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CNN Live At Daybreak

Winter Olympics Strong Start for Advertisers, Olympians

Aired February 11, 2002 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Already have medals around their necks, but another part of the Games deals with the bottom line, as does everything in life, right?

CNN's Sean Callebs joins us live from Salt Lake City with a look at advertising and marketing.

Good morning Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Carol. You're exactly right, and don't be fooled. All the battles out here are not limited to the Olympic games. Dozens of advertisers are spending millions of dollars in marketing and at this point, can only hope that brand loyalty pays off in a big way over the next couple of weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS (voice-over): (AUDIO GAP) Park City to the expanse of Salt Lake, Olympic advertisers cannot be missed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they made Salt Lake look really well and represent it really nicely, and it's clean and beautiful and so, I'm pretty pleased with it.

CALLEBS: Without question, going for the gold is driven by green. Top international sponsors pay as much as $40 million for the right to spend millions more on Olympic advertising. Fans say they understand it's a big part of the Games.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually it's pretty cool. It's very nice. I think it makes the city more beautiful, more colorful.

CALLEBS: Get used to seeing these.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Its golden goodness warms you up and keeps you going.

CALLEBS: Campbell's Soup paid $5 million to be an official supplier of the U.S. Olympic team, and after the overwhelming success of the opening ceremonies, they are beaming.

JOHN FAULKNER, CAMPBELL'S COMMUNICATION: The other night what the opening ceremonies attracted a huge audience, so we know there's a great deal of interest. We've got our product with the rings, an iconic, recognizable product.

CALLEBS: Campbell's is spending $15 million on advertising in January and February with 130 million cans of Chicken Noodle soup in 12,000 stores across the United States. While the games may be on the mountains and in the arenas, there is no mistaking the marketing competition.

FAULKNER: We're going to take as much advantage as possible to leverage our supplier shipment to the Olympic team.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: But gone at least for now are the days when the Games were mired in scandal and the threat of financial ruin. Companies, at this point, are thrilled that numbers show that one in four Americans tuned in to watch the opening ceremonies, and they're now hoping this popularity is a trend, Carol, that will continue.

COSTELLO: Hey, how do the people of Salt Lake feel about those Budweiser advertisements all around, since you can't drink in most of Utah?

CALLEBS: Well actually you can drink, basically anywhere in the state, and they're not rubbed terribly wrong by Budweiser. There is a beer out here called Polygamy Beer, and that has rubbed people the wrong way. One of the ad's slogan says, "Why stop at just one," or "bring some home to the wives". And that is rubbing a lot of the Mormons out here the wrong way.

COSTELLO: I can understand that. So tell us about the drinking law. Again, from what I understand, it's mostly a dry state, but you say you can drink in most every city in Utah?

CALLEBS: Yeah, exactly. We're actually working on a story that we're going to release later on this week, and basically you can drink anywhere. There are laws limiting it. You can only have three drinks in an hour, only one drink per person at a table, and it used to be, they only changed this recently, if you went into, say, a brew pub or a restaurant, they could not offer you a wine or drink menu. You had to specifically ask for that. So - but they have really tried to loosen up here. They know the world is watching, and it is a chance to show what Salt Lake City is really like.

COSTELLO: OK. Thank you. Sean Callebs reporting for us live this morning, and I know you're tired, so we'll let you go, since it's what 3:30 in the morning there?

CALLEBS: It's about 4:30.

COSTELLO: Oh poor Sean. Thank you very, very ...

CALLEBS: We're doing OK. Don't pity us.

COSTELLO: I know. I actually envy you for being out there. OK, we'll catch you later.

So what about the games, the competition and those all important medal winners? CNNSI's Tom Rinaldi has this Olympic wrap.

TOM RINALDI, CNN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED CORRESPONDENT: Night falls along Main Street here in Park City, the theme for these games light the fire within. But lighting the fire period is helpful against winter's grip as night falls in Utah. Sunday a very busy day at the Winter Olympics here, and it turned out to be a golden day for the United States team, as the U.S. claims its first gold medal. It came in snowboarding in the women's half-pipe. The winner, 18-year old Kelly Clark from Vermont. She claimed the gold medal on the final run of the competition, and afterward she retired to the "USA Today" house where she caught up with our John Giannone.

JOHN GIANNONE, CNN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED CORRESPONDENT: Here she is America's first golden girl of the 19th Olympic Winter games. Kelly Clark, congratulations. Tell us about what it was like at the top of the half-pipe when you starting, knowing that you were still not a gold medal contention at that point, knowing what you had to do to win it.

KELLY CLARK, UNITED STATES GOLD MEDAL WINNER: I knew I really had to throw it down, and when I dropped I knew that I had at least a second place. So I wasn't really too concerned because I was happy with medaling at all, and I knew I had to throw it down, and in order to get it, if I didn't give it my all, so I really went for it, and I guess I landed and it paid off.

GIANNONE: Throw it down you did. There was so much noise going on when you started coming down. Music flaring, the crowd going crazy. Did you hear any of that? Did you feed off that at all?

CLARK: Yes, usually I can't hear the crowd because I have my headphones turned up so loud and I had them up all the way today, and I could still hear everyone right over them. It was so awesome.

GIANNONE: I'm sure this is something you've dreamed about ever since you were a kid, as a teenager. Now you're here as an 18-year old, you win the gold medal. Compare the reality to the fantasy.

CLARK: I still I'm still in shock. It hasn't really hit me. It's so amazing, and I'm so excited, but I can't still grasp it at all.

GIANNONE: This is definitely a sport that's still trying to get some mass appeal. How much do you think your gold medal will help accomplish that and how much do you think you are willing to be a spokesperson in trying to get more attention to the sport?

CLARK: Yes, I hope this really publicizes snowboarding or whatnot. And I hope that it really makes a lot more people realize more about it and hopefully get into it and be interested in it, and start snowboarding.

GIANNONE: Congratulations.

CLARK: Thanks a lot. GIANNONE: Kelly Clark, in her fourth grade class started a snowboard club. On Sunday she joined a much more exclusive club, Olympic Gold Medalist. In Park City, Utah, I'm John Giannone.

RINALDI: A marquee event in any winter games, and this is no exception, the men's downhill. Run at Snow Basin on the Grizzly course, 1.9 miles at blinding speeds, and a surprise winner from Austria, Fritz Strobl, 29 years old, an Austrian police officer. He had the fastest run time Saturday. He put up a quick time Sunday and that time held up for the gold. The silver was claimed by Lasse Kjus of Norway, the bronze by Stephan Eberharter of Austria.

The women's 3,000-meter speed skating event. The gold claimed by Claudia Pechstein, not the favorite, but she broke the world record and winning. The silver went to Renate Groenewold of the Netherlands, the bronze, Cindy Klassen of Canada.

The first ski jump event of these games, held on what's called the "normal" hill. The gold, Simon Ammann of Switzerland, just 20 years old coming back from facial injuries he suffered in a serious fall in World Cup competition. The silver went to Sven Hannawald of Germany, the bronze, Adam Malysz of Poland.

In the Nordic combined competition, the gold went to Samppa Lajunen. He grabbed the Finnish flag on the final straight, ripped off his hat to reveal blue and white patriotic hair. The sliver went to his countryman, Jaakko Tallus of Finland, and the bronze went to Felix Gottwald of Austria.

Well, on the day that the U.S. claims its first gold medal, there are still obviously plenty of big events to come. Monday's biggest event, the women's downhill. Certainly the sentimental favorite for the U.S. team will be Picabo Street, but for now at the Winter Games in Utah, I'm Tom Rinaldi. Now let's head back to Atlanta.

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