Sponsor Spotlight -- McDonald's Elaborates on Digital Olympic Advertising

McDonald's will operate four Olympic restaurants in Beijing: one for athletes, one for media, and two for spectators. (Getty Images)Olympic Restaurateur Seeks Togetherness

Online gaming, user generated content and engaging customers are among the planks of an advertising platform that McDonald's CMO Mary Dillon says will bring people together "like never before".

In the U.S., an upcoming ad shows elite athletes at work set to a children's song about togetherness and friendship. In China, new ads show sports fans shaking bags of fries in unison in a cheer for their favorite athletes. And a worldwide vote will determine which team of McDonald's employees created the best video to show their Olympic spirit.

But perhaps the most unusual campaign is Find the Lost Ring, a so-called alternate reality game, in which players must cooperate both online and off to solve a mystery.

"It has really caught on virally," Dillon tells Around the Rings.

Viral marketing refers to "word of mouth" to promote advertisements, usually online via forwarded emails, videos or social networks. Clues to McDonald's sponsorship are embedded in the game, which, Dillon says, has two million players worldwide.

"This isn't just a set of eyeballs quickly in and out. This is people deeply engaging, creating their own blogs, engaging others, passing the word around," she says.

McDonald's will wait for a post-Games evaluation before deciding if another alternate reality game is in the company's future.

The company declines to put a dollar figure on its Games-tied campaigns in China. The activation was halted for three days as a part of national mourning after the Sichuan earthquake, but has since continued unchanged.

Sponsor Briefs...

Terra, a company in Spain's Group Telefonica, wins the 2008 Olympic digital and mobile broadcast rights in Latin America, under a deal just announced by the International Olympic Committee. On August 1, Terra will launch a new website for the Games, which will include athlete blogs, an interactive fan zone as well as over 300 hours of sports footage. The company operates web portals in 18 Western hemisphere countries.

The world's largest Adidas store is now open in Beijing. The store occupies four floors inside the new Sanlitun Village shopping center, in Beijing's Chaoyang district. Selling both the "sport style" and "sport performance" lines of clothes, the store will serve as a role model for concept stores in other key metropolitan cities, says Adidas brand president Erich Stamminger. Adidas is a partnerof the Beijing Games.

Jet Set Sports adds another top chef to its roster of Beijing hospitality talent. Dale Mackay from Lumiere in Vancouver will create signature dishes for the IOC's official reception center, as well as other hospitality centers operated by Jet Set. The company has already recruited several chefs hailing from the U.S. and Europe. Michael Phelps is not expected to receive any punishment for his wardrobe malfunction.

Swimmer Michael Phelps accidentally "advertised" for Visa at the U.S. Olympic Trials this week when he revealed a cap bearing the Visa logo. Wearing logos is against the trial rules; Phelps' agent says it was a mistake. Phelps peeled off a plain cap after a race to reveal another cap with the logo. Swimmers sometimes wear two caps to help hold their goggles in place.

Media Watch...

The IAAF and UK Athletics launch a new magazine to promote their sport worldwide. Spikes appears online and in paper form. It features blogs, news and on the website, multimedia content.

Peter Madden, an advertising firm owner and blogger for Ad Age, says the Beijing Olympics are "like a show that's had its run on Broadway but continues to try and sell tickets."

24 Hour Fitness, a sponsor of the USOC, is running a new ad featuring the toned abs of volleyball star Kerri Walsh, along with other U.S. Olympic stars. The ad is available online.

Written by Maggie LeeFor general comments or questions, click hereClick here to see the latest Around the Rings Olympic Bid Power Index -- the only authoritative ranking of the 2016 bid cities.