Before the Olympics started, Olympic volunteers were newsworthy, especially ones learning to write “I love China” in traditional calligraphy.  While going through my rigorous training leading up to the Olympics at the basketball Cube, my opportunistic supervisor jumped on the chance to get her two trainees on tv and in front of who knows how many Chinese viewers.  As she’d instruct us, we would repeat in Mandarin “I love China.”  The video isn’t the best quality because I was using a Flip Cam to record a tv screen.  This aired on CCTV’s Olympic Channel.

Somewhat nauseating, mostly funny.  Here’s the clip for your viewing pleasure.

So back in June when I was preparing for my 3 month trip to Beijing, I was utterly worried about the pollution in the city and what long-term effects it would have on my lungs (see China Pollution and my Lungs in Beijing). I packed four items to help out and now that I’m back in the States, the review is in on both the pollution and what helped battle it.

Beijing’s pollution was a topic that couldn’t be ignored seeing how the media inundated us with stories about the situation leading up to the Olympics. There was one story about special masks that the USA team had engineered and would be wearing right up until the players would compete in Olympic matches or another story about how no world records would be broken at outdoor events due to the pollution. It was worrisome. I blogged about it and what I was going to do to battle it. In my own posting I rattled off Kevin Holden Platt for National Geographic News stating that, “A World Health Organization (WHO) report estimates that diseases triggered by indoor and outdoor air pollution kill 656,000 Chinese citizens each year.” Yes, this is unnerving but what does it mean to the Beijing traveler?

Looking back, I can say that I got caught up in the over-dramatization of the media. Some may say that the air was indeed better while I was there and part of the big China-Olympic façade I encountered, but I disagree. There were days when I looked out my window from the tenth floor and couldn’t see past a block beyond my building due to the white mass of smog. In fact, the first time I rode on the highway by the Bird’s Nest, I couldn’t even see the stadium due to poor visibility. Blue skies were definitely enjoyed when they came around and most people on the trip swore that the Chinese had prompted clearer skies by inducing rain, which I’m not here to prove or disprove. Pollution is a reality there, but I didn’t experience any negative physical effects during my stay like I thought I would. Granted, I didn’t do any demanding physical activity outdoors. All in all, most of my worries sized up to be extra space taken in my luggage. So what did I pack to protect my lungs from Beijing’s pollution and were they in fact useful?

In my bags, I packed four items to help out my lungs:

1. A prescribed inhaler
2. POD – personal oxygen device
3. Doctor’s masks
4. Bandanas

And the final report…drum roll…

1.  A prescribed inhaler – for a non-asthmatic person, NOT NEEDED

The inhaler was prescribed by my internal medicine doctor at my request.It was an Albuterol inhaler and was to be used in the instance of wheezing.I’ve never has asthmatic problems in my life and found that I didn’t wheeze while over there.When I was a little short of breath, I blamed being out of shape over the pollution.So if you’re not asthmatic, then this isn’t needed.For me, it made me re-evaluate my exercise routine, or lack thereof.

2. POD—personal oxygen device, FAVORITE and USED

This product offers recreational use of pure oxygen to boost energy, overcome hangovers or just offer a breath of fresh air.I found it to be the most practical and stylish solution to my pollution fears (really, I’m trying to picture myself sporting a doctor’s mask without rolling my eyes!).I used the POD on particularly smoggy days as a treat to my lungs and on some mornings after drinking too much.It doesn’t have the same umph as an inhaler hits your lungs with, but more of a soothing “ahhh” needed and much welcomed.It’s a perfect hybrid of wanting the comfort and effects of fresh air while not looking like a douche bag.

3.  Doctor’s masks – WASTE OF MONEY

The doctor’s masks went unworn the entire trip and ended up being a waste of money.I  was expecting to see locals sporting them similar as I saw in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Min City, but I didn’t.That aside, they scream fashion-victim.I do treasure my lungs over physical appearance, but this was over-the-top and unneeded.Don’t let your fears overtake your sense of practicality like I did.

4.  Bandanas – USED FOR SWEAT NOT FOR POLLUTION

Similar to the doctor’s masks, this measure went overboard, and also could get one dubbed a fashion victim.While I did use a bandana around my neck when I visited The Great Wall or trekking around the Summer Palace in scorching heat and humidity, I never used any of my bandanas around my face to prevent debris from getting inhaled.

