USOC: Turnaround Intro

Hi friends, long time no me - been busy being human...


Still, you are on my mind, all of the time.


You know, folks...because some of this information is old or elusive, I work very hard to bring it to you.  My endeavor all along has been simply to shine a spidery light upon things hidden, forgotten, or just plain unexplained.


A reader recently commented that my dates concerning the founding of the USOC were inaccurate.  Perhaps; perhaps not.  Sometimes, it's hard to tell, and it stands to figure; Mr. Hybl is, after all, an attorney, and clever with words, no doubt.  


So this week I'll be posting the individual chapters of the book, "Olympic Turnaround" starting with tonight's introductory installment.  I'm certain you'll find it an interesting read.






 Executive Summary

The turnaround of the Olympics is a remarkable business story. It is the story of how the nearly bankrupt Olympic Movement, written off by most commentators, was led away from the abyss by visionary, and sometimes hard-headed, leadership and creation of a unique corporate marketing plataform.

Olympic Turnaround tells for the first time how the future of one of the world's iconic institutions was secured. It is the story of a fine balancing act as an amateur organisation struggled with and eventually embraced the business world. But it did so on its own terms, maintaining its identity, not compromising its core values and, in the process, establishing many of the ground rules of today's sport marketing industry.

Olympic Turnaround is also the story of the broadcast industry's love affair with sport. It charts how companies began to understand the power of sport as a marketing and promotional tool. It is also a cautionary tale of success and failure - about how some nations learned to embrace the potencial of hosting the world, while others, through short-sighted local political agendas, failed to see the bigger picture.

Packed with previously untold stories and case studies, this is the commercial story of the world's most valuable and important franchise, the largest event in the world, the Olympic Games.

Juan Antonio Samaranch

Letter from Juan Antonio Samaranch

During the course of my presidency, many books were written about the Olympic Games and the IOC. But never before has anyone told the business side of the story – how the Olympic Games evolved from near bankruptcy in the early 1980s to become the multi billion dollar event it is today.

In Olympic Turnaround, Michael Payne tells that unique story. I believe it is one of the most important books ever written about the Olympic Movement. It is certainly the most important book ever written on the business of sport. Michael, as the IOC’s Marketing Director throughout my presidency, was one of the key executives in the business story of the Games. No one was closer to the day to day marketing operations of the Olympics than Michael.

When I became IOC President in 1980, the outlook was grim – very grim indeed. Few people gave the IOC much chance of surviving. Back then, as some of you may recall, there was no queue of cities clamouring to host the Games. We had little funding, and a Movement that was far from unified. No one could have imagined that just over twenty years later, the greatest cities in the world would be fighting for the honour of hosting the Games, and broadcasters and sponsors would be funnelling billions of dollars into sport.

The IOC was at the forefront of the sports management industry and with the leadership of Marketing and TV Rights Commission Chairman, Dick Pound, established many of the practices and protocols that have become the operating standard throughout the industry. Michael, as the IOC’s Marketing Director throughout my presidency, was one of the key executives in the business story of the Games. No one was closer to the day to day marketing operations of the Olympics than Michael. He has written a truly incredible book, painstakingly researched, on a unique period of Olympic history. Anyone with an interest in the Olympics or the business of sport will find it a fascinating read.

April 2005
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Marqués de Samaranch

Sir Martin Sorrell

Foreword by Sir Martin Sorrell

There is no higher prize in the sporting world than to be an Olympic champion. No other event combines the very best of our sporting and cultural ideals. Yet, the power of the Olympics goes beyond sport: they are a celebration of humanity.

Today, we tend to take the Olympics for granted. We are not surprised that so many of the greatest cities in the world now want to host the Olympic Games, or that children grow up just dreaming of competing – let alone winning – at the Games. That, we assume, is the way it has always been. But it wasn’t always so. Just 25 years ago, one of the world’s greatest institutions was on the brink of extinction. That it survived at all is due to the vision and hard work of a few individuals. Olympic Turnaround recounts their story and also provides an inside view of the creation of the multi $ billion sports marketing industry.

No one is better positioned to tell that story than Michael Payne. Under the leadership of IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, Michael was one of those responsible for creating the Olympic marketing programme that took the Olympics from a cash strapped amateur event on the brink of bankruptcy to the greatest sports spectacle in the world. More recently, he was responsible for negotiating the multi billion TV rights deals up to 2012.

As the Wall Street Journal observed: “Samaranch allowed Payne to completely transform the Olympic Games in order to achieve a fiscal stability that no one else dreamed possible.”

