London 2012 should step up activity – MP

Government Olympics chief Derek Wyatt MP has called for the London 2012 bid to step up its public marketing campaign, following Team GB’s success in Athens.

Wyatt, who is chairman of the Parliamentary all-party Olympic group, says that the team has been too quiet in drumming up support for the Olympic Games in London so far. He recommends that the bid team secure the services of a “political heavyweight” to front the campaign for public support. He suggests someone like former prime minister John Major.

Wyatt says that the 2012 team needs to capitalise on the public support the success of the British Olympic team in Athens has created in the UK. “It has been a slow burner here and [the bid team] really needs to make a lot of noise now. It seems to be coming together over in Athens, where the team has done one of the best jobs in front of the International Olympic Committee,” he says.

The IOC is expected to gauge public opinion about a London games later this year, and generating a significant level of support is seen as a key test in winning the right to host the games.

Earlier this month, Marketing Week revealed that the bid team was to step up its public activity, with talks to broadcasters about creating a series of programme sponsorship spots to support the bid (MW August 5).