Innovation is hot, it’s the biggest trend and everyone is talking about it. Definitions and usage of the word seem to differ slightly although they all seem to convey the same thing: innovation is about improvement. It’s about the new. The better. Better methods, ideas, products, services, technology, experience, the list is endless. All these ideas lead to our desire to being more effective and ultimately turn into demigods. So it’s only natural that innovation be present at the most popular event of the year: the games of the XXX Olympiad.
In order to understand if and where innovation has successfully been implemented, it is important to understand what is new or what has changed since the previous Beijing Olympics of 2008.
In a nutshell, the world changed. Between the global economic meltdown and resulting voldemort-esque fear in hearing the words ‘spending money’, social media’s despotism, eco mania, 4 generations of iPhones and many other trivial events, it is safe to say the past 4 years have not been uneventful.
So how has this affected London 2012 in a ‘newer, better, faster’ way? Well, for starters, the economic crisis resulted in an 80% Olympic budget decrease for London, dropping from £45 billion (Beijing’s budget) to £9.3 billion. Whilst this amount may still seem gargantuan, it required a completely different approach in order to produce the same outcome at a fraction of the cost. Not only was the budget lowered, but the thought of creating another abandoned birds nest was out of the question. In this respect, London 2012 has pioneered the future of sustainable Olympics by keeping construction to the minimum, making use of existing venues and creating innovative, removable structures that will be dismantled by the end games. 
This ‘green’ approach has been largely implemented throughout the entire event, from materials used in construction (allowing natural ventilation instead of air conditioning in the velodrome), to compostable packaging used for the majority of the food, London 2012 truly is the Captain Planet of all the Olympics.
From a social point of view, whilst it may not seem as though much has changed in 4 years, it has. For the sceptics out there, YouTube views have increased from 133 million (2008) to 4 billion (2012) per day, with Facebook increasing from 100 to 900 million users. 
This is no small feat. It is no secret that social has become an integral part of our daily lives so it is only natural that the Olympics go social as well. The BBC has ensured that London 2012 be available to everyone, all over the world, across all platforms, live.
The domination of smartphones and tablets has allowed us to be connected at all times, giving access to all forms of media, and of course, ads. Many companies have taken advantage of the Olympics to deliver ads to a public constantly glued to a screen (or 2). Most impressively perhaps, has been AT&T’s near real-time ad campaign using Team USA athletes as they win medals. 
Whilst many companies have used athletes and their victories in ads before, none have managed to integrate live events so quickly (broadcasting on national TV 24 hours after the event occurred). The result is an ad that directly communicates to their consumers with something they can immediately relate to. This is definitely something we will be seeing more of in the next few years.
So, has London 2012 been innovative? Well, yes, to a certain extent, but more in a reactive way rather than proactive. If we compare to Beijing, great initiatives were taken using today’s technology and trends, especially the clever use of temporary and eco-friendly structures. However, much of the technology used was to be expected with growing pressure from the public demanding more sustainability. It is in this sense that innovation has been reactive. Hopefully we’ll see a more proactive approach for Rio, with an impressive use of tomorrow’s technology. It would be great to see events like this powered by clean energy in the near future, possible 3D live viewing from home, and who knows what else? Only time will tell.
Social tagging: Branding > communication > Innovation > Olympics > responsibility > social
