Campaign articles from August 2008

Campaign archives from August 2008

Dobson quits MSN for BBC Worldwide.(Chris Dobson)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Chris Dobson, Microsoft's UK commercial head, is leaving the computing giant to join BBC Worldwide. Dobson will take on an as-yet-unspecified senior global sales position at the BBC's commercial arm. The move will make Chris Ward,...

Fallon beats three to global Sony Bravia task.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Fallon is poised to pick up the global advertising account for the Sony Bravia flat-screen TV range, following a four-way pitch against Berlin Cameron United, Crispin Porter & Bogusky and 180. Although contracts have yet to be finalised,...

Mother scoops pounds 35m Diet Coke.
August 29, 2008... Shoreditch shop lands pan-European creative brief; VCCP expected to lose UK billings for the brand. Mother has landed the pounds 35 million pan-European advertising account for Diet Coke following a pitch against undisclosed agencies. ...

Nick Lawson to run MediaCom Europe.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Nick Lawson, MediaCom UK's chief executive, is set to be made the WPP agency's chief executive across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. David Kyffin, Group M's managing director of direct/digital, is also in discussions to take on a...

Catchpole & Friends closes for business.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Catchpole & Friends, the Harrison Troughton Wunderman direct marketing agency breakaway that launched in 2005, has folded after just three years in business. The agency, which was launched by the former HTW associate creative director...

Chime profits rise for first half of 2008.(Financial report)
August 29, 2008... Chime Communications, the owner of VCCP, has reported a 27.3 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to pounds 8.2 million for the first half of 2008. Operating profits rose 24.9 per cent to pounds 9.1 million and operating income climbed 24.2...

Karmarama nets Ohlson's UK debut.(Clas Ohlson)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Karmarama has won the advertising account for the Swedish homewares brand, Clas Ohlson, ahead of its UK launch. The agency secured the business following a pitch against undisclosed agencies, handled by Ulrika Goransson, Clas Ohlson's...

KesselsKramer wins Bushmills global brief from BMB.(Beattie McGuinness Bungay)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Diageo has appointed the Dutch agency KesselsKramer to handle the global advertising account for its Irish whiskey brand, Bushmills, as part of a wider roster review. Bushmills has also hired Agency Republic to handle the global digital...

Tories vow to stop junk-food ad curbs.(advertising)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... The Conservative Party has ruled out any further curbs on junk-food advertising if it wins the next general election. Instead, an incoming Tory government would seek a series of voluntary 'responsibility agreements' with food and alcohol...

180 lands Adidas digital.
August 29, 2008... Omnicom consortium of agencies beats three to take Adidas' global digital brief. 180 has scooped Adidas' global digital advertising account following a four-way pitch. The agency, which worked with other Omnicom agencies including...

Kettle Chips calls advertising review.
August 29, 2008... Kettle Foods is looking for an advertising agency for its premium crisps brand, Kettle Chips. The crisp-maker has shortlisted Dye Holloway Murray, Isobel and one other undisclosed agency to compete for the business. Andrew Slamin,...

BBH shuts its Tokyo shop in Asian rejig.(Bartle Bogle Hegarty Ltd.)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Bartle Bogle Hegarty has closed its Tokyo office as part of a restructure of its operations in Asia. The closure was prompted by Unilever's decision to centralise its operations into Singapore. BBH's Tokyo office opened in 2005 to...

Beattie McGuinness Bungay wins pounds 2 million Yorkshire Tea.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Yorkshire Tea, the Taylors of Harrogate-owned tea brand, has appointed Beattie McGuinness Bungay to its pounds 2 million advertising account, after a four-way pitch against undisclosed agencies. The appointment draws the Manchester-based...

Gartmore poised to hand Grey ad task.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Grey is poised to pick up Gartmore's pounds 2 million UK advertising account after a three-way pitch. The agency beat the incumbent, Rapier, and Swarm, the Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R conflict shop, in a final shoot-out. RPM3 and...