In conclusion…

So there you have it. I went overboard with my precautions, packed fashion-doomed doctor’s masks and found that the pollution in Beijing isn’t nearly as bad as the media made it out to be. Of course, proceed with caution, especially if you’re asthmatic or visiting more of the industrial cities, but don’t get too worked up.

This past Wednesday, I presented with two other Emerson Integrated Marketing Communication graduate students on marketing and China.  Being a broad subject, and we’re far from experts, we focused on what we were most exposed to as Olympic volunteers and that was the Olympic sponsors.  I thought I’d share with you my portion of the presentation on Adidas.  Not only is it now part of the fabric of Beijing’s architecture gems, but also in China to stay.  Read on to learn about the brand and what I saw while in Beijing during the Olympics.

My presentation:

I want to shift gears a little bit and just focus on one of the main sponsors of the Olympics, Adidas. Both Adidas and Nike used the Olympics as a battlefield to gain a bigger slice out of the Chinese market. The evidence was plastered all over the capital city with Nike and Adidas campaigns and even store locations across from each other. The marketing nerd inside me soaked it all in with amused curiosity.

I want to give you a glimpse at Adidas’s overall strategy and then delve into my personal interaction with the brand in Beijing. Adidas poured the bulk of its money into sponsoring the Olympics in its entirety but did also sponsor several national Olympic associations and some individual athletes. Nike’s strategy put its money towards star athletes like Kobe Bryant and the famous Chinese hurdler who walked off the track injured, Liu Xiang. Unlike most American advertising that focuses on individuals, Adidas played into the collective aspect of the Chinese culture.

Here’s a commercial that aired throughout the Olympics on CCTV that you probably haven’t seen. You’ll see how it caters to the Chinese consumer.

The campaign, titled “Together in 2008, Impossible is Nothing,” does a fantastic job to invoke nationalism and capitalize on the general sentiment that pulsated throughout the city this past summer– that the Chinese couldn’t be more proud to host the Olympics and support their athletes.

The print ads shown here, won China’s first ever Cannes Lions ad award for breakthrough marketing. The copy translates on the diving ad to “Hu Jia [the athlete pictured] plus 1.3 billion Chinese, impossible is nothing.” The ads capture the entire nation supporting their athletes and the Olympics beautifully.

My personal brand interaction with Adidas was one of discovery and awe. These print ads showed up everywhere from the subway station walls to billboards adorning the city. Other elements of Adidas played its own role as part of my summer narrative. Every time I volunteered at the Main baseball field or at the Bird’s Nest during the Paralympics, I was dressed head to toe in adidas attire along with 100,000 other volunteers, including Jackie Chan. Even the pronunciation of the brand entered conversation on several occasions as a topic of international differences. I still prefer “adidas” to the phonetically pronounced “odd-e-dos” that the rest of the world uses.

Adidas spared no money as a sponsor.  The sportswear company spent $100 million dollars on the rights to use the Olympic rings. But it also invested in its largest flagship store in the world to leave a more permanent impact in the capital city. This store, a staple landmark to our frequent visits to the entertainment district of Beijing, sparked intrigue and multiple photo shoots. The meteor looking structure is a shopping heaven of athletic attire. It’s home is at The Village in Sanlitun, a booming shopping, dining and nightlife spot, and a place we found that every taxi driver understood despite how bad we butchered its name.

With over 3,000 feet of retail space, one cannot be but impressed upon discovering everything beyond the clothes the store offers. There was an entire room dedicated for their line “Made for Beijing.” These shoes were created specifically for Olympic sports and were housed in glass displays. Projected images served as wallpaper and holographic images of shoes hung mid-air in the center of the room.

The store also boasts all of the company’s concept lines, customizable shoes and shirts, interactive displays, tests of balance, athletic consultants, a smoothie café and a half-basketball court on the roof!

A less permanent adidas installation was found in the center of The Village shopping area. Beijing truly struck me as a marketer’s playground where limits don’t exist. In the center courtyard, shoppers could clock their take-off times from track starting blocks, test their targeting skills by kicking soccer balls or add to a wall of goals reinforcing the notion “impossible is nothing.” One of the pictures here shows a history hallway where upon touching the images, they stopped moving and were enlarged. I was captivated by the advanced technology. Inside the room, Olympic fans could watch whatever event was being shown on the big screen, if the atmosphere of the marketing structure and its activities weren’t enough.

