they? 

 

2. 3. XXI century Olympics

 

2. 3.1. The internet shut out: Sydney 2000

Two main that reached the greatest audience during Sydney 2000 Olympic Games were an official web site  www.olympics.com[xxiii] and www.nbcolympics.com (its content is being updated; more overview of this site will be provided later in the writing).  The plurality of contents in official site and scope of its audience increased, web site www.olympics.com   was hit 11,300,000,000 times. NBC which is IOC broadcast partner in the U.S.offered multimedia form of the Games coverage: statistics, sound, photos and hypertext and aimed to convert itself to even more the coverage extended by video images. NBC registered 66 million hits of the page; it was mostly accessed by U.S. audience.The media company launched site was more popular than the official one. However, and it was strongly related to the TV broadcasting and especially concentrating on U.S. athletes and their performance; it was indirect support for the television transmissions over NBC channel

In addition to NBC's broadcast rights agreement, the IOC has prohibited internet sites from offering live webcasting or streaming video of the Games. To enforce this rule, the IOC refused to grant media credentials to online journalists, including those from ESPN.com and SportsLine, two of the largest internet sites dedicated to covering sports. The IOC even employed French firm “Datops” to police sports websites to ensure they were not breaking the rules and didn’t stream audio or video of the Games online. IOC policy during Sydney Olympics was called scandalously strict and rouse indignation by media community and especially new media community. “Banned from the Olympics”, “IOC shut the net out”, “Olympics Shaft the Internet” – these were the outlines announcing about the IOC policy to limit the expansive potential of the Internet as a broadcast medium for the Sydney 2000.

The organization cites two main reasons behind its decision. The first was the poor quality of internet broadcasts. As the IOC spokesman Stephan Kanah put it: "You simply cannot transmit the emotion of the Games through a window 2 inches by 3 inches."[xxiv]

Another important factor behind the decision is an attempt to protect the investment made by national TV rights holders. "Until the technology that allows us to restrict access to the feed by nation, there won't be any live feed of the Games," said S. Kanah.

What most likely also added to such NBC wish, is the fact that over the Games, NBC was  be recording thousands of hours of Olympic events and then broadcasting condensed, tape-delayed segments in the evening due to the time difference between Australia and the U.S. because of intention to attract the largest number of TV viewers during the prime-time market.

Media analysts and users were discussing whether IOC and NBC behave fairly. Considering that the IOC finances a significant portion of Olympic competitions through revenue generated through selling lucrative broadcast rights, they are obligated to ensure those contracts to their fullest ability, including barring internet coverage, audience also called these IOC moves even “fascist” [xxv] and penalizing sports fans around the globe in search of more timely coverage of events; ignoring a massive and ever-expanding media outlet that could increase public interest and accessibility to live Olympic events; preventing competition; denying the internet the chance to compete for lucrative advertising revenue that would help further develop the web etc.[xxvi]

2. 3.2. Further steps to “digitalization”: Salt Lake 2002

As for organizers’ internet use during Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City (official web site www.saltlake2002.com), these Games mark advanced multimedia use to fulfill the same tasks of Organizers. As far as broadcasts are concerned, fast developments, especially the fast rollout of cheap broadband access to the home, helped to improve the quality of online information forms. Service providers and programmers have begun to experiment with ways to limit access to a certain web site or broadcast to users on certain networks or in particular areas.

Internet users in Switzerland were able to switch on to the internet for live coverage. The IOC-backed trial is took place in Switzerland and was open to subscribers to the DSL (digital subscriber line) service of Swisscom AG's Bluewin in Zurich, Basel and Geneva. The service provider has teamed up with Swiss national television and Schlumberger Ltd., the IOC's IT partner.

One of the reasons why the IOC approved tests for online video broadcasting of the games, which may open the door to a richer Web experience in future contests was considered to be a friendlier time schedule for U.S. audience. Also, internet Olympics press corps promised to bring some useful information to Web surfers who can't make it to the TV set[xxvii].

Despite the IOC's ban on “more spread” online broadcasting of the Games, that more web sites were is doing it. The problem is not so much of pirate relays of the Games but of TV stations putting highlights online, either as special packages or as part of online news.

Also during Salt Lake Games, internet sites, such as Yahoo! and Sports.com fielded reporting teams to Olympics. Yahoo! signed a deal with the U.S. Olympic Committee to be the official host of its e-commerce store and to produce coverage of events involving the U.S. teams on its Web site, a first for the U.S. committee[xxviii].

2. 3. 3. Political interference

As one can see, the IOC policy on internet usage was highly criticized by many new media supporters and IT businesses’ representatives. Later, it got attention from politics.  E.g. in February 2003, European Union turned to the IOC warning it may be breaking European competition laws in the way it sells media rights to the event

European Union competition watchdog Mario Monti asked IOC whether the organization supplies live image or sound rights to internet service suppliers and mobile operators. "Events such as the Olympic Games are extremely prized by content providers and can be a driving force behind the roll-out of new communications services via internet and mobile telephony networks," he said.[xxix] Media specialists were referring to a  similar situation occurred at the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, when Kirch - the now bankrupt German media giant that held the rights - refused to sell any broadcast rights to websites or 3G operators. Just two weeks before the tournament began, Kirch eventually agreed to provide tournament sponsor Yahoo! with short highlights of the games, although it was still not allowed to broadcast them live.

Internet site in the Games turned to be more a driver to TV than the other way around [xxx], spoke media people and claimed that despite the growing size of the intrenet, it will not replace TV as the most popular medium in the near future were right. Thus, IOC integrated the internet into Games coverage instead of outright forbidding it or overestimat


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final paper

2.      Athens 2004: Olympics online?

 

After overviewing the IOC marketing policy and the first stages of relationship between Olympics and world wide web and I want to focus on the present “pre-Athens 2004” situation in the field of new media. As M.de Moragas Spa noticed in his research in 2001, after the big effort was necessary for starting new regulations in broadcasting media as well as own communicational proposals on the internet. The scholar claimed that new big communication groups will strive for new means of exclusivity in global scale and new ways of concentration will be determined[i].  I would add that in the main mission and visions of the Organizers clear policy on the internet is not expressed. We can estimate the trends by examining the main web sites for Athens 2004. First of all I’ll speak of the official web site www.Athens2004.com. The NBC site www.NBCOlympics.com will be overviewed as the most visited site during last Games. BBC sports promises advanced performance with the reach regulation put on. By examining how official site uses internet technology and what novelties are promised to be presented by other media – NBC and BBC I will try to name the main trends of internet use in official Games Organizers communication strategy and also in the internet affordances use by media businesses with TV as the main source of revenue. What is important to remind here, that many actors from communications service are involved in the Games with aim of testing their services and promoting themselves as leaders in innovation.  

 

3. 1. The Official Web Site: www.Athens2004.com

 

3.1. 1. The web site creators

 

The web site www.Athens2004.com is the official website of the ATHENS 2004 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (ATHENS 2004). The Vignette Corp.) were chosen to power the event’s official site. According to Vignette’s press release issued in April 2004 [ii], in cooperation with local partner Greek Geeks, Vignette’s first aim is to handle a large amount of various forms information and intense peaks of traffic. The task for corporation also is to provide easy to use platform for non-technical personnel at the Athens 2004 Communications Office to quickly and easily update the site with various types of content such as video, images and XML files in automated and cost-efficient ways. In the whole Athens 2004 Organizational chart[iii] staff responsible for information and press operations, also communication, culture and PR are directly accountable for the President  what proves the importance of these departments in the whole organization structure and culture on the whole.