Profits plummet for Independent owner.(Independent News & Media PLC)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Independent News & Media, the owner of The Independent newspaper, has seen its half-year profits plunge 35.6 per cent because of poor consumer confidence and challenging trading conditions. The company said its operating profits fell to...

Moving People signs Naked and The7Stars.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Naked and The7Stars have been appointed to handle media planning and buying for Moving People, a consortium of mental health charities. The two agencies pitched jointly for the account against a shortlist of undisclosed agencies. ...

The Week: Advertising news - Virgin seeks deal with Bolt.(Virgin Media Group Ltd.)(Usain Bolt)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Virgin Media has approached Usain Bolt, the Olympic 100 metre and 200 metre champion, to be the face of its superfast broadband service. The company, which claims that its 50 megabyte broadband product will be twice as fast as its rivals,...

The Week: Advertising news - IPA launches green portal.(Institute of Practitioners in Advertising)(www.ipa.co.uk/Content/Sustainability-Guide-Introduction-Page)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... The IPA has launched a sustainability website that aims to provide information on how agencies and their staff can improve their green credentials, both on a personal and corporate level. The portal,...

The Week: Advertising news - Harvey Nicks uses Aardman.
August 29, 2008... Wallace and Gromit will front a new ad campaign for Harvey Nichols, promoting the launch of its Bristol store. The ads, created by DDB London and Aardman Animations, feature Wallace dressed in a Dolce & Gabbana shirt and an Alexander McQueen...

The Week: Media news - Intel builds Yahoo! widgets.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Intel is to build Yahoo! widgets into new TV chips to allow consumers to use internet applications while watching programmes. Yahoo! is planning to launch the Widget Channel, an application framework designed for TV and related consumer...

The Week: Media news - Sun and Mail top sales rise.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... The Sun, The Times and the Daily Mail were the only paid-for national newspapers to see a year-on-year increase in readership, according to figures from the National Readership Survey. The NRS annual data, for July 2007 to June 2008,...

The Week: Media news - Facebook trials ad format.(advertising)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Facebook is trialling a new ad format that aims to be more interactive by using three of the network's common user features. In September, eight advertisers will test out the new format, dubbed an engagement ad. Using Facebook's...

The Week: Media news - Facebook removes Scrabulous.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Separately, Facebook has pulled Scrabulous, the unofficial online version of the Scrabble board game, from the website in the UK and most of the rest of the world after Mattel, the owner of the game outside the US and Canada, made a formal...

The Week: Media news - Chelsea debuts kids' mag.(magazine)(Chelsea Football Club)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Chelsea Football Club has launched a quarterly children's magazine called Bridge Kids, which will be delivered free to junior club members. The magazine will also be sold on newsstands with the existing monthly title, Chelsea. John Brown...

The Week: Media news - NI halts old printworks sale.(News International PLC)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... News International is shelving plans to sell its former printworks in Wapping, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph. The publisher of The Times and The Sun took the decision to suspend plans to sell the 14-acre site due to the...

The Week: Media news - Guardian site top for users.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Guardian.co.uk beat its competitors for the second month running in July with a record 20.6 million unique users. The website saw users jump by 0.6 per cent from June, according to ABCe figures. In contrast, Telegraph.co.uk, in second...

The Week: Brand News - MasterChef readies meals.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... MasterChef, the BBC2 cookery show, is planning to launch a range of ready-meals and cooking ingredients. Shine, its production company, has registered a trademark application for food, including ready-meals, fruit and vegetable purees,...

The Week: Twinings splits creative account between three agencies.(R. Twining and Company Ltd.)(Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO)(Adam & Eve)(Lowe London)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Twinings has ended its five-month-long advertising review by splitting its account between the final three pitching agencies. Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO will handle the company's speciality teas range, while WCRS will take on the duties for...

