By: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week… | Fistful of Talent

5 Things You Need to Know This Week… | Fistful of Talent — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:20:37 +0000

[...] Recruiting Lessons from the Olympics. As the 2012 Olympics press on, there’s a lesson (or eight) to be learned and implemented [...]

By: Brainstorm Bulletin, Mon, July 30, 2012 | Brainstorm

Brainstorm Bulletin, Mon, July 30, 2012 | Brainstorm — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 04:17:25 +0000

[...] results, and your bottom line.” Great recruiting and hiring must deliver on its promises. Article News Date: July 23, [...]

By: Attracting top talent in unconventional ways « workTalk

Attracting top talent in unconventional ways « workTalk — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 13:39:07 +0000

[...] here to read about more the Olympic Games’ recruiting strategies that you can modify to fit your [...]

By: HR Blogposts der Woche 30/2012 | HR Software Blog

HR Blogposts der Woche 30/2012 | HR Software Blog — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 12:23:33 +0000

[...] teilnehmen. Die Auswahl erfolgt meist basierend auf den Leistungen kurz vor dem Beginn der Spiele. ERE analysiert wie diese Methoden der Olympia Mannschaften auch in Unternehmen erfolgreich angewandt [...]

By: Olympic Recruiting vs. Corporate Recruiting | UDig Blog

Olympic Recruiting vs. Corporate Recruiting | UDig Blog — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:35:10 +0000

[...] Olympics, I thought it was only appropriate to offer my thoughts on an article I recently read, Recruiting Lessons From The Olympics. In this article the author, Dr. John Sullivan, describes eight of the most impactful Olympic [...]

By: Keith Halperin

Keith Halperin — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:45:48 +0000

Thanks, Dr. Sullivan. I think the 2012 Olympics is example of big business at its most typical (if not at its best):
From my understanding, private businesses in the UK have put up ~$1.5G (my keyboard doesn’t have the symbol for “pounds”) of the total Olympic cost of more than $17G, with the British taxpayers funding the balance- this at a time when the Conservative/LDP Coalition government is pushing austerity measures on public services. Meanwhile, the official sponsors may make out like bandits, while the 10,000+ competing athletes are prohibited from making anything from it (with clever exceptions like *Nick Symmonds, who pointed out that a number of Competing athletes live below the poverty line). A great example of public/private partnership- the public get the losses, the private gets the profits, and the people actually doing the work get nothing.

For a very funny mockumentary miniseries about the organizing of the 2012 Olympics, watch 2012 on BBC America http://www.bbcamerica.com/twenty-twelve/about/ .
Some of the things they joked about in the show (like the busses getting lost on the way to the Olympic Park) have subsequently happened!

Cheers,

Keith

* http://www.examiner.com/article/olympic-athlete-gets-11-100-to-wear-temporary-tattoo

When American Olympic athlete, Nick Symmonds, runs the men’s 800 meter competition in the 2012 London Olympics, he’ll be sporting a temporary tattoo on his left deltoid. Why temporary? Because Symmonds sold that little piece of skin for advertising space available to the highest bidder on e-Bay. The only thing is you won’t be able to see this body art during the London Olympics, because it will be covered with tape.

At age 28, Nick Symmonds is a media-savvy runner with an entrepreneurial spirit and a chance to win gold in the 800 meter race. The winner of the e-Bay auction, Hanson Dodge Creative, is a marking and advertising agency in Milwaukee. What did they get for their $11,100? A temporary tattoo of the Hanson Dodge logo and Twitter name on the runner’s deltoid. While he can’t show it while running in London, it has been on display as he trains. The company considers the money spent well worth it. They’ve increased media exposure and have already been featured in The New York Times.

Why will the tattoo be covered?

Since it’s Symmonds’ body, and he chooses to wear the tattoo, why does it have to be covered when he competes in the 2012 Olympics? It seems Symmonds started the auction to draw attention to what, in his opinion, are outdated sponsorship policies by USA Track and field. The current restrictions require him to cover the tattoo during the races. Other limitations prohibit him from appearing in ads for brands or companies that aren’t Olympic sponsors, from July 18-August 18. Symmonds has used the temporary tattoo and auction to challenge the highly-controlled branding rules he and many others feel are outdated.