With the organizing committee's tight restrictions on efforts from outside marketers to attach their brands to the games, the official partners of the London Olympics have had an even more exclusive platform on which to promote their wares. From pavilions on the grounds of Olympic Park in Stratford to pop-ups around the city and large-scale activations in Central London's Hyde Park, here's a look at what the sponsors of the 2012 summer games are doing.
Cadbury House at BT London Live
The English chocolate maker is the official treat provider of the games and the biggest activation was the experiential Cadbury House set up in Hyde Park as part of BT London Live. The temporary exhibit of its products is housed under three inflatable domes in Cadbury's signature purple hue.
Photo: Rob Low
Coca-Cola's Beatbox Pavilion
Devised as an interactive, large-scale musical instrument, Coca-Cola's pavilion at Olympic Park, dubbed the Beatbox, was designed by architects Asif Khan and Pernilla Ohrstedt and is marked by 200 interlocked red and white polymer panels embedded with audio, lighting, and sensor technology.
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images For Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola's Beatbox Pavilion
Inside the beverage giant's logo-less structure, certain gestures and movements trigger the panels to react, remixing recordings created by DJ Mark Ronson and singer Katy B. for Coca-Cola's global "Move to the Beat" Olympic campaign.
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images For Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola's Beatbox Pavilion
In the center of the Beatbox is the "Aerial Dynamics" light installation by Jason Bruges Studio. Interactive kiosks control 180 mechanical and electronic "bubbles," causing the pieces to glow with red and white LEDs.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
BMW Group Pavilion
The official automotive partner mounted its two-story structure on an elevated area above the Waterworks River in Olympic Park. Designed by British firm Serie with sustainability in mind, the pavilion uses water from the river to cool the space; the water is recycled back into the river via an eye-catching curtain that shrouds the lower level.
Photo: Getty Images
BMW Group Pavilion
The interior of the building is designed as a showcase of BMW's cars as well as an exhibit of the automaker's energy-efficient models. BMW is also providing a fleet of 4,000 vehicles—powered with sustainable technology—to transport athletes and officials.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
Acer's Journey
The 12,900-square-foot complex dubbed Acer's Journey is designed to flaunt the Taiwanese PC powerhouse's newest technology and gadgets. A striking LED screen marks the façade of the three-story pavilion.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
Acer's Journey
Visitors to Acer's Olympic Park pavilion receive smart cards, which they can use to create a personal avatar and collect points from the various stations inside. One area, the "Fast, Faster, Fastest" challenge, has participants using Acer's Iconia A510 tablet to control their player on a projected race track.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
Acer's Journey
Also inside Acer's pavilion is an installation called the Journey's Sphere, where visitors can use tablets to explore the games and videos that appear on a large globe.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
Park Live, Presented by British Airways
The official airline of the games worked with the London 2012 Organizing Committee to create an area within Olympic Park's 250 acres for as many as 10,000 people to picnic and watch the action on a giant, double-sided screen. The 164,000-square-foot natural amphitheater, known as Park Live, is the fifth-largest venue in Olympic Park and has British Airways staffers on hand to guide visitors.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
Panasonic 3-D Theater
To flaunt its partnership with the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Broadcasting Services to make the London Olympics the first games shown live in 3-D, the Japanese electronics company built a theater on the grounds of Olympic Park.
Photo: Courtesy of Panasonic
Panasonic 3-D Theater
Inside its 4,300-square-foot pavilion, Panasonic is broadcasting live, three-dimensional footage of the competitions, including swimming and gymnastics.
Photo: Courtesy of Panasonic
Samsung Mobile PIN
As part of its extensive launch for the Galaxy S III smartphone, the Korean electronics company rolled out pop-up shops around London and in Olympic Park. The mobile stores are housed within two-way-mirrored walls and host hands-on demos as well as experiences designed to showcase the features of the handset.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
McDonald's Restaurant in Olympic Park
Billed as its biggest restaurant, the fast food chain's main presence in Olympic Park is a 1,500-person eatery with a 70-seat balcony on the second floor that has views of Olympic Stadium.
Photo: Oli Scarff/Getty Images
McDonald's Restaurant in Olympic Park
When the games finish, McDonald's will reuse 75 percent of the items in the flagship restaurant, with furniture and equipment distributed to existing and future locations in the United Kingdom.
Photo: Daniel Lynch
BT London Live
British Telecom, known as BT, is a key partner of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, a multiyear series of events to celebrate this year's games. As part of its efforts, the company is hosting BT London Live, open-air hubs in Hyde Park, Victoria Park, and Trafalgar Square that offer live viewings of the competitions.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
BT London Live
The Hyde Park version of BT London Live includes BT House, a section with a stage for daily live musical performances, a lounge with access to BT's broadband service, and meet-and-greets with athletes.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
BT London Live
British Telecom is also using the London Live promotion to show off its various services, including its digital TV offering known as BT Vision.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
Cadbury House at BT London Live
Inside Cadbury House are several activity areas, including a photo booth, games for kids, and areas to sample confections. Visitors use R.F.I.D. passes that can be linked to an email or Facebook account to upload or send images and "like" a certain part of the activation.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
Cadbury House at BT London Live
Cadbury also has a section where visitors can pen messages to Olympic athletes on the walls.
Photo: Rob Low
P&G Family Home
Moms are at the center of Procter and Gamble's Olympics campaign, and, with this in mind, the company recreated the P&G Family Home that was introduced at the 2010 Vancouver games. The 65,000-square-foot space is designed as a "home away from home" for mothers of the competing athletes and provides free meals, viewing lounges, and Internet access.
Photo: Eamonn MacCormack for Getty/P&G
P&G Family Home
Procter & Gamble's effort is also a platform for the consumer goods company to show off its portfolio of brands. For instance, there is complimentary laundry service to market Tide and Downy.
Photo: Eamonn MacCormack for Getty/P&G
P&G Family Home
To promote baby-care brand Pampers, the P&G Family Home includes a playground and childcare center.
Photo: Eamonn MacCormack for Getty/P&G
P&G Family Home
The Gillette Lounge within the P&G Family Home is modeled as a men's club, with foosball tables and other forms of entertainment as well as grooming services from Gillette, Old Spice, and Head & Shoulders. A separate salon for women has eight stations with services using P&G beauty brands like Pantene, CoverGirl, Olay, and Clairol.
Photo: Eamonn MacCormack for Getty/P&G
Adidas London 2012 Lounge
As the official sportswear partner of the games, the apparel giant is hosting a space overlooking Olympic Park and the Olympic and Paralympic Village from the roof of the Westfield Stratford Shopping Mall. The space from Adidas plays hosts to daily events and has touch-screen displays that let visitors check out virtual footwear.
Photo: Getty Images