The Week: Best of the blogs - Aim for the heart.(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Paul Feldwick's presentation totally rocked my socks. His basic thesis: 'Ads must aim for the heart, not the head.' We all know that But Feldwick's point is that we don't act on it. 'We know brand preferences usually aren't rational,' he...

The Week: City news - WPP posts half-year growth.(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... WPP posted a 4.3 per cent rise in like-for-like revenue to pounds 3.34 billion for the first half of 2008, with post-tax profits up 16.8 per cent year on year at pounds 23.3 million and overall revenues up 11.8 per cent. The company's...

The Week: City news - WPP sells Mugabe agency.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Separately, WPP has sold its stake in the Zimbabwean agency that was linked to Robert Mugabe's campaign for re-election as the country's president earlier this summer. According to The Sunday Telegraph, the 25 per cent shareholding in...

The Week: City news - UTV revenue and profit up.(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... UTV, the owner of talkSPORT, has reported revenues were up 8 per cent for the first half of 2008, boosted by its radio division. The company's pre-tax profits rose 12 per cent year on year to pounds 10.4 million, with operating profits up...

The Week: City news - Bertelsmann in Reed bid.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... The German media group Bertelsmann has joined the bidders vying for Reed Elsevier's business-to-business division. The company's publishing subsidiary Gruner & Jahr confirmed it was involved in the auction of Reed Business Information,...

The Week: City news - RTL hit by ad slowdown.(advertising)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... RTL, which owns five, has blamed the advertising slowdown and 'adverse' currency fluctuations for operating profits being down 2.5 per cent in the first half of 2008. Earnings before interest, tax and amortisation were EUR502 million...

The Week: People news - Bogusky writes diet book.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Alex Bogusky, the Crispin Porter & Bogusky founder and one of the men behind high-profile ad campaigns for Burger King and Domino's, has written a diet book called The 9-Inch Diet. The book, which was created with his business partner...

The Week: People news - Swinand joins Starcom.(Andrew Swinand)(Starcom MediaVest Group)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Starcom MediaVest Group has named Andrew Swinand as its president of global operations. Swinand, who was formerly the chief operating officer at the Publicis Groupe consultancy Denuo, will develop new client-facing service models across the...

The Week: People news - Golley Slater hires Phillips.(Mip Phillips)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Mip Phillips, the former Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners creative, has been appointed as Golley Slater London's first executive creative director. Phillips will head up the creative teams for both Golley Slater Advertising London and...

The Week: People news - Orlov lands DraftFCB role.(Alexei Orlov)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... DraftFCB has named Alexei Orlov as its new regional president for Europe and the Middle East. Orlov was most recently the executive vice-chairman of Wunderman Worldwide, where he was also the chief executive of global automotive operations....

The Week: People news - O'Dowd moves to Jazz FM.(Robert O'Dowd)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Jazz FM has appointed Robert O'Dowd, the former group enterprise director of the GWR Group, as its enterprise director. O'Dowd will develop Jazz FM's off-air sales through CD releases, concerts and online music sales, which have accounted...

The Week: People news - Loosemore takes C4 post.(Tom Loosemore)(Channel 4)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Channel 4 has hired Tom Loosemore, Ofcom's senior advisor for digital media, to head its pounds 50 million public-service digital media fund. The Four Innovation for the Public Fund has been set up by the broadcaster to invest in digital...

The Week: People news - Microsoft appoints Kelisky.(Jeff Kelisky)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Microsoft has appointed Jeff Kelisky as its general manager of commercial search as part of the company's restructure of its search business group. Kelisky, the former chief executive of the Microsoft-owned UK online mapping company Multimap,...

The Week: Advertising reviews - Stella shortlists Euro RSCG.(Stella Artois)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Euro RSCG has joined Mother and Publicis on the shortlist of agencies competing for the global Stella Artois account. Briefings with agencies are being held this week, with a pitch expected to take place in one month's time in Belgium

The Week: HSBC slammed over fake sumo wrestler ad campaign.(advertising)(Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd.)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... HSBC, which has long used the strapline 'the world's local bank', has been accused of cultural insensitivity after it emerged that the 'sumo wrestler' used in its latest ad campaign was in fact an overweight white man called Brian. ...