I first met Michael in the early 1990s in the run up to the Barcelona Olympic Games. At the time, he was the IOC’s Marketing Director – a role that did not exist until his appointment. Not only was Michael integral to the creation of TOP, the Olympic sponsorship programme that, together with sales of the TV rights, allowed the Olympics to break free of its political purse strings, he was also the IOC’s brand champion – and chief enforcer.

From the start, Michael recognised the emotional, human and financial worth of the Olympic Movement. The five Olympic rings are one of the most powerful images in the world. They epitomise the aspiration and ambition of athletes everywhere. Their personal endeavours and stories also touch all of those who watch them. Over the years they have provided many unforgettable moments: moments that define the indomitable Olympic spirit.

From a marketing point of view, too, the Olympic Games are beyond value. No wonder, then, companies are prepared to go to enormous lengths to be associated with the Olympic rings. For the official sponsors and the TV companies that possess the broadcast rights to the Games, the rewards can be spectacular. An Olympic year has always been good for the advertising industry – and can and does transform the financial health of the advertising industry.

But it is because they remain true to the Olympic ideal that the rings retain their magical aura. The Olympic brand in all its associations has to strike a delicate balance between financial stability and selling out to the god of Mammon. That it has managed to do so is a testament to the way the brand has been developed, nurtured and protected over the past two decades.

This is Michael’s account of a remarkable period of Olympic and sports marketing history. Packed with previously untold stories and case studies, it is a unique business story, but one with universal applications. It offers important insights into the future of the Olympic franchise and branding in general. The lessons – and mistakes – are here for all to learn from. It is also a fascinating historic account, written by someone who was there.

As someone who advises companies on their marketing and communications strategies, I can testify to the continuing power of the Olympic brand. There is perhaps no better case study, than what the Olympics has done for Samsung one of WPP’s clients, helping to catapult the brand to global market leadership in less than eight years.

I can personally testify to the unique emotional symbolism of the Olympics. I have been one of the very fortunate few to carry the Olympic torch on its journey to the Games. It is a deeply moving experience – and something I will never forget. Michael calls the torch the magic wand of the Olympic brand, guaranteed to move even the most hardened CEO. I can attest to its power.

As the world turns its attention to China, and the prospect of the Beijing Games in 2008, Olympic Turnaround could not be more timely. With China emerging from isolation to take its rightful place on the world stage, the Beijing Games mark a watershed in global commerce and international relations.

China’s ambition to host the Games will have taken over a century to be realised. But a no less remarkable achievement will also be celebrated at the Beijing Games: the triumphant resurgence of the Olympic Movement itself.

Sir Martin Sorrell
London, 2005.

Michael Payne

ENDORSEMENTS

“No one knows the Olympic brand better than Michael Payne. Olympic Turnaround provides a road map to success in 2012.”
Sebastian Coe, Chairman, London 2012

"No one is better qualified than Michael Payne to reveal the intricate details behind the Olympic renaissance.  Olympic Turnaround is more than a compelling story of deal brokering at the highest levels; it's a lesson in creative problem solving and brand building that will appeal to sports fans and business leaders in equal measure."
Peter Ueberroth, former commissioner of Major League Baseball, President of the United States Olympic Committee, and President and CEO of the Los Angeles Games, 1984

"Olympic Turnaround is pure Olympic Gold. Michael Payne's Olympic Turnaround gives a thrilling insight into the strategic, leadership, branding and marketing triumphs of the Olympic Movement over the last 25 years."
Sir Steve Redgrave, Olympian
 
“Just 25 years ago, one of the world’s greatest institutions was on the brink of extinction. That it survived at all is due to the vision and hard work of a few individuals. Olympic Turnaround recounts their story and also provides an inside view of the creation of the sports marketing industry. Packed with previously untold stories and case studies, it is a unique business story, but one with universal applications. No one is better positioned to tell this story than Michael Payne.”
Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive WPP

"If Juan Antonio Samaranch was 'M', Michael Payne was 'Q' in the cloak and dagger world behind the biggest sports event in the world - the Olympics. With more twists and turns than a spy novel, Payne's masterly telling of the games behind the Games is a page turner for anyone who has thrilled to Olympic competition."
David Hill, Chairman, Fox

“If ever there was someone in a position to tell the story of the IOC in the late 20th century and its phenomenal recovery for the new millennium, it would be Michael Payne.  There's a reason he's been called the world's foremost sports marketer and this book gives full credence to that position.  An intriguing read that makes clear how hard it is to market global sport properties.”
Rick Burton, Commissioner, National Basketball League

"Michael Payne provides a fascinating inside story on rebuilding what has become one of the most powerful brands in the world; a brand we all feel ownership of, care for and enjoy; a brand whose values companies pay literally billions to be associated with."
Sean Meehan, Professor of Marketing and Change Management, IMD

