Weekly Issue

When Beijing first hosted the Olympic Games in 2008, it was seen as the coming-out party for China. The arrival of the Games promised to introduce a new economic powerhouse to the world — and a potential goldmine to global brands. “The message was that China is open for business, China is modern, China is part of the world community. There are 1.3 billion consumers here waiting for you,” said T Burns Sports Group founder and CEO Terrence Burns, who was the lead brand and marketing adviser for the 2008 Beijing Olympic bid. That opportunity attracted unprecedented investment from Olympic sponsors, which collectively spent a reported $2 billion on Games-related activations.