The Week: i-Q - The Internet Question - What do you think of the 'slant-eyed' Olympics race row?
August 29, 2008... Rather than condemn the Argentinians, and particularly the Spanish, it's probably better to encourage them to change - to accept that everything is global now and people are different. - Mark Griffiths I know a few Spaniards and they are...

The World: Denver - Six out of ten agency bosses think they're worse off.(Survey)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Sixty per cent of agency bosses within Worldwide Partners, a global owner-operated network, believe their business prospects are worse than at this time last year. And only 39 per cent of them believe things will get better next year. ...

The World: New York - Seinfeld seals deal to front dollars 300m Microsoft ad.
August 29, 2008... Microsoft has signed the comedian Jerry Seinfeld to front a dollars 300 million ad campaign to be created by Crispin Porter & Bogusky. The objective of the campaign, which will also feature other celebrities including the Microsoft...

The World: Boston - Glenn Engler takes the helm at Digitas headquarters.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Digitas, the Publicis Groupe-owned digital network, has promoted Glenn Engler to the position of president of its Boston headquarters. Engler fills the gap left by the departure of Torrence Boone, who left to run WPP's Enfatico agency in...

The World: Hamburg - TDC Germany makes Torsten Laufenberg joint head.(The Disruption Consultancy)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... The Disruption Consultancy, the TBWA-owned network that advises companies how to do things differently, has appointed Torsten Laufenberg as its managing director in Germany. He will lead the operation with Ulf-Brun Drechsel, who has been...

The World: Shanghai - Beiersdorf reviews dollars 50m Chinese media account.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Beiersdorf, the toiletries maker, is reviewing its dollars 50 million media planning and buying account in China. The incumbent, Carat, which has the business in six other Asian markets, has been invited to repitch. It will defend the...

The World: New York - Levi's examines its media agency arrangements.(Levi Strauss & Co.)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Levi's is conducting a review of its media agency arrangements, which are currently split between Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Initiative. Interpublic Group's Initiative handles broadcast buying for the brand, as well as the media account...

The World: New York - Deutsch hands Jeff Huggins executive creative role.(Deutsch Advertising)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Deutsch, the Interpublic Group-owned agency, has hired Jeff Huggins as its executive creative director at its New York office. In this role, Huggins will take on the day-to-day running of the agency's creative department to allow the...

The World: New York - Verizon eyes deal with Google for mobile search tool.(Verizon Communications Inc.)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Verizon is in talks to sign a deal that would make Google the mobile network's default search engine when its customers turn on their mobiles. Under the terms of the deal being hammered out, the two companies would be expected to share...

The World: Amsterdam - BSUR appoints Van Vijfeijken as creative director.(Rob van Vijfeijken)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Rob van Vijfeijken has been named the creative director of the BSUR agency. Van Vijfeijken, previously the creative director at Great in Rotterdam, joins the BSUR managing director, Mark van Egmond, as a partner. His agency career...

The World: Shanghai - WPP takes minority stake in an in-game ad agency.(InGame Ad Interactive Technology)(advertising)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... WPP has taken a minority stake in the Chinese in-game advertising agency InGame Ad Interactive Technology, as part of its strategy to move into emerging sectors. As part of the deal, the holding company will own 12.82 per cent in the...

The Work: New campaigns - UK.(briefs)(DDB London)
August 29, 2008... STAPLES - BACK TO SCHOOL CREDITS Project: Back to school Client: Yetunde Ige marketing director, Staples Brief: Build awareness for Staples' back-to-school range Creative agency: McCann Erickson Writer: Matt Crabtree Art director:...

