Monday, 23 May 2011

2012 Olympics: Marketers, plan ahead!

The Olympic Delivery Authority and Transport for London are reminding London-based businesses to plan ahead for disruptions that are likely to occur during the 2012 Olympic Games, now 433 days away. (For more about contingency plans, see Chapter 12 of my Essential Guide to Marketing Planning.)

Some of the questions to answer in the marketing plan include:
  • How will your employees get to work? 
  • How will products and materials get delivered to your business and your customers?
  • Will the usual media schedule and vehicles reach your customers? Will you need to change your media choices and schedule?
  • Are there additional opportunities to offer special products and services?
  • Will extra amounts of goods and services be needed on hand to satisfy demand or allow for disruptions?
  • Will costs go up due to unusual transportation arrangements? How will this affect pricing?
  • Will regular customers be unable or unwilling to place orders as usual, and how will this affect demand before, during and after the Games?