 

3.1.2. Audience of the web site

 

According to Vignette and web site data, the site was then attracting an average of 200,000 page views per day and an average of 1.3 million hits per day. Organizers tell that the site has approximately 200,000 single visitors per month, and these make in excess of 420,000 visits. Obviously the load should have increased as a little more than a month is left until the Games and break the records of Olympic web site visits, as the penetration of internet is increasing. According to the same source, traffic to the site is expected to rise to 100 million page views per day with a flow of 20 million users per day while the Games are being held.

 

The page seems to be targeted for those interested in official Organizers’ information, reliable (because official) data from the Games and in facts about Olympic Games history, education etc. I would say that journalists are one of the most expected visitors of the site, for instance, one can subscribe to Athens 2004 Press Releases weekly mailing service. It was the only area.where I got sort of feedback from organizers after filling in the registration form. For instance, I also registered so that I could receive the newsletter and/or other educational publications of ATHENS 2004 and Club2K4, but I didn’t get any information later.

 

3.1.3.      Objectives


Since December 2003, the present Athens 2004 Olympic Games web site has gone online. As AOGOC promises in the press release, “before and during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the official Athens 2004 website is going to be the most up to date and accurate source of information” [iv].

I would divide the information provided in the pages to: inform about the organizers, the Games in Athens (schedule and services at the games), Olympic Games as cultural phenomena (history, ideology), tourism information, and news of the Games.

Generally it is seems that web site is used to provide information for promotional and branding purposes, also for educational purposes, which also means spreading Olympic ideas and gaining support for them. What is different from other sports’ organizations web sites, there are no links to main game sponsors or some online shops as it would be in previous sites. The directly linked commercial activities are ticketing information (if we compare this to let’s say European football championship, www.euro2004.com web site is full sponsors’ links). I think this represents the promotion of Olympics’ “decommercialization” policy.

The site is accessible in 3 languages: English, French and Greek, what organizers also present as the improvement of the web site accessibility compared to previous sites.

As for the accessibility to the website and fulfilling the objective of “public” nature, the importance of Web accessibility was highlighted in court to the Olympic movement after Sydney 2000 after a law suit was successfully brought against Sydney organisers for their site www.olympics.com. A private citizen succeeded in court after a ruling that the Olympics portal caused "unjustifiable hardship" in failing to meet accessibility standards. The main issue was that while most people online rely on either Microsoft or Netscape software to navigate, there are more than 25 alternative browsers for people with hearing, visual, physical or cognitive impairment, but the site wasn’t accessible.  Salt Lake City Winter Games organisers also attracted strong criticism for their failure to meet the basic accessibility standards set by Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C). www.athens2004.com targets disabled after a period of intense re-engineering since launching it.

Summing it up, the web site is reasonably structured to reflect the ideals of organizers.

    

3.1.4.      Overview of content: user agencies?


As Miquel de Moragas Spa noticed, the institutional usage of Internet until 2000 didn’t bring significant changes in the strategies of communication, but further transformation represents fading borders between journalists and documentalists. However, I would say that his words can’t be applied to the official Athens 2004 web site.   

Despite the sophisticated use of internet in terms of design and hyperlinks and multimedia shows, the strict copyright policy makes user able just to send e-cards with Olympic games, download screensavers (what is actually Olympic brand promotion) but there is no space for user freedom.  No any message boards, no discussion spaces, and you have possibility to get the feedback from organizers just after filling the detailed form online[v].

As for the games you can access in the “Playground” section[vi], nicely designed, they don’t provide user with exciting experience, games like “Olympic maze”, and the hidden crossword” seem to be devoted for a really young audience. You couldn’t compare them to the interactivity of sponsors’s offered games (e.g. in Samsung web site) or Sony Playstation 2 game “Athens 2004”.  So in the field of interactivity there is no competition with the commercial partners, also this shows one – way communication policy of organizers.  

The organizers are especially proud of “greater functionality and ease of use in page browsing”, the presentation of main information in a “comprehensive and cohesive way”, internal "advertising" which is used to “promote areas of the website with relative content”, "Olympic Firsts" feature area, where users can be informed about all the fascinating facts that have taken place for the first time in the preparations for the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games etc., also special area called Youth 2004 dedicated in the Olympic education of young audiences, the supply of such downloads as screensavers, wallpapers and e-cards that are “compatible to the look and feel of the Athens 2004 image and Identity, and be informed about the Athens 2004 official products and places of purchase”.

3.1. 5. The promised performance during Olympics


“Experience every minute of the Games as if you were actually there” invites the subtitle of the press release on the “Greece’s largest on-line project”, the official website for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, is prepared to provide yet another information technology innovation via its capacity to provide visitors with real-time data and results, covering every facet of the Games with immediacy and accuracy.
Press releases by sport, preview and summation of the days events, announcements; photos of events taking place in the Olympic Venues; Competition Schedule; Start lists; Team Rosters; Athletes Bios, Team Officials and Judges; Live Results; World records set and comparisons to previous Games’ records; World rankings of Athletes and/or National Teams (depending on Individual or Team Sports); Statistics; Athlete statements and interviews.

The trend to provide journalists and sport fans in official big Sport events web sites will continued but it would say that the model and scope of performance is not that different from would be web sites of other International events, like www.iaaf.org – the web site of International Association of Athletics Federations in August 2003 during World Athletics Championship.

However, here we should mark the potential of cyberspace to shift the obstacles of real space. And for the journalist, there’s no need to be physically in the place. In this sense being in Olympics means added; the element of participation; “human face” of the news. But for facts, both accredited to Olympics journalists and audience of fans have the same access to the sources (I don’t mean equal access to the public use of the material; copyright policy is another question).

So, the technological expertise and know-how of the Athens 2004 official website staff and their partners, will provide visitors with the opportunity to be informed, and constantly updated through an interlinked data framework – these claims are true.

And what about the rising audience’s requirements for participatory experience?   In the sense that you can follow the badminton results while TV broadcasters and news portals focus on basketball – yes, but I wouldn’t call it inventive and worth the gold at the presence of internet affordances.  

 

3.1.6. Restrictions and regulations


I would emphasize quite a strict copy right policy of the Organizers regarding The Olympic Emblem, “it is illegal to use any of the trademarks or service marks or other intellectual property accessible through the site for any purpose other than the purpose for which such material is made available by ATHENS 2004”[vii]. If you want hyperlink to Athens 2004 site, you have to send a request letter to the Games Internet department. I would say that this represents a part of Olympics branding policy and means the wish Olympic logo to be strictly related just to Organizers’ chosen organizations.   