The Work: New Campaigns - The World.(briefs)(Dynamic Marketing Group )
August 29, 2008... NIKE - BAD LISTENER - SOUTH AFRICA CREDITS Project: Bad listener Client: Austin Simms, brand connections manager, Nike Brief: Tell the courageous story of Oscar Pistorius Creative agency: Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam Writer: David...

Hotline: GfK withdraws from TNS race.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... GfK has withdrawn from the race to acquire the market research group TNS. Despite the decision, TNS said that it continues to oppose the pounds 1.1 billion hostile takeover bid from WPP, on the grounds that it undervalues the company

Hotline: Kidscape launches attack on Orangina ad.(FFL Paris)(advertising)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Kidscape, the children's charity, has launched an attack on an ad for Orangina, by the French agency FFL Paris, which features sexually charged animals romping in a forest. The Kidscape director Claude Knights said the ad's cartoon style...

Hotline: Feel Films signs director Selby.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Feel Films has signed the director Selby for commercials representation in the UK and abroad. He joins from Wanted Films, where he spent three years following its split from Brave Films, which previously represented him

Hotline: BJL hires creative team.(Pete Bastiman)(Tom Richards)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... The Manchester agency BJL has hired the creative team Pete Bastiman and Tom Richards as deputy creative directors. They join from TBWA\Manchester and will report to the recently appointed creative director, Billy Mawhinney

Hotline: Endemol Group hires chief commercial officer.(Tom Toumazis)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Endemol Group has hired Tom Toumazis in the new role of chief commercial officer. Toumazis joins from Disney-ABC-ESPN Television, where he is the managing director and executive vice-president

Hotline: BBC Worldwide to launch online music service.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... BBC Worldwide plans to launch an ad-supported online music service, offering free and paid-for access to the BBC's archive of audio and video music content and its coverage of events such as Glastonbury

Hotline: Sportingbet hands account to MediaCom.
August 29, 2008... The online gaming company Sportingbet has handed its pounds 10 million pan-European media planning account to MediaCom

Hotline: Zavvi hires The7Stars.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Zavvi, the high-street music retailer formerly known as Virgin Megastores, has hired The7Stars to handle its estimated pounds 10 million media planning and buying account. The agency was awarded the business following a pitch against Manning...

Hotline: Abbott Mead Vickers appoints creative director.(Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO appoints Steve Coll)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO has appointed Steve Coll, a creative director at Leo Burnett Sydney, as a senior copywriter. He replaces Jason Fretwell, who quit the agency at the end of last year to launch Brooklyn Brothers with George Bryant

Hotline: Arena BLM to launch BLM Horizon.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... The Havas-owned Arena BLM is to launch a division dedicated to the travel and leisure sector called BLM Horizon. The unit, which will be headed by the business director Chris Armond, will provide integrated planning and buying and travel...

Pitch update.(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Maybe it's the weather, but this August seems to be quieter than ever. Pitches are few and far between and generally have been put on hold while agency and marketing folk alike look to abandon soggy Britain. Anyway, the matchmakers...

New-Business Rankings: 29 August 2008.(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
August 29, 2008... NEW-BUSINESS RANKINGS 29 AUGUST 2008 Rank Rank Agency/ Total Total Net Wins this last Last three wins billings billings billings week week gained lost ...

Close-Up: Live Issue - Why being a shit will backfire on you in the end.
August 29, 2008... The Apprentice-style big cheese is pure TV; what gets the best out of staff, and advances you most, is respect. The chief executive of a large marketing services company - a big cheese indeed - is on a transoceanic flight with the...

Close-Up: Live Issue - Dove abandons its soapbox to focus on the soap.
August 29, 2008... Dove broke through barriers with its 'real beauty' campaign. Now it's more concerned with the product, Noel Bussey says. In 2004, consumers across the globe found themselves face- to-face with billboards and magazine ads featuring normal...

