Goin' for the Gold!

Ohno skates for his life on the short track. White soars into the atmosphere on an amazing half-pipe trick. Vonn sets records on the downhill. And what do they all have in common?


Coke.


Haha, that is right my friends, COKE!

Now, even though I don’t personally know Apollo Ohno… or Shaun White… or even Lindsey Vonn, I would bet that it is possibly, maybe, potentially safe to say that as soon as they all finished their respective events, the first thing they all did was go grab an ice cold Coke!

I mean, right??? Isn’t that the first thing you would do if you won Olympic gold??? :D

Ok Ok, maybe this time I did take it a little far. But just a little!!!

And maybe I embellished a tad when I claimed that the first thing they would all do would be to grab a Coke. Ok, maybe a little more than a tad, but I had to make a point, didn’t I!!!

So, now that I have your attention, I can give actual facts!

Did you know that Coca-Cola is the longest continuous corporate supporter of the Olympics with support dating back to 1928???

And did you know that an agreement between Coke and the IOC extends the contract for another 12 years (unprecedented in its own right) to ensure almost a century of sponsorship???

And did you know that Coke supports National Olympic committees in more than over 200 countries which helps athletes train and prepare for the Olympic games???

Believe it!

And, as icing on the Olympic cake, Coke is going GREEN while they’re at it!!!

Whoa! Slow down Kennedy! Going green too?

Why YES my fellow blog enthusiasts! Going green too!!!

Coca-Cola is embarking on their FIRST zero-waste, carbon-neutral sponsorship for the 2010 games!

How you ask?

Well, all the coolers that supply the delicious bubbly beverage (all 1,500 of them!) will use a brand new type of technology that nearly eliminates all gas emissions!

A whole slew of diesel-electric hybrid vehicles will deliver the beverages to the Olympics and within the venues, electric carts will be used!

Things such as tables, displays, menu boards and even ALL STAFF UNIFORMS (the website says everything but underwear and shoes!) will be made of recyclable materials – especially recycled bottles! I don't know about you, but if anybody can make a plastic bottle shirt, Coke can!

I even read that the selection of the torchbearers for the relay across Canada involved an environmentally friendly essay question!

According to Natalie Zmuda, a reporter for Advertising Age, this attempt made by Coke will definitely raise the bar when it comes to corporate sponsorships in the future! And while it is a slightly risky undertaking for such monumental progress so soon (as opposed to setting a goal like this to be accomplished sometime in the future) Coke is certainly up for the challenge!!!

Way to go Coke! That is as good as GOLD in my book!

-facts and statistics courtesy of:
Natalie Zmuda, "Coca-Cola Goes Completely Green at Olympics". Advertising Age
Thomas Alan Gray, "Coke Sponsors 2010 Vancouver Olympics" Suite101.com