Global sponsors of the Winter Olympics are devoting major manpower to their social media campaigns, monitoring the games around the clock and mining the sports events for constant fodder for Vine, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
But sponsors such as Visa and McDonald’s also may consider logging time to answer their critics, who have hijacked the sponsors’ Olympics-themed Twitter hashtags to protest Russia’s anti-gay crackdown.
See also: Airbnb Just Might Solve All of Journalists' Sochi Problems
McDonald’s, in the unenviable position of having its #CheersToSochi campaign co-opted by consumers and civil rights activists, has tried to quiet the storm with an inclusionary corporate statement. Aware that “activists are targeting Olympic sponsors to voice their concerns regarding the Russian LGBT legislation,” McDonald’s said it supports human rights and believes the games “should be open to all, free of discrimination.”
That has done little to stem the tide of tweets like the following, which have basically turned #CheersToSochi — meant for consumers to send well wishes to Olympic competitors — into an ironic tagline.
#CelebrateWithABite Hey, McDonald’s, you really SuperSized your anti-gay bigotry this time. Boycott Olympic sponsors! pic.twitter.com/VDYrsnvgNw
— DEClark (@d3clark48) February 7, 2014
We'll never forget your spinelessness @CocaCola @McDonalds @Visa @ProcterGamble @generalelectric. Have fun w/your blood money #CheerstoSochi
— David Robertson (@101flyboy) February 5, 2014
Commenters have used the same McDonald’s branded Twitter feed to attack Visa, Procter & Gamble and other longtime Olympic sponsors that have issued statements backing a non-discriminatory games — but stopped short of condemning Russia’s “homosexual propaganda” laws. AT&T, a Team USA sponsor but not a global Olympics backer, has been the only brand with official Olympic ties to publicly condemn Russia’s laws.
Consumers and gay rights advocates have vocalized their feelings on Twitter.
Kicking my @CokeZero habit like a Russian cop kicking an LGBT person #CheersToSochi
— Alethea Dean (@AletheaDean) January 29, 2014
#CheersToSochi #NotWatchingTheOlympics Proctor&Gamble has a deodorant that covers the stench of Homophobia. pic.twitter.com/VLOtzekLDU
— Matthew Papin (@MegaRooster) February 3, 2014
Despite the takeover, however, McDonald’s hasn’t gone so far to directly address the tweets of consumers and activists. Rick Wion, the company's director of social media in the United States, said it’s “important to remember that social media is all about a conversation.”
“Understandably, the LGBT community is focusing its conversation on the Russian legislation,” Wion said in an email to Mashable. “We respect everyone’s rights to express their opinions.”
McDonald’s hasn’t been mum on the anti-gay crackdown, he said. “We remain engaged with the IOC [International Olympic Committee] and have made clear our concern regarding this human rights issue and the paramount need to ensure non-discrimination and safety for everyone at the games.”
Before the Twitter protests started, Visa had a meticulous media plan in place to reflect its relaunched advertising slogan, “Everywhere you want to be,” for Twitter, Vine, Tumblr, YouTube and NBC’s wall-to-wall coverage and live streaming. Visa is devoting more resources this year to keeping up with chatter around the games than it ever has in its 27-year Olympic sponsorship, according to Kevin Burke, Visa’s chief marketing officer.
“We are constantly listening to all of our audiences and monitoring our social channels,” a Visa spokesperson said on Wednesday but declined to explain how the company might deal with the criticism from consumers and gay rights advocates. “We can’t speak to hypothetical situations or specifics regarding our course of action,” the spokesperson said.
Visa and fellow sponsors like AT&T, Samsung, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble have all prepped their versions of the classic political war room to engage consumers during the games, which last from Feb. 7 to Feb. 23, and make the most on social media of their multimillion-dollar investments.
For Visa, the war room is not one room or one physical place, Burke said. It’s a significant undertaking that involves teams at the sponsors’ agencies like BBDO Worldwide, Atmosphere Proximity, Omnicom’s OMD, MRY and FleishmanHillard. In addition, people on the ground in Sochi and executives stateside will make the calls about how to respond to significant wins, touching moments, broken records, American medals and other milestones.