 

3.2.      www.NBCOlympics.com: sophisticated multimedia from the main broadcaster

3.2.1. Web site creators

The website is the NBC Universal networks' Olympic online platform for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. NBC Olympics and Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. (IBS) are the main participating parts. NBC holds the rights to the Olympic Games through 2012, which include Athens in 2004, Torino, Italy in 2006, Beijing in 2008, Vancouver 2010 and the Summer Games of 2012. IBS is the network of local Web Channels -- web sites that combine the local content of the dominant TV station in a top market with a broad range of Web services, backed by extensive promotion from the station. In the “O-zone” section more than 200 NBC Affiliated Stations will participate.  

3.2.2. Audience

The emphasis on the U.S. Olympic team participation and such sections as “O-zone”, also the vocabulary (e.g. all the firsts and onlys are mentioned within the U.S.)  shows that the web site is targeted mainly for the U.S. audience. The site becomes one of the most trafficked sports sites during the games thanks to the high level of access to the internet in the U.S., like during the Salt Lake 2002 Games set a single-day record with 2.4 million visitors the day of the ladies figure skating final.

3.2.3. Objectives of web site creators

According to the NBC heads, NBCOlympics.com has established itself as the number one Internet destination and will seek to remain. I would call the content of the web site “infotainment”. The web site will provide with the latest news, live results, analysis of the games and television guide as it would be during previous Games, and for Athens 2004 is bolstered by the addition of competition video highlights and localized “O-Zone” content from NBC affiliates. This form of information is supposed to attract audience’s needs and to be profitable.

From the interview with Rex Sorgatz, interactive director for IBS, you ca judge, that online broadcasting is not even the objective of NBC “real-time results, multimedia integration that complements television, and getting the affiliates involved”[viii] – these were named as the tasks for web site creators.

 

3.2.4. The use of internet affordances

The “video highlights” section is called supposed to be the biggest novelty. The section “Inside The Sport” is interactive Flash application, featuring video, audio and photos, rules, history, “fun facts” and more of each of the Games' sports. The internet is used really creatively; the way information is provided and the content of the chapter also reflects another businesses tendency: to attract the various groups of consumers, like women, children who are not the usual community of fans.

In the “O-zone” section which will provide with localized coverage of the Olympic stories (e.g., with emphasis on hometown sport celebrities) more than 200 NBC Affiliated Stations will participate. 

3.2. 5. Advertising

The presenting sponsor of nbcolympics.com is SBC, other advertisers include AT&T Wireless, General Electric, General Motors, The Home Depot, Samsung, Sony Electronics Inc., and Tylenol® 8 Hour. Businesses have the opportunity to advertise on both the national and local level. Mainly the companies which deal with technologies.Only Samsung from the TOP supporters advertise in the web site.

3.2.6. Connection with TV

As I already mentioned in the writing, U.S. NBC is the main IOC broadcasting partner. They promise “the most in-depth Olympic broadcast in history is coming Aug. 11-29 to the NBC Universal networks:  action from every sport contested in Athens,  unprecedented 24-hours-per-day broadcast,  more than 1,200 hours of coverage. Even the inviting message of the web site shows its close connection to the TV.

 

To follow the grid of the NBC Universal networks (NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, HDTV) that will broadcast Athens 2004, one can see that it is related to the whole broadcaster marketing strategy and the schedule of programs overlap during the best time for on-air advertising: best time in the morning and prime time in the evening.

 

However, the slogans including phrase “Olympics online” mean with multimedia interactivity, but mostly as a supplement for TV. “You'll see a lot of promotion back and forth, but the ultimate goal is to expose the strengths of each medium: the drama and clarity of television; the interactivity and personality of the Internet. We wish to create an integrated experience where the viewer feels comfortable slipping between mediums without thinking twice about the transition”[ix].

In this most probably promotional interview there’s no spoken about other good internet characteristics.

So, you are expected to slip from the internet to TV.


[i] Moragas Spa, 2001, 11

[ii]Vignette, 2004 http://www.contentmanager.net/magazine/news_h7245_vignette_lights_up_the_athens_2004_olympic_games.html

[iii] Athens 2004 Organization Chart http://www.athens2004.com/files/athens2004organisatchart/OrganEN.gif

[iv] Official ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games Website Refurbished See:

http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/page/newslist?cid=f539779d5752af00VgnVCMServer28130b0aRCRD&lang=en&oid=b50a72e21cc7bf00VgnVCMServer28130b0aRCRD

[v] Athens2004.com  Feedback Board See: https://secure.athens2004.com/athens2004/page/feedback;jsessionid=RualioQWxjusMNpvyOymbCH?lang=en&cid=1b087ae4be659f00VgnVCMServer28130b0aRCRD

[vi] Playground http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/page/youthinternal?lang=en&cid=bbe88e6eb3c59f00VgnVCMServer28130b0aRCRD

[vii] ATHENS 2004 Organisting Committee for the Olympic Games Website General Terms and Conditions of Use See: http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/page/legacy?lang=en&cid=ec7e01e3ac979f00VgnVCMServer28130b0aRCRD

[viii] Bergman, 2004

[ix] Bergman, 2004


Posted at 01:57 pm by giedre
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final paper

I will try to put my assignment makin several entries, sorry in advance for many notifications regarding just one paper.....

 

3.3. BBC: public cyber-Olympics

"Saying we shouldn't be in broadband is the same as saying we should have stayed in black and white.

A. Thompson. BBC's head of development, new media and sports news 

3.3.1. Web site creators and the audience

BBC Technology provides foundations for BBC Sport'sdelivery of Olympic content by TV and Internet. BBC Technology's Broadcast Design & Build, Media Communications and Internet Solutions will design and build studio and production facilities in Athens, provision broadcast communication networks and expand the Internet delivery infrastructure for online coverage of the Olympic Games

The big part of the content is appealing to world wide audiences, however, the section “Team GB” is the most updated and Olympic news with “local hook”. As for the live webcasting area which should be launched in August, it is planned to be restricted British audience, the subscriber-fee payers.

3.3.2. Objectives of web site creators


In BBC Statements of Programme Policy 2004/2005 [i], besides the main public broadcaster’s aims to inform, educate and entertain in an independent, impartial and honest manner the BBC. Governors of the BBC agree that objective  to grow the reach and usage of bbc.co.uk is one of the main tasks of the time.  As they want digitalization of the BBC to be widely supported, the first online coverage will be the the Olympic Games and Paul McCartney's performance at Glastonbury, the most eagerly waited TV coverage. According to the heads of the BBC, corporation hopes to tempt them into pressing the red button to access the most comprehensive interactive sports service it has provided to date. The services would help boost the take-up of broadband in the UK as well as preventing users "falling on the wrong side of the digital divide". [ii]

This has led some to discussion whether the BBC should be investing so much in broadcasting on the web, given the limited audience and the added costs.


3.3.3. The use of internet affordances and Promised performance


The interactive service which allows users to select “video highlights” from Wimbledon and Euro 2004 is planned to be pressed ahead with comprehensive live webcasting of the Olympic Games on broadband.[iii] The plan is to feature live streaming from several venues simultaneously, allowing those who are only interested in gymnastics or weightlifting to indulge in hours of coverage, as well as offering "catch up" packages of the day's best action.

Andrew Thompson, BBC's head of development, new media and sports news  said that the Olympics coverage will be a vital test, both technically and in terms of how viewers respond. "We need to work out what people want to use broadband for. Whether they want live coverage or highlights, how much information they want alongside it, whether they want contextual information or simply to watch in the corner of the screen while doing other things. There's a big learning curve and broadband opens up all sorts of possibilities".

