The PR Challenge for Sochi 2014
London 2012 is just around the corner, which also means that after years of anticipation, the hype and excitement surrounding the Games will soon come to an end. Shortly, snow sport enthusiasts will start to rejoice, as the end of London 2012 marks a step closer to the next Winter Olympics and Paralympics Games and associated media training requirements. The next Olympic event which will be held between the 7th and 23rd of February 2014 in Sochi, is of particularly significance to Russia, as despite being an extremely successful winter sports nation, this is the first time (since the end of the Soviet Union) that it will host the Games.
As expected with an event of this scale, Sochi 2014 has received its fair share of negative press. For instance, a Russian promotional campaign for the event was criticized for allegedly featuring Nazi imagery, as the sportsmen and sportswomen featured on the billboard ads were said to look ‘too Aryan’. Also, there were some concerns over the official Mascots, including accusation of plagiarism, as one of the winning Mascots (the polar bear) is supposedly too similar to the one used in the Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics. Whilst these allegations have the potential to harm Sochi 2014’s image, they are potentially more damaging to Russia as a country. As the nation is using the Winter Games as a platform to re-brand, the need for good reputation management goes beyond a standard sports pr campaign.
However, there are some other issues that could be difficult for any PR agency or representative to gloss over. Sochi 2014 coincides with the 150th commemorative year of the Circassian Genocide, and the city of Sochi was a key location in the massacre. Moreover, there are some concerns about the environment, as many experts argue that the construction of the Olympic venue could be extremely harmful to the city. As a result, there is some strong opposition to the Games. In fact, an anti-Sochi website is ranked 6th on Google if you type in “Sochi 2014” (the Olympics official website is ranked 4th). On the social media sphere, the opposition does not appear to be too strong, but perhaps the hype surrounding the London Games means that Twitter backlash is yet to come.
In fact, London 2012 could be an excellent opportunity for Russia to raise Sochi 2014’s profile and engage in active positive sports pr as well as build on media relations, however it already looks like the campaign could be on the rocks. Dmitry Chernyshenko, Sochi 2014 President & chief executive and his team had planned to promote the event by installing a massive ice rink in Marble Arch, which he hoped would become an iconic Sochi 2014 landmark. However, the proposition was rejected by Westminster City Council. His team has now attempted to install the attraction next to the Albert Memorial, but since the plans haven’t yet been approved, there are fears that Chernyshenko will have to considerably downgrade his ambitious publicity and hospitality plans.
About the Author: Katie Matthews is working in a media training in UK and recommends you to visit http://www.pha-media.com/
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