Product Description

The turnaround of the Olympics is a remarkable business story. It is the story of how the nearly bankrupt Olympic Movement, written off by most commentators, was led away from the abyss by visionary, and sometimes hard-headed, leadership and the creation of a unique corporate marketing platform.

Olympic Turnaround tells for the first time how the future of one of the world's iconic institutions was secured. It is the story of a fine balancing act as an amateur organisation struggled with and eventually embraced the business world. But, it did so on its own terms, maintaining its identity, not compromising its core values.In the process, it established many of the ground rules of today's sports marketing industry.

Olympic Turnaround is also the story of the broadcast industry's love affair with sport. It charts how companies began to understand the power of sport as a marketing and promotional tool. It is also a cautionary tale of success and failure - about how some nations learned to embrace the potential of hosting the world, while others, through short-sighted local political agendas, failed to see the bigger picture.

Packed with previously untold stories and case studies, this is the commercial story of the world's most valuable and important franchise, the largest and the greatest event in the world: the Olympic Games.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #286356 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover

From the Publisher
"No one knows the Olympic brand better than Michael Payne. Olympic Turnaround provides a road map to success in 2012."

Sebastian Coe, Olympian and Chairman of London's successful 2012 Olympic bid

"Just 25 years ago, one of the world's greatest institutions was on the brink of extinction. That it survived at all is due to the vision and hard work of a few individuals. Olympic Turnaround recounts their story and also provides an inside view of the creation of the sports marketing industry. No one is better positioned to tell this story than Michael Payne."

Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive WPP

"Michael Payne provides a fascinating inside story on rebuilding what has become one of the most powerful brands in the world; a brand we all feel ownership of, care for and enjoy; a brand whose values companies pay literally billions to be associated with."

Sean Meehan, IMD

"If ever there was someone in a position to tell the story of the IOC in the late 20th century and its phenomenal recovery for the new millennium, it would be Michael Payne. There's a reason he's been called the world's foremost sports marketer and this book gives full credence to that position. An intriguing read that makes clear how hard it is to market global sport properties."

Rick Burton, Commissioner National Basketball League

"From the crippling tit-for-tat boycotts of Moscow and Los Angeles, to the egos that nearly wrecked Atlanta and corrupted Salt Lake City, to the tortuous triumphs of Sydney and Athens, with the exciting prospect of the new China in Beijing 2008 ahead, Olympic Turnaround is a fascinating read. This is the inside story of the spectacular road back from the brink."

John Bertrand, America's Cup winner

"If Juan Antonio Samaranch was 'M' then Michael Payne was 'Q' in the cloak and dagger world behind the Olympic Games. With more twists and turns than a spy novel, Payne's masterly telling of the games behind the Games is a page turner for anyone who has thrilled to Olympic competition."

David Hill, chairman and CEO, Fox Sports

"This is the inside story from an insider. Michael Payne captures the politics, intrigue and tension of sports business at the very highest level and delivers in a style enriched by personal observations and anecdotes which take the reader right into the boardroom."

Kevin Roberts, editorial director Sport Business

"Olympic Turnaround is pure Olympic Gold. Michael Payne's Olympic Turnaround gives a thrilling insight into the strategic, leadership, branding and marketing triumphs of the Olympic Movement over the last 25 years."

Sir Steve Redgrave, Olympian

About the Author
Michael Payne is the outstanding sports marketer of his generation. He has spent the past twenty years working for the Olympic Movement. As a director of the International Olympic Committee, he worked on and led the marketing effort for eight Winter and seven Summer Olympic Games. As the IOC's first ever Marketing Director and then its first Director of Global Broadcast and Media Rights, he oversaw a growth in sponsorship revenues from around $100 million per quadrennial to over $2 billion.

After the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, Michael Payne joined Formula One Management as special adviser to its CEO, Bernie Ecclestone.

Customer Reviews

An insider's story of marketing the Olympic Games
Michael Payne's book is the definitive story of marketing the Olympic Games from 1984 to 2004. He deals in depth with three main topics: the negotiation of broadcast rights; the TOP sponsorship programme and ambush marketing; and the development of the Olympic brand and the impact that recent Games and other events have had on it. Having said that, it's not a textbook: it's a breezy business thriller. Payne vividly conveys the twists and turns that characterise the Olympic story over the last 20 years using rich detail to put the reader in the picture. He pulls no punches, and is frank in his acknowledgment of where things went wrong. You are left in no doubt that Payne cares deeply about the brand he played such a big part in rescuing. Anyone involved in sports marketing will find this a fascinating read, and will profit from every chapter. For those interested in the Olympic Games - or bidding for them - it's compulsory.

Simply the best dissection of the history of the modern Olympic Games
Michael Payne is the only person in the world that can fully grasp the intracacies and byzantine nature of the TOP sponsorship programme that has made the modern Olympic Games the commercial success it is today. This book is essential reading for novices and experts alike in the high art of global sports sponsorship.

Ardi Kolah
Chief Stragey Officer
PRISM (part of WPP)
Author of Sponsorship: Strategies for Maximising the Return on Investment