However, the project faces several challenges. First – internet service providing for “multicasting”. Corporation also has to find efficient distribution model, it plans to do by experimenting with this and other forms of distribution, such as peer-to-peer file sharing, Thompson believes that the corporation can find a solution to one of the great imponderables threatening the evolution of broadband.


3.3.4. Advertising


The BBC is not permitted to carry advertising or sponsorship on its public services. This keeps them independent of commercial interests and ensures they can be run instead to serve the general public interest. http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/advertising.shtml


3.3.5. Restrictions and regulations


So that the IOC broadcasting policy would be accomplished, the BBC faces another technical hurdle which is limiting the broadband streaming to UK users. Not only does this placate rights holders who worry that worldwide internet coverage would damage international TV revenues, but it also means that licence fee payers aren't subsidising overseas viewers.


3.4. Sponsors

As it was mentioned before, not only the Game Organizers but also Olympic partners and sponsors such as the Coca-Cola Company and McDonald's during before mentioned period were spending tens of millions of dollars on TV advertising, but almost nothing online. It was also argued before, organizers of Athens 2004 promote noncommercial nature of the games and in the website don’t emphasize the power of businesses related to the Games. I overviewed the websites of 11 TOP sponsors of Athens 2004 to see whether they relate their branding strategies in official websites with the Olympic Games. I looked whether they put Olympic Logo – 5 crossing rings - in the index page of the site. What is more, Coca-Cola Company and Samsung are the presenters of Torch Relay program so I also looked how this status is visible online.

www.Coca-Cola.com The “Welcome to Coca-cola” page offers you to select from the 3 further web-site options Company, World wide or US, and then one of 3 icons in the page leads you to the Coca-Cola Launches New Olympic Torch Relay Website  http://www.torchrelay.coca-cola.com/ offers you the sophisticatedly design Torch relay route map-calendar with data about every torch bearer, schedule, images from relay bearing in “real relay moments”, “press kit” with information on Coca-Cola and the Olympic Movement history and audio with  Celebrate Around the World - The Coca-Cola song for the Athen's 2004 Olympic Torch Relay.

www.samsung.com offers the greatest online experience live torch relay, photo gallery, games, also presentation on Samsung as “leading the digital” company.

 www.kodak.com in the first page offers to “catch the excitement of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games” with an icon with Games and Kodak logos. In the page you are offered to view several “albums”: to take a photographic journey through Greece, to view “visual embodiment” of the Olympic motto and spirit, and also see how Kodak technology, products, and services help to stage the world's largest event.

www.atosorigin.com In Atos Origin web site index page visitor is met with an outline “Atos Origin IT systems for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games”, but no Athens 2004 logo is used.

http://www.jhancock.com, www.mcdonalds.com, www.panasonic.com,  www.sportsillustrated.com, www.visa.com  doesn’t include any signs of relation to the Olympics. In www.swatch.com and www.xerox.com there are Olympic logos placed near Company’s brand.

Though this overview doesn’t pretend to be a serious research, I think it shows that most traditional partners of the Games are still questioning the possibilities of cyberspace, at least this is seen from their “cyber face” – official web site. Relating this fact to their role in all Games culture, I would say that established businesses add to the lack of flexibility in all Olympics Culture. 

 

4.            Concluding remarks

 

The overview of the Olympic Games culture, marketing history and relations with internet, also the appraisal of the main web sites which will perform during the Athens 2004 games in August lead to several conclusions and present situation appraisals.

 

First, the internet becomes of greater importance in the whole cultural landscape and as specialists assert, in particular benefit organizations that perform in the global scale. The culture of spreading Olympic Games message in the XXI century proves this, as far as both institutions and businesses are concerned. 

 

Since Olympic Games organizations is a huge complex structure depending on many other public and commercial performers of the sports and entertainment market, the internet use and regulation policy  is not flexible and much dependent on established media businesses policies.  However, Olympic Games organizers face and estimate the requirements of digital era audience and fulfill them.    

 

As for the internet use for institutional promotion and branding, multimedia technology and entertaining elements, also web site structure improvements note that new communication technologies are considered are the field of growing importance. However, official Olympic web site shows that organization sticks to one-way communication and profitable activities are left solely for commercial partners and supporters to be used.

 

The established businesses still are the main power in the Olympic Games culture; however, new communication organizations and their know-how constitute the new streams in Games marketing.

 

At the presence of technological advances which can better fulfill the desirability of satisfaction, “the special aura of the Games is to be maintained” (Milton-Smith, 134), or to say in other words, being entertaining and profitable Olympics Games still should fulfill the mission  to be morally inspiring and carry ethical and moral values. 

 

To strengthen the power of the “five rings” Olympic brand in highly competitive global economy is the main challenge for Games’ managers, says J. Milton – Smith. The inventive use of internet affordances can help to create the Games as a unique public market space. 

 

Coming back to the Olympic Games nature, it is a sports event. How new media can influence Games in this sence? History shows, that the popularity of particular sorts of sport dependent on the accessible broadcasting technologies. For instance, football was popular in the roots of TV[iv]. In the future, true value of present investments will be clear also in Games as Sports events. Specialists predict that probably broadband race is a marathon, not a sprint,[v] and probably the future will offer us “newmediatized” program of Games.

Here I also want to notice an ironic side of synergies in the Olympics. All the information regarding Games get through media, this year Organizers speak of 4 billion people TV audience all over the world, not including and of course newspaper readers and radio listeners. The established media, if it didn’t find inventiously  profit from new media, even worse, felt strong competition from new names in the market, they simply didn’t support the spread of internet that much. I think that this is was sort of “discrimination” policy: not to write in the papers and speak on the radio about the IOC restrictions on broadcasting in 2000, not to discuss other related issues. That’s why it’s difficult to find any critique for the IOC. This also shows that the IOC promotion machine works quite successfully. The world is charmed by this sports and culture celebration and want to believe in the Olympism.

 

[i] http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/statements2004/docs/introduction.htm

[ii] Gibson, 2004

[iii] Gibson, 2004

[iv] TV when a couple struggling boxers were the easier to shoot and show with one camera and football wouldn’t make such an impression as it does when several cameras, slow motion and close-ups and elements like that are available.