Close-Up: Live Issue - Is divided viewer attention killing TV?
August 29, 2008... With a host of media options to choose from, do consumers really watch TV, Caroline Lovell asks. When it comes to watching TV these days, it seems as if families are becoming less like The Royle Family and more like The Jetsons. An...

Close-Up: 24 hours with ... Amelia Torode.(Diary entry)
August 29, 2008... Name: Amelia Torode Job: Partner, head of digital strategy, VCCP Professional mission: Digital infection Personal mantra: Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around, you might miss it 7.45am Check blog stats....

Media Perspective: Make the best of the economic downturn by investing in talent.
August 29, 2008... While much talk is of economic downturn and reduced client marketing investment, we must also consider our own investments as agencies. What are we doing to protect the industry's greatest asset - our talent? The beginning of a downturn...

Media Forum: Is future bright for 4Digital?
August 29, 2008... Despite the teething problems, can 4Digital succeed? If there is one complaint from media agencies about 4Digital Group, it is a lack of recent communication about its plans. Currently, there is no commercial director and, as a...

Media: Chatter.(Quotation)
August 29, 2008... 'The winners as a result of Beijing are the seven sponsors.' - Sir Martin Sorrell, the WPP chief executive, believes the official local sponsors of the London Olympics look set to cash in after Team GB's success in Beijing 'It is now...

Media Headliner: Fawcett has the qualification to take PHD global.(Dominic Fawcett)
August 29, 2008... Dominic Fawcett, who has already fulfilled his personal ambitions abroad, must now do so for PHD, Alasdair Reid says. Dominic Fawcett, only three days into his PHD induction process, is still feeling very much the new boy. He is feeling...

Media Lifeline: Google.
August 29, 2008... How the search engine went from humble beginnings to a phenomenon that redefined digital business in ten years. 1998: Two computer science students at Stanford University, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, create a company called Google in a...

Media Perspective: The Olympics were best watched with Wikipedia to hand.(Column)
August 29, 2008... The Olympics, eh? Blimey. That was good, wasn't it? Apart from all the sport, surprising British achievement and revelations about Chinese abilities to put on a good do, we media people will be able to point at the Games to illustrate the...

Media: All about ... Mags' subscription marketing.(magazines)
August 29, 2008... All titles have realised the value of loyal readers, Jennifer Whitehead says. The story told by the most recent Audit Bureau of Circulations figures was a real prince and the pauper tale. While the once unassailable categories, such...

Media: Things we like.(Column)
August 29, 2008... Yahoo! and Intel's Widget channel Yahoo! and Intel's new Widget Channel is multitasking made easy. The channel allows consumers to view their widgets on internet-enabled television sets, while watching regular TV. Widgets enable viewers...

Media: Double Standards - Giving 'surfing the web' a whole other meaning.(dialogue with Marc Webber of ITV PLC)(Interview)
August 29, 2008... 'Video, video and more video' sits at the heart of ITV.com and MPORA.TV's offering, allowing web users to view the best football and extreme sports action live online. MARC WEBBER - HEAD OF CONTENT, ITV.COM - Briefly describe your...

The World: Removing the news from India's news providers.
August 29, 2008... India's news outlets are thriving but they are becoming less interested in covering proper news, Mythili Chandrasekar says. The biggest change on the Indian media scene is that news has become entertainment. The Future of News in India...

The World: Insider's View - The US.(Viewpoint essay)
August 29, 2008... Great ideas may be priceless but the procurement trend in the US has creatives up in arms over being treated like 'commodities'. Is price really that important, Joe Celia asks. It's running rampant in the US, and if it hasn't reached you...

Editorial: Can British Govt be sure of gold at London 2012?(Editorial)(Brief article)
August 29, 2008... Now that the final firework has fizzed above the Beijing Bird's Nest, what's been learned by the sponsors and advertisers as they look forward to 2012 in London? The Olympics was a brilliantly staged showcase for the huge consumer market...