Olympic medals for industry
29 Aug 2012
If judged by their success in promoting the industry during the Games, there would have been few medals heading the way of participants directly active in the process sector.
Closest to a ‘medal’, perhaps, was GlaxoSmithKline, which reportedly earned many millions of pounds worth of good publicity by providing facilities to test athletes for performance-enhancing drugs.
The initiative, which was carried out in partnership with King’s College London, also raised the profile of scientific research to the general public.
Dow Chemical Co, the ‘official chemistry company’ of the Olympic Games, might have expected plaudits for the iconic fabric “wrap” that surrounds the Olympic Stadium, as well as its extensive international charity work around the event.
Instead, though, Dow’s involvement was marked by protests and headlines relating to the Bhopal disaster at a Union Carbide India plant back in 1984.
The ‘offical oil & gas sponsor’ of the Games, BP reportedly scored well with a range of PR initiatives, including its sponsorship of US Olympics competitors, as well as sustainability and graduate recruitment initiatives.
However, these efforts were tarnished, somewhat, by reaction to its ‘Spirit of the Gulf’ event at London 2012.
Intended to promote tourism in regions effected by the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it instead provided fodder for media reports carrying hostile quotes from residents living along the affected coastline.
When it comes to winning at the Olympics, it seems the top prizes still go to owners of various brands of sportswear, soft drinks and fast food.
Perhaps industry should look more at at highlighting the process engineering that goes into making these products when the Games come to Rio in 2016.