[v] Gibson, 2004

Bibliography

 

  1. Bergman, C. Inside the Launch of NBCOlympics.com 09 06 2004 See: http://www.lostremote.com/story/nbc_olympics.htm

 

  1. Boyle, R. and Haynes, R. (2000) Power Play: Sport, Media & Popular Culture (Pearson Education Ltd.)

 

  1. Castells, M. (1996)The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture
    Vol.I: The Rise of the Network Society     (Cambridge MA. Oxford UK: Blackwell Publishers)
  2. Chalip, L. H. (2000) Polysemy and Olympic Audiences: Lessons for Sport Marketing See: http://olympicstudies.uab.es/pdf/od010_eng.pdf

 

  1. Gibson, O. Stream Spirit In: The Guardian, June 7, 2004

 

  1. Gibson, O. Olympics face pressure over media rights In: The Guardian, February 20, 2003
  2. Howden, D. Olympic Website Targets Disabled  See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1868566.stm

 

  1. International Olympic Committee 2004 Marketing File See: http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_66.pdf

 

  1. Knowles, B. Are the IOC and NBC Unfairly Prohibiting Internet Coverage of the Sydney Olympics? See: http://speakout.com/activism/issue_briefs/1383b-1.html

 

  1. McCarthy, K. Olympics Shaft the Internet, 2000 09 18  See: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/09/18/olympics_shaft_the_internet/

 

  1. MediaSport (2000) Ed. Wenner, L. (Routledge)

 

  1. Milton-Smith, J. (2002) Ethics, Olympics and Search of Global Values in: Journal of Business Ethics 35, P. 131 – 142 (Kluwer Academic Publishers)

 

  1. Moragas Spa, M. (2001) Internet and the Olympic Movement See: http://www.blues.uab.es/olympic.studies/pdf/OD012_eng.pdf

 

  1. Moragas Spa, M. (1999) The Olympic Movement and the Information Society. New Internet Challenges and Opportunities  See: http://olympicstudies.uab.es/pdf/od011_eng.pdf

 

  1. Olsen, S. A Faster, Leaner Olympics Online   February 9, 2002, See http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,2104015,00.htm

 

 

  1. Rowe, D. (1999) Sport, Culture and the Media (Open University Press)

 

  1. Vignette lights up the Athens 2004 Olympic Games See: http://www.contentmanager.net/magazine/news_h7245_vignette_lights_up_the_athens_2004_olympic_games.html

 

  1. Warner, B. Banned from the Olympics – Company Business and Marketing In: The Industry Standard, August 21, 2000

 

  1. Wearden, G. IOC bans online Olympic coverage for next ten years December 5, 2000 See:

20.  Williams, M. IOC tests online broadcasting  of Olympic Games February, 2002 See: www.pcworldmalta.com/news/2002/Feb/151.htm

  1. Young, E. Olympic Cheaters – Industry Trend or Event In: The Industry Standard, October 9, 2000

Posted at 01:51 pm by giedre
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Jun 10, 2004
last H2O assignment

Here it is, with a short delay :)

Goarmy.com, eonline.com and blog.johnkerry.com:

brands within the participatory culture domain

All of the three web sites can be approached in terms of brands. All names: military and defense organization (“unstoppable team”) U.S. Army, a person J. Kerry (“courageous leader”), E! (“number one entertainment”) are promoted and advertised to be associated with certain psychological meanings. One can see how internet affordances extend traditional means of branding and understanding of what can be branded. 

www.goarmy.com: join the unstoppable team

Goarmy.com[i] “viewsers” face U.A. Army logo everywhere, which almost always is in the left upper corner of web-site (isn’t it the best noticed place according to the psychology of reading?), it marks the beginning and the end of videos etc. All the “heroic” images, sound vocabulary (like word “Soldier” starting with big “S”) and writing style, solemn opening music and the background music of the same spirit used in the videos, all together make up U.S. Army logo and name to be associated with such notions as strength, fulfilled expectations, self-confidence, opportunities, adventure and more “practical” things such as education, career and social benefits. Of course, these words are used in most of the texts to “promt” the user what idea U.S. Army name carries and goarmy.com helps to spread.

The web site also creates an image that U.A. Army is an organization which offers many exciting fields of work, “more than you would ever expect”, but all the activities in the army are even more respected and more rewarding! U.S. Army is an image brand in that extent that it presents a certain way of life with clearly espoused values. Web site adds possibilities to “experience” it (e.g. with U.S. Army game), or to hear “real” stories, “word of mouth” (e.g. recruiters’ profiles).    

At the first sight it may seem that US army defines the soldiers career as suitable to any sorts of people (e.g., in terms of race and gender: one of the “index” photos that meets goarmy.com visitor is with a dark-skinned mail, a white mail and a woman…), however most of arguments are devoted to the young people (until 34) who might become U.S. Army soldiers (e.g., even on-line survey is only for those who consider possibility to become a militant, if you to the first question you answer that you’re looking information for somebody else, it’s written that you’re not the target audience “of research”. I would say of the whole web site). So, nationality and age are main segmentation variables.

As for on-line participation, multimedia gallery, virtual game, “recruiters chat”, all may make one feel owning multiple possibilities and ways of using the goarmy.com space.  I would say that this is more sophisticated use of internet design affordances, goarmy.com is a really good database of army rules and source of appealing information on army. As for the user freedom, the space is regulated by provider – user relationship.  E.g. “recruiters chat” is not working round the clock, so discussions meet the framework of time. When it works, you can enter the room with your nick (no need for registration, what is quite inviting). Here again, if you ask leading recruiter what you’re expected to ask you get really fast the answers and links to your answers (works like a well organized mechanism, like an army…). But if you ask something more irrelevant like “why did you choose to go to army” (I did) you simply get no reaction. You’re not in the community. You’re not a target worth to work with.

www.eonline.com: be entertained by E!

E!Online website is a part of E! Networks, strongly connected to the E! Entertainment TV, so I would say that E! is a brand and the website broadens the scope of associations related with the E!, mostly with TV programs. To please the consumers (I’d think mostly teenage and young women) and to use all possibilities to reach them, the entertaining news on entertainment can be accessed on-line as well. The writing style and design of web site also represents E! philosophy to be a “world of style, beauty, fashion and home design”. So this is the brand attached with additional psychological meanings: you can be so close to the glamour of celebrities, even closer with goods from E! shop, or if not, a pinch of irony is added so that you would have opportunity not only to envy but also mock at the shine of Hollywood stars.  It’s also image brand trying to represent superior performance (“number-one site”, better than others) and add the feeling of experience (shopping, reading books written by celebrities).  

E!Online site as an extention of E! Entertainment Television (many links to TV program and news connected to it are placed on the most visible spots of web site), this site is made to be especially appealing for those interested in Hollywood industry (the celebrities’ are mostly from U.S.), so to U.S. inhabitants (e.g. shop.eonline accepts orders from within the United States only). However, it also says that   E! Online attracts users from more than 100 countries, E! Online Asia was launched. This branding strategy shows that E! company tries to attract those from all over the world who’d like identify themselves with celebrities, so mostly young active consumers (the group of age probably differs depending on region). Anyway, the spread of E! industry correlates with the global “Westernization”, and seems to be ready to make the greater fandom of Hollywood than to offer each region more local “stars”.

www.blog.johnkerry.com: support Kerry

John Kerry’s blog also carries a certain brand – politician John Kerry is a “commodity”, there’s logo “John Kerry President” with a flag, all consisting of 3 symbolic American colours. John Kerry’s name is a brand even though the most important aim of “John Kerry for President, Inc” is not to earn money directly but to get political power. However, both politics and money is always about power. What is more, the web site also claims to earn money: e.g. it’s offered to “Put your money where your mouse is!”, you can also buy t-shirts, cups with the campaign logos, which means direct profit.

U.S. presidential elections’ system when 2 candidates compete in “final tour” forces image-makers to create sort of different image brands out of political figures who are supposed to be best representatives of U.S. citizens. And it makes to form a feature-based brand because we speak about personalities who function in the same field with the same means. In this particular situation Kerry’s brand is also Bush’s anti-brand: organization appeals to the same American values and uses “always number one” vocabulary, also the same symbols; just Kerry tries to benefit from the present president’s mistakes. E.g. main campaign slogans points to the “wrong” Bush’s healthcare fight against terror and environment protection policies. As a “commodity” Kerry can offer “superior performance”.