But sponsors will have to consider a number of factors that make Sochi unique in Olympic history: security concerns and previous terrorist attacks in the region, controversy over the environmental impact of the games (the most expensive ever mounted, at $51 billion) and the town’s reported roundup and mass killing of stray dogs.
Brands spending big bucks for their Olympic association want to make the most of their investments. That shouldn’t mean commenting publicly on every Olympic happening, especially if it involves violence or tragedy, according to brand strategists.
“There’s a real downside to lobbing your hat into the conversation if you don’t have anything relevant to say or the credibility to say it,” said David Srere, co-CEO of strategic branding firm Siegel+Gale. “Silence can be golden.”
Sponsors should be well-prepared for whatever may transpire, and their senior executives, particularly those on-site in Sochi, must have answers ready for media queries, Srere said.
Those responses should be “thoughtful and selective,” he said, and keep with the brand’s DNA. Companies can’t try to skirt the reason they’re sponsoring in the first place — to shill product — or consumers will revolt.
“The bullshit meter is very high. If you’re not authentic, you’re dead," Srere added.
McDonald’s executives have discussed security concerns around the games and the potential for protests or violence. If something serious happens, they might hold their tongue rather than weigh in with a corporate message.
“We want to address the situation appropriately,” Wion said, “so if that means we need to stop engaging for a while, that’s what we’ll do.”
In general, McDonald's won't be tweeting constantly for U.S. audiences, Wion said, but rather reaching out in primetime when most Americans are likely to be watching the games.
“Conventional wisdom says you need to be 24/7 in social media,” Wion said, “but that probably wouldn’t be the right pace when you’re dealing with a 10-hour time difference.”
McDonald’s will have teams on the ground in Sochi and in the U.S. monitoring the games at all times, looking for opportunities to tweet, retweet and create original content for Vine, Instagram and Facebook. The brand secured the top promoted trend on Twitter on the Games’ opening day and plans to do localized outreach for Olympians’ hometowns.
Fans limbo dance under a U.S. flag to celebrate Jamie Anderson's gold medal in the women's snowboard slopestyle final at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia.
Fans await the start of the Women's Freestyle Skiing Moguls finals at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park during the Sochi Winter Olympics on Feb. 8, 2014.
Judges look on during the Ladies' Normal Hill Individual Ski Jumping training on day 2 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Ruski Gorki Jumping Center on Feb. 9, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
Norwegian fans enjoy the atmosphere during the Alpine Skiing Men's Downhill at Rosa Khutor Alpine Center on Feb. 9, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
A fan cheers during the Men's 5000m speed skating event at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.
Russian supporters attend the Men's Alpine Skiing Downhill at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Center during the Sochi Winter Olympics on Feb. 9, 2014.
A pin collector displays his badges ahead of the Men's Luge Singles on Day 2 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Sliding Center Sanki on Feb. 9, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
Fans look on during the Men's Figure Skating Men's Free Skate during day two of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Iceberg Skating Palace on Feb. 9, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
Fans enjoy the atmosphere ahead of the Men's Luge Singles on Day 2 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Sliding Center Sanki on Feb. 9, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
Under orange lighting, gold medallist Sven Kramer of the Netherlands walks through a crowd of cheering fans after winning the gold in the men's 5,000-meter speedskating race at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014. Kramer set a new Olympic record in the race.
Fans enjoy the atmosphere ahead of the Men's Luge Singles on Day 2 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Sliding Center Sanki on Feb. 9, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
Fans cheer at the finish area during the men's singles luge final at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia.
A Norway fan dressed as a viking smiles ahead of the medal ceremony on day 2 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on Feb. 9, 2014 in Sochi.
Fans cheer during the women's 3,000-meter speedskating competition at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.
Semen Pavlichenko of Russia passes fans as he brakes in the finish area during the men's singles luge final at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia.
A fan enjoys the atmosphere ahead of the Men's 5000m Speed Skating event during day 1 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Adler Arena Skating Center on February 8, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.