I was only one customer—and fan—of Adidas in a very enormous and complex country. Adidas generates more than $800 million dollars from China with over 4,000 retail locations. It is the second largest market for Adidas after the United States. By 2010, it is projected to have over 6,000 retail locations and surpass $1.58 billion dollars in profits in China, especially as the idea and organization of sport grows in the country. As for me, I’m glad I got to witness the international brand’s efforts first-hand. While I’m Kobe’s newest fan, my brand loyalty was strengthened more with the company behind the 3 stripes rather the one behind the swoosh. Only time will tell what brand the Chinese consumer will side with.

With 10 days until the Olympics commence in Beijing, half of the city’s up-and-coming establishments are exactly that, “up-and-coming” but have yet to arrive. In the three and a half weeks that I’ve been in the capital city, remarkable change has already taken place at the Olympic venues and retail stores in preparation for the expected 500,000 visitors for the Games. Transition for Beijing is a cornerstone for this city’s businesses, cityscape and philosophy, sometimes best reflected in a simple sign hung in a store window that reads “coming soon.”

My Olympic assignment is at the Wukesong Culture and Sports Center which is home to the baseball fields and the basketball venue. The BOCOG (The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad) has posted that the venues are ready for pre-Olympic events, but final touches are still being made. Every day that I go into training, new flags are flying among the area’s massive compound. Window decorations are being displayed and cleaned. A constant crew of grounds workers are working to perfect the landscaping to ensure that no flower or leaf is out of order. There’s no doubt in my mind that the venues will be ready to host events for the Games.

On the other hand, the hordes of retail stores and similar establishments catering to tourists and business travelers that are adorned with the “coming soon” sign may or may not make the cut for the expected Olympic rush. Designer stores home to Gucci and Prada have opened around the Dawanglu area in the past weeks in a timely fashion. Farther North, around the Sanlitun area, the up-and-coming The Village shopping complex has only a fraction of its stores open for business. Walk there around 4 am (which I have) there’s night staff working around the clock to get the doors open and cash in on the Olympics money-making opportunity. One new store, UniGlo, has gone from fresh paint inside its windows, to boxes and clothes on mannequins in window displays all in a week’s time. Other stores, like Levi’s, Nautica, Artini and American Apparel have their windows completely covered leaving potential patrons no indication of when the store will be open for business. This is the same complex home to the first Apple store in China and Adidas’s flagship store as a major sponsor of the Games. The popular Sanlitun bars surround this soon to-be shopping mecca of the city.

Beijing, and China for that matter, are up-and-coming to the world. Only time will tell what businesses make the Olympic red carpet deadline to change the “coming soon” signs to “open.”

Side notes:

1. WordPress is blocked in China but proxies are available and rss feeds still work

2. I can’t approve comments or post pics in my postings, but check out my flickr pics and keep the comments coming!

3. Coming soon: the next blog will be on my bungee jump experience in China!

Among the many striking architecture feats that Beijing has undertaken to project its step forward to the modern world, the CCTV Tower stands out among the rest of the progressive buildings. An article in the Herald Tribune suggests that it couldn’t have been built a couple of years ago due to the amount of computing behind the success of the structural components designed by star-architect Rem Koolhaas . For me the fascination of this building was piqued by an exhibit in a cozy room at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City back in 2006. Never in a million years did I think that I would see the building with my own eyes at the eve of its completion.

The MOMA’s exhibit had the small room’s four walls covered in computerized images of what the structure would look like with facts and insights spread throughout the floor-to-ceiling layouts. There were images of the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Sears Tower and the Burj Tower in Dubai to illustrate the structure’s scale. At the time, it seemed like a foreign concept, light-years away from my realm of existence, and yet, its alien-like appearance still seems foreign among Beijing’s bustling cityscape. With its twisted square shape and sheer size, one can’t help but be swept over with wonderment on its reflection of progress for the modern world, on human achievements, and of China harnessing such a progressive building in its capital.

The first time I saw it in Beijing, was from a bus window on my China-approved tour on the way to a Peking Duck restaurant. Being dwarfed in comparison to its epic size, the CCTV Tower is impressive beyond measure. As it quickly came into view from the highway, and just as quickly left, I sat in disbelief that I had just seen one of the new wonders of the world and what MOMA described as “one of the most visionary undertakings in the history of modern architecture.”