Kerry’s brand is aimed to be associated with the words “courage” and “audacity”, also with the “lifetime service” for the nation (these words are slogans from posters also used as main arguments in discussions by the supporters’ community.

John Kerry’s official blog seems to be devoted to all the citizens of the U.S., they even try to stress the diversity of Kerry supporters who all those who still don’t support him can identify themselves with. One can visit online John Kerry Activist Communities like African Americans for Kerry, Americans Overseas for Kerry, sportsmen for Kerry, students for Kerry with a targeted new for each audience, e.g. in “Young voters for Kerry” site you can see how Kerry comes on a motorcycle to TV show, him on MTV etc.  Blog itself can be reached from all of these official sites – so it’s for those who are mostly interested in Kerry’s feedback to everyday issues.

Community consists of Kerry’s fans; one can feel even like in some sect because of the nonnegotiable vocabulary (he's brilliant and has ton's of charisma..., Oh good, giedre... stick around here, the TRUTH will set you free (the Patriot Act WON'T!)  and accuracy they follow Kerry’s actions (Kerry on CNN! stops going discussion the moderator and states briefly what he is speking) and the vocabulary used to describe the candidate campaign.

The participation element in web sites

As for internet use, first of all Kerry’s team is proud of having a blog (“Have you looked at the Bush web site yet? See if you have a chance to talk/blog freely” wrote one Kerry’s fan “calif dem” is comments board). Kerry’s web site serves as a data of media announcements related with him, also an archive of his campaign.

Blogging is used as a means to extend the candidate’s and all his team’s closeness to all the nation. E.g., everyone who enters the comments board is met with welcoming message. The discussion seems to be regulated by several people who try to make all visitors feel at home and stimulates participation by asking questions (probably they are just starry eyed Kerry lovers-volunteers). By the way, Kerry’s fans are eager to discuss in polite manner even if you express dislike of their candidate (“if you are a seeker of info, why would we kick you out? you haven't been disrespectful. there are lots of folks here who supported other candidates in the primaries, and are now supporting Kerry wholeheartedly. Seek, and ye shall find.  John Kerry for President” wrote rayd8)

As far as primary online participatory space regulation is concerned, if you want to be a member of E!Online or Kerry for President community you should be a registered member. in E!Online site you can “gossip” with others interested in celebrities lives. You feel best if you’re a fan and share the same values with other members of community.

In Kerry’s and goarmy.çom sites the main synergies are build along I would call the ideological lines: a visitor can reward mostly by participating in communities if they support expressed ideas, they can use not only well prepared data bases but also experience collective knowledge. For web site creators it’s important to have a wide circle of ideology supporters, also information providers (internet environment makes audience’s activity visible) and as big as possible but obviously smaller circle of directly acting people who become volunteers in presidential campaign or army soldiers.

In  E!Online environment one can also enjoy epistemaphilia. If you become E!online insider (it’s officially allowed to people from 13 year old), more participation can be experienced: on-line message boards, “hottest gossips” with  exclusive Ted Alerts!, news letters, more multimedia pieces are accessible to you. Most of activities can be reached through “fun stuff” zone, e.g. you can play games and try to be a paparazzi, or “match your favorite stars with their significant others” etc. Of course the “stars” are the figures in the games and you’re the better player if you read more E! gossips… simple relation, just be more in the glamour pop stars life and sooner or later this will bring benefit for E! producers. Corporate structure of all E! organization (which mostly fulfill media functions) lets producers benefit directly; the fact that user is here and now means profit (mostly e.g. from advertising, also from on-line shop).  E! brand is surrounded by much information and images that encourage you to entertain yourself and to consume the same time, what means profit for E!Online producers.  

You are culture!

These are examples how the notion “participatory culture” has become an important part of commercial domain; the role of audience now changes from passive consuming to active participation. To but it simply, for businesses this means that they should frame own corporate structure and performance according to the changes in social environment and value system; businesses should widen their understanding of profitable activities and should be considering novelties of culture[ii] if they want to earn money. “Participatory culture” can’t be taken from the context of “culturalization” economics in general. I would say that all three “meanings” [iii] covered by one quite a vague term “culture” are of increasing importance in the whole Western civilization.

When we speak of commercial domain and culture, the fact that the notion “participation” comes with the trends of shifting boundaries between “high culture” and “low culture” or more generally the boundaries between professional and amateurish participation in activities which can be called “cultural”, is also very important. To this extent the vagueness of the notion “culture” makes even more difficult for scholars to categorize, name and research present multiple changes and tendencies in the landscape of culture economics, culture of economics or cultural economy as a whole complex notion within the social sciences.

As the scope of the activities that can be treated as economic is growing as well, scarcely is it possible to mark the boundaries between commercial and public domains. The notion “participate” means to take part, if you’re a consciously acting member of some community, then it gets some features of public social network. As interactive technologies makes your actions more visible than ever and makes much of your activities a certain form of labour, how can you distinguish what is commercial and what is public.

Even the notion “participatory culture” sounds as appealing as if it was devoted to attract, as if it was branded: you participate, you’re culture!

P.S. As I don't understand Dutch I haven't been looking for additional argumentation in web site http://www.missiondecision.nl. However, those 3 websites provided be with much input to cope with… 

[i] Why not goarmy.org, I wonder? However, goarmy.org name is used as “ultimate army page” with various links and news of vague origin and owned by 4youonline.com 

[ii]  the use of word comprises William’s definitions of culture.  

[iii]  the same 3 definitions


Posted at 02:41 pm by giedre
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Jun 9, 2004
military vs economics?

I must share my recent on-line experience!!!  

After reading this L. van Middelaar text on anti-globalization I was thinking on his discussion that  war in Iraq is not "all about petrol".  

Even though didn't write any critical question on this, I didn't like the way this topic was approached in the text. Too shallow, too narrow and lacking broader view

and few minutes ago I noticed that an on-line conference with politics scholar dr. T.D. Clark from U.S. (Creighton University, Nebraska, Omaha; he teaches international relations and works much on post soviet democracies) is being held in Lithuanian news portal www.delfi.lt. I asked what he thinks on this and here's the answer:
  
giedre studente:
 15:35
Do you agree with the statement that in the XXI century economic power has replaced military might? Is war in Iraq all about petrol?
    T.D.Clark:
 15:41
This was the thesis behind the notion of globalization. It was Samuel Huntington who argued for an alternative thesis that cultures mattered and would be the source of conflict in the modern world. That conflict would not be mitigated by forces of global integration resulting from greater economic trade and interdependence. Rather, trade would lead to the spread of technology necessary for cultures to fight each other. I am not sure that we know yet which of these two visions (or perhaps a third?) is the best description of the world in which we live.

fast and simple way of getting wise answers, isn't it :)

Posted at 02:53 pm by giedre
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remarks

today I added some remarks to my session 8 q&a. what is more, here I also promise to improve my final h2o assignment (so the version in the rotisserie will be supplemented). i was a little bit mixed with the dates of deadlines and really had doubts what I'm expected to write for questions 4 and 5

Posted at 02:22 pm by giedre
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Jun 8, 2004
session 8: critical q&a

Middelaar, L. van (2003) On Logos and Grassroot: The Anti-Globalization Movement Between Morals, Economics and Politics See: http://www.cne.org/pub_pdf?032003_luuk_grasroots.pdf

 

In the end of the text L. van Middelaar offers kind of directions for rewarding relationship among of Western countries and 3rd World, the main idea is that poverty problems could be solved with political will and legal accuracy. What arguments are provided not to include economical (or business) solutions to this relationship?

