Vancouver Olympics: 10 Interactive Marketing Ideas to Steal

March 1, 2010

Big brands descended on Vancouver in mid-February, aiming to entertain—and inform—the 2.3 million visitors that headed to the Winter Olympics. As we've been reporting over the past two weeks, companies such as Panasonic, Samsung, and Acer loaded their pavilions with new products, while brands like Coca-Cola, Molson, and Heineken had their beverages at the ready. As a core part of experiential marketing, product demonstrations abounded, with visitors trying everything from 3-D home theaters (Panasonic) and cell phone games (Bell) to virtual snowball fights (Samsung) and daily contests (British Columbia Lottery Commission).

Here's a look at some of the inventive ways companies informed the masses about their latest endeavors. Our complete archive of Olympics coverage is here.

The British Columbia Lottery Commission's miniature—and branded—ice rink

Photo: Grant Harder for BizBash

Coca-Cola, the longest continuous Olympic sponsor, touted the new packaging for its fully recyclable PlantBottle at its David Lam Park pavilion, where staffers were on hand to educate guests on new and unique ways to recycle.

Photo: Grant Harder for BizBash

One of the games in the Coca-Cola pavilion required guests to don giant polar bear paw gloves.

Photo: Grant Harder for BizBash

In addition to the two 103-inch televisions broadcasting Olympic highlights in 3-D, Panasonic's pavilion showcased smaller models that will be available in North America this spring.

Photo: Grant Harder for BizBash

Samsung filled a temporary pavilion with its latest products, encouraging guests to upload pictures, video, and text to be broadcast in the space. The 8,000 daily visitors could race in a game that simulated cross-country skiing.

Photo: Grant Harder for BizBash

Touch screens at the Acer pavilion tested visitors with quizzes and athletic games.

Photo: Grant Harder for BizBash

The 3,000-square-foot Bell Ice Cube showcased the telecommunications company's range of Internet, phone, and television services, with interactive viewing screens set up throughout the space.

Photo: Grant Harder for BizBash

The $10.4 million Canadian Pavilion in LiveCity Yaletown offered photo opportunities aplenty, including Olympic torches from different winter games, sports equipment, and a replica of the team Canada bobsled.

Photo: Dean Hannas

Both a party venue and a home base for Dutch Olympians in Vancouver, the Holland Heineken House included a store, a concert hall, a games area, a stage for medal ceremonies, several bars, and a restaurant.

Photo: Grant Harder for BizBash

The British Columbia Lottery Commission's 5,000-square-foot dome had a game where fans could test their wrist shot on a miniature—and branded—ice rink.

Photo: Grant Harder for BizBash

While other pavilions were country-focused, the 81,000-square-foot Molson Canadian Hockey House was all about hockey. Fans could root on their gold medal-winning team by playing Molson branded table hockey games.

Photo: Courtesy of Molson Coors Canada