“From the crippling tit-for-tat boycotts of Moscow and Los Angeles, to the egos that nearly wrecked Atlanta and corrupted Salt Lake City, to the tortuous triumphs of Sydney and Athens, with the exciting prospect of the new China in Beijing 2008 ahead, Olympic Turnaround is a fascinating read. This is the inside story of the spectacular road back from the brink.” 
John Bertrand, America’s Cup winner

“As CEO of Swatch and Swiss Timing, I personally lived through the fantastic development of the Olympic Movement. I am happy that Michael Payne, who was an important part of this turnaround, has taken the time to write this exciting story.”
Nicolas G Hayek, Swatch

“A truly incredible book. Anyone with an interest in the Olympics or the business of sport will find it a fascinating and compelling read.”
Juan Antonio Samaranch, former president, International Olympic Committee

“Payne's book is the first ever, focused not on the glory and competition, but on the backstage business miracle which saved the Olympic Movement. This is the essence of wisdom condensed from 20 years’ Olympic experience, I suggest that everybody should read this book.”
Ma Guo Li, President CCTV Sports, president Beijing Olympic Broadcasting.

“The glory of the Olympic movement pushed the sports business forward, and the successfully exploited business potential also provided the Olympic Movement with solid foundations. Payne’s Olympic Turnaround describes this uniquely interactive process. I believe that the Chinese edition of this book will be a valuable guide for expanding Chinese sports marketing.”
He Zhen Liang, former IOC first vice president, Beijing 2008 Olympic board member.

“A remarkable story of the business of sport from the man who brought the discipline of  brand management to sports marketing. Compulsory reading for anyone in the sports business.”
Hein Verbruggen, Chairman IOC Co-Ordination Commission, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

“Michael Payne is the unparalleled authority on the history of the modern Olympic Games and Olympic Turnaround is the ultimate comeback story. It’s a real life page turner of one man’s Herculean efforts to safe the Olympics. It’s a manual for anyone interested in the business of sports and the sport of business.”
Michael Ovitz, Talent Agent

“Authoritative and compelling.”
David Owen, Financial Times

“Fiscally fascinating.”
Alan Hubbard, Independent on Sunday

“This is the inside story from an insider. Michael Payne captures the politics, intrigue and tension of sports business at the very highest level and delivers in a style enriched by personal observations and anecdotes which take the reader right into the boardroom.”
Kevin Roberts, Editorial Director, Sport Business

REVIEWS *To read full review, click on the publication.  An easy, enjoyable, and often exciting read, it will fascinate anyone interested in the business of communication and advertising and of course anyone who has ever been intrigued by the Olympic Games themselves”. D. W. Hill, University of North Texas, Choice Publication “Payne created the first ever global marketing strategy for the Olympics, which has turned out to be one of the world’s most successful marketing initiatives ever seen”. Stefan Stern, Business Voice Magazine & Financial Times "Chock-full of backstage Olympic lore, this is the book to read if you’d like a business angle on the decisions of the International Olympic Committee. The source is not entirely objective - author Michael Payne was the Olympics’ first marketing director and held high-level posts for twenty years - but it’s a compelling read nonetheless, spiced up with a fine selection of black and white photos." Ed Hula, Harvard University "Now the IOC and their president, Jacques Rogge, are reprimanding cities and even political leaders for being too enthusiastic in their bidding for 2012. "You may be so worried about the petty details that you lose sight of the big picture," Payne said. "I think there is very real risk of suffocating the bidding process and disenchanting the cities. You had a period when you were pleading with heads of state to be supportive and understanding of the Olympic ideal. And now when they are enthusiastic you create a situation when you want to keep them away." Mihir Bose, Daily Telegraph (UK) “Authoritative and compelling.” David Owen, Financial Times “Fiscally fascinating.” Alan Hubbard, Independent on Sunday “This is the inside story from an insider. Michael Payne captures the politics, intrigue and tension of sports business at the very highest level and delivers in a style enriched by personal observations and anecdotes which take the reader right into the boardroom.” Kevin Roberts, Editorial Director, Sport Business ‘This narrative is exceptionally well written, detailed yet clear, well referenced but not cluttered, firsthand but not self-serving. An easy, enjoyable, and often exciting read, it will fascinate anyone interested in the business of communication and advertising and of course anyone who has ever been intrigued by the Olympic Games themselves.’ CHOICE  (US) -  Publishing Authority for US Libraries and Academic Institutions. It is an enormous opportunity. British business: wake up now. London 2012 is coming soon, much sooner than you think. Get involved. CBI - Business Voice Magazine - Thinkers 50  (UK)