 

L. van Middelaar quotes Hernando de Soto, who states that for capital transfers to have a positive impact on developing world, a huge political and legal work should be done. Later, de Soto’s claim on perception of working of “capital” is mentioned: capital is so well integrated in the whole system that it has become invisible. On the one hand, these arguments are strong to defend statement that “the way out of poverty lies not in naked money transfers from North to South”[i]. On the other hand, if we presume that the flows of capital have become difficult to pick out from political and legal actions, how can we speak of the businesses coming to the third world after political and legal reforms are done? BTW, the impure relationship between business and politics is one of the reasons why Western power is questioned by anti-globalists and other activists. In my opinion, the terms “politics and law” don’t embrace the notion of “business”. In honest discussions of development the term “money” is inevitable. And this is actually what many streams of anti-globalists deal with, isn’t it?

 

L. van Middelaar speaks that the name “anti-globalisation” doesn’t exactly reflect anti-globalists activities because they’re mostly against to a certain type of globalization (7). What is here common with N. Klein’s book’s name “No Logo”?

  

N. Klein herself mentions limits of brand-based approach towards the problems caused by globalizing capitalism. Many adbusters’ campaigns, such as the one against “Nike” which main idea was to counter “Nike” by selling a kind of “delogoed” shoe called the “Black Spot sneaker” which had a “antilogo”: black spot, which actually could be treated as logo: it’s mark raising up psychological (even ideological could be said) meanings.[ii] However, if we put emphasis that culture jammers and adbusters movements are not against branding as a means of management but against the actions which disobey the human values, then a part of advertisers’ arguments against culture jammers actions would be beat off and further fruitful discussions on the validity of global capitalism actions.   To sum up, both names of activism and of the books convey deeper  message we get by literal translation of the terms.


Lasica, J.D. (2003) Blogs and Journalism Need Each Other (Nieman Reports, Fall 2003)

 

The appearance of “news blogs” simply can be treated as the growing number of information sources. Which field of news reporting is in a greatest need of depolarization of news sources?

 

The content of every news program is much dependent on the information offered my news agencies, especially if we speak of international issues coverage. For instance, “The Associated Press” says that “Depending on whether the story ran on the state, national or international wires, more than a billion people may read, hear or see news”. Researches show that in Lithuanian media main international information sources, especially those of images are Reuters, Interfax and AP, on the radio also BBC, CNN and some Russian on-line papers are quoted what means that news discourse actually depends on a few sources simply because of the high costs of information gathering. Blogging can be treated as at least a small escape from such domination of several international news sources.

 

Does blogging really change the main streams on news reporting?

 

What is biggest challenge for blogging that actually the category of trust in news business is so important that usually only “reliable and respected, well informed” sources are quoted and so far I could scarcely imagine the BBC news’host presenting facts with such the beginning: “as Christopher Allbriton writes in his weblog, ….”, and all news business is a huge inert structure. There are evident threats: first  for mass media structure itself, because it’s mainly built on “time checked” directions of networking, and with media concentration (not the growing variety of sources) they become even more stable sources of profit. Another logical threat is the responsibility for audience: to trust any news “with personality” seems less logical than to trust information from such big businesses as Reuters or AP which are really sensitive about their organizational face and reputation.

 

To sum up, “media mix” rewards from blogging but news reporting itself is effected by globalizing tendencies and is actually quite a conservative field of journalism. This means that it will take some time before weblogs  really effect traditional fields of journalism

 

Not only journalism is changed by blogging activities, but also the blogging culture changes because of journalism. Find an example.

 

“Scotblog” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/webguide/scotblog/) which is presented as  “the weblog of BBC Scotland Interactive, providing links to internet-based items and resources, featuring short executive summary and unique perspective on the web” is an example of highly institutionalized blog.

 

Not speaking much about the idea for BBC to have such blogs, the first visible fact that despite the “news with face” blog readers get quite formal information from reporter Mike (“Scotblog is presently written by a select group of BBC production staff, who are individually identified by their first name beneath each entry”), but you get neither his name nor opinion, though on air programs hosts usually present themselves with names ad surnames.

 

Comments are not posted under the news items, the reason is said to be “because of the BBC's standards on taste and decency, we cannot allow members of the public to publish their comments directly onto one of our sites, but all comments are immediately sent to a repository, where we proof them before publication. We check for comments regularly throughout the working day, and often at weekends too”.

 

So, the form of weblog is used more as a page with extended links for disseminating information from the same news businesses.

 

Gillmor, D. (2003) Moving Toward Participatory Journalism (Nieman Reports, Fall 2003)

 

Why blogging can be treated as distoringt journalism?

 

If you are a journalist dreaming of TV stars’ career to own a blog which reflects your individual voice is a perfect opportunity to express yourself and attract crowds of admirers. If blogging becomes a fashion, all journalists will be expected to have blogs and will be forced to be busy with quite redundant activities, simply take energy from journalists’ which could be used for working his direct job.

 

E.g. if you’re a radio reporter it takes you additional energy top supply your own blog with specially prepared information. Let’s imagine that to have a weblog for a journalist is as important as to drop in talk–shows for politicians. Ironically politics now is more about what is said than what is done. Like for a journalist to say “how I tried to make a good report”. Honest  entries to ones blog could be like this: “today I didn’t find 3 main sources to speak on mine topic but my editors said that my feature should be ready for evening program so I find 3 others, 1 of them knew less than me, another one was very exited about idea to speak on air and spoke so slowly that it took 1 hour to edit his speech later (because actually report could last no longer than 3 minutes…)  But anyway you heard this in the evening program and maybe even find this report very professional….

 

Of course I’m exaggerating. But what I want to say is that blogging technology  can be used in many ways, so it is not panacea against the “cloudiness” of journalism. There are the acts of journalism which won’t be made transparent by journalist’s themselves. Because of the same reason – everyone does mistakes and is not like to admit all of them.


P.S. Journalism studies is my major in Lithuania and I had been working as a reporter for a while. So, my arguments on previous text are influenced by my practical experience. Being a journalist in small country in not too sophisticated technological environment you know not only the contraints common with profession itself (eternal shortage of time, superficialness, dependance on sources etc.) but also reality: what is not seen as a direct source of profit by media bosses in the beginning, later are often simply attached to the traditional activities as an extention (e.g. neither of main Lithuanian dailies is improving their on-line versions of newspapers according to internet technology novelities). That's why I believe that in the nearest future blogging will be used as an extension of journalistic genres more often than treated as the new sort of journalism. 

btw, I hope to "extend" the radio program I'm planning to work in when I go back to Lithuania with blogging affordances :) However, I know that the target audience of this program is not the people who use computers and the scope of benefit will depend not only on my enthusiasm but on reality as well...      

 

Warde, A. Production, Consumption and “Cultural Economy” In: Gay, P. du; Pryke, M. (2002) Cultural Economy (London: Sage Publications)

 

A. Warde shapes his discussion on the basis of R. Williams 3 definitions of culture. The author doesn’t see much coterminous with the culture(i) definition and the discussion on information society.  Is this position convincing?

 

Even though I agree with authors’ choice to use (i) and (ii) definitions of culture in the discussion on “cultural economies”, I would say that the whole context of the discussion obviously includes the “general intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development”, “the fruits of civilization”. E.g., the growth in leisure time related industries (or here we could say culture (iii) businesses depend much on technological advances embodied in new capital equipment[iii], the present changes of cultural economies which could be called the moving towards participatory culture is correlated with the horizons of thinking on businesses widened by IT technologies.  So I don’t find the reason to tell that the culture (i) definition is vaguely related to information society. The author even contradicts himself later saying that intellectual properties are becoming more important inputs to production.      

[i] P.41

[ii] http://slate.msn.com/id/2091260/#ContinueArticle

[iii] Vogel, H. (2001) Economic Perspectives in: Entertainment Industry Economics – A Guide For Financial Analysis - Cambridge University Press, 5th edition

 




Posted at 12:25 pm by giedre
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Jun 4, 2004
Lithuanian blogosphere


*

after all these readings about global blogging I decided to search what is there any sort of Lithuanian blogosphere. And now (what is absolutely not according to my works' schedule...) I read read read and read them. And find much fun. So far, blogging in Lithuanian is mostly popular among computing fans and IT specialists, and I found only one politician's blog. She appears to be the mom of my ex-college, who is a computer programmer. One mobile company portal offers place to blogs (in Lithuanian they are cold "diaries") and here you can find many teenagers' love stories, photoes from parties etc.

Summing it up, blogging is non a mainstream activity in my country. And it will be so nice to see it in the roots and to follow its development. Thanks to this course for such discoveries :)

*Here's a picture from one Lithuanian blog. As for copyright, his author says everyone to take anything they want from his blog and promises even to buy back everything what will be improved and will seem to be worth buying :)

 

Posted at 04:42 pm by giedre
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Jun 1, 2004
session 7: critical Q&A

Because of the same reasons I'm a little bit late with my Q&A

(1) Tybout, A. & Carpenter, G. (2001) Creating and managing Brands In: Iacobucci, D (ed.) (2001) Kellogg on Marketing (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

 

(2) Dafermos, G (2003) Blogging the Market: How Weblogs are Turning Corporate Machines into Real Conversations See: http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/dafermos3.pdf

 

Aren’t employees’ weblogs sort of PR technology, just presented as “real conversantions”? (1) How “corporate blogs” increase customers’s interaction with certain brands and add to making them “experiential” brands? (2) 

 

In the text G. Dafermos presents “Macromedia Inc.” employees’ weblogs as innovation which adds to organizations' management decentralization, reduces IT department’s hegemony, also breaks free from the standardized PR speech etc. I would call employee’s weblogs also one of the PR means and one more way to use on-line users' activities as labour. “Macromedia Inc.” explains: “Our intent was to get the information out to our customers as quickly as we could—that's why we did the blogs in the first place.”[i] 

 

However, one should be aware that it’s also the part of company’s branding policy which doesn’t mean that the information in company’s employees’ blogs as honest an unbiased as the “word of mouth” from your friend, these blogs are kind of “word of mouth advertising” applied to the internet. I couldn’t find information how “Macromedia Inc.” pays for the employees, they just write that they “encourage” them to blog. Anyway I’m sure that blogging is one of the paragraph of their job contract. Informal speech, daily updates – it’s really convincing way of communication. And aren’t there hired people purposely for this activity?.. Dioesn't the writing-style of bloggers seem too much alike?

 

Even more, customers’ participation in blogs also increases the feeling of participation for themselves, the state even more active than “experiencing” the brand is created. They make you feel closer to the people who work there (or actually to company’s policy they represent), you influence even process of production…  

Of course, it’s new means and is useful for customers themselves: businesses know your needs quickly and soon may satisfy them, these are new shifts in all fields on economics. Where’s the danger? No big danger. It’s just the reason why one may have more psychological ties with some brand (even though it doesn’t mark the best production), just advertising. And even though “Macromedia Inc.”is "one of the few companies to appreciate the new topography of the Web."[ii] their claims that weblogs is not strategy and they don’t have more purposes than to know customers’ opinions don’t persuade me.

 

“Blogs give us the fantastic opportunity to mass communicate directly and quickly with our customers, in an easy-to-read format, without going through slow corporate processes”[iii]. As customers we are really happy with it. But it’s better to be “new media literate”…

 

P.S. The process of becoming aware reminds me letter-writing to Santa Claus agency and waiting for the answer in childhood: first of all you believe that HE writes them; later a child decides that maybe some elves help him to write so many letters, and later you realize that this is just the business. Pleasurable, though, and that’s why increases somebody’s profits.

 

Nixon, S. Re-Imaging the Ad Agency: the Cultural Connotations of Economic Forms In: Gay, P. du; Pryke, M. (2002) Cultural Economy (London: Sage Publications)

 

S. Nixon in the article speaks of the changes in ad companies’ remuneration as of the cultural shift. BBH agency is analyzed as an example of self-redefining company.  Why globalization could be regarded as one of the most influential processes to this shift?

 

BBH emphasizes that 71% of company’s income is from work that runs internationally.  This is one of many examples proving that more and more businesses seek for international performance and success. What is more, with the “esthetization” and “culturization” of economics ad agencies input becomes of greater than ever importance, or to say in BBH words, the "spirit of partnership" for fruitful relationship is important As a result international business companies often work with the same advertising companies in different regions.

 

Speaking of BBH again, they say that company “develops the advertising for Levi’s on a global basis, producing work from each of our offices”[v]. As for another example, DDB and McDonalds can be the case. I don’t know exact practices after agreement between McDonalds and DDB on “Worldwide French Fry Campaign”[iv]but I suppose they might have reached agreement on some sort of “salary”, not only on commissions. In diffrent regions the value of advertising in each sort of media differs. To apply unified commissions' shares would be too superficial, meanwhile discussions of commissions in every separate regionswould take more input than give rewards. I presume that e.g. for advertising campaign in Baltic States they might have agreed on one salary: then regional offices of DDB do the local job (as translating slogans etc.), but they share money which is distributed by DDB headquarters in Chicago. That means that DDB itself has only one agreement with McDonalds on a certain amount of money.  

Long-term collaboration make companies know each other’s capabilities and is efficiently used in the development processes. Having in mind the context the growing ad industry importance we’d also speak of globalization which leads to the "salary model" agreements which most probably are more efficient than other ways of remuneration.  


[i] Blogs are Huge See: http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/logged_in/ekrimen_blogs.html

[ii] Same

[iii] Same

[iv] DDB Selected for McDonald's Worldwide French Fry Campaign See: http://164.109.33.187/corp/news/corppr/cpr12192003.html

[v] www.bbh.co.uk


Posted at 04:43 pm by giedre
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