As the world (and London's Heathrow airport) bids adieu to the Summer Olympians and gets ready for the Paralympic Games, a few thoughts to leave you with:

IOC Chief Rogge Celebrates His Last Games            

International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge is getting ready to pass on the leadership torch and he is ending his long reign a happy man. Rogge toasted London’s Games Sunday, saying that these Olympics were “absolutely fabulous.” What bigger compliment can there be?

London 2012 Will Be Paid Off in Nine Years

The Summer Olympics may have cost billions for London to throw, including all the lost revenue from tourists who were scared away and residents who worked at home during the Games. But the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates that the whole extravagant shebang will pay for itself by 2021. The big jump will come in 2015, the think tank estimates, when the country will start generating an extra £1.8billion ($2.8 billion) a year due to the Games.Continue reading...

The Olympics in London will kick off on July 27 with an Opening Ceremony that’s already been cut back a bit so that those attending will be able to get home on the trains. Of course, that’s if there are trains running at all. The AP is reporting that about 400 employees of the train system are threatening to strike. If that weren’t enough, border guards at Europe’s largest airport, Heathrow, are also saying they’ll walk off the job the night before the Games get started. Enjoy London, everybody who shelled out big bucks to get there. At least visitors can hop on one of the hard-to-miss sponsor-wrapped buses that CBS Outdoor UK is creating for the likes of Visa and other brands. More below on the latest from London.Continue reading...

You can’t stop it now. That Olympics train is running down the track and won’t be stopping till the final Royal Scone is eaten and the last big-hatted Guard struts by and the final Beatles song is sung during the Closing Ceremonies on Aug. 12. Don’t even think about getting out of the way, and that goes to marketers, too. We're watching how marketers of all sizes, official sponsors and non-sponsors, grapple with the hurdles of the London 2012 organizers' tough rules protecting sponsorships — starting with our lead story today:

Watch Out! The Brand Police Are Watching You

While there is some question on just how secure these Olympics will be, there is no doubt that this will be the most vigilant Olympics ever when it comes to fighting off any brands that are planning to use the Games as any kind of way of presenting their message if they haven’t shelled out the big bucks to allow them the right to do so.

The Independent reports that almost 300 “Olympics officers” hit the streets of the UK ("with a vengeance") on Monday, “enforcing sponsors' multimillion-pound marketing deals” and keeping a steely eye for ambush marketing. Such words as “gold,” “silver,” and, of course, “bronze” have been outlawed from any advertising. The newspaper comments, "Publicans have been advised that blackboards advertising live TV coverage must not refer to beer brands or brewers without an Olympics deal, while caterers and restaurateurs have been told not to advertise dishes that could be construed as having an association with the event."

Interbrand London's Lorna Fray, in her dispatch from London today, notes at least one non-sponsor whose signage around London might lead the casual observer to think it's an Olympics campaign: MasterCard, whose "Priceless London" outdoor marketing push "references heroes, unique experiences and London without mentioning sport or 2012" — much to the annoyance, no doubt, of official London 2012 credit card partner Visa.Continue reading...

• BMW talks up sustainability as automaker unveils colorful designs for Olympics loaner fleet of 4,000 cars and SUVs.

• Some London residents may get missiles stationed on their rooftops as city firms up security plans.

• London mayor Boris Johnson complains that Heathrow airport chaos is damaging UK reputation ahead of the Games.

• McDonald's Coca-Cola and Cadbury criticized for Olympics sponsorship.

• Yahoo plans biggest Olympics coverage ever thanks to P&G and Visa sponsorship.

• China signs Wurth as Olympics basketball team sponsor.

• Organizers struggle to keep up with web ticket sales to football/soccer fans.

• New technology will measure impact of extra traffic on London.

The Richard Branson brand empire called Virgin has been called (OK, by us) "the elastic brand." The iconoclastic Branson has generally followed an informal strategy that goes something like, "If it appeals to me, I'll build a business around it." To his credit, as he has expanded (and licensed) the Virgin brand across a staggering array of businesses, Branson has had more hits than misses.

The core of Virgin has always been Virgin Atlantic, the upstart airline that challenged staid British Airways, won an acrimonious public battle, and became one of Europe's leading air carriers. But even the high-flying Virgin Atlantic cannot continue to battle adverse business conditions.

Fiercely independent, Virgin Atlantic is finally realizing it needs strategic partners. British Airways remains a formidable competitor, especially in light of its cooperative venture with American Airlines. That's why Branson is seriously considering joining an airline alliance. In recent years, an alliance has become a technique airlines use to share codes and routes in an effort to get fliers to consolidate their travel with a small group of carriers.

But with typical Branson bravado, Sir Richard is not just looking for an alliance with the largest number of participants.Continue reading...

Vodafone is taking it to the streets…and soon, Heathrow Express trains in London.

A new fleet of Vodafone-branded Union Jack cabs enable cab riders to pay their fares via handsets, in a nearly-near field communication (NFC) scenario – where users send a text to the taxi’s number and are automatically charged.

Hundreds of the branded taxis hit the streets this week in one of London’s largest ever ‘wrapping’ ad campaigns.Continue reading...

If airlines can use their brands for differentiation, why can't airports? That's what London's Gatwick Airport is out to do with a new identity launching today, accompanied by an ad campaign with the tagline: "Your London airport — Gatwick."

Gatwick, smaller than its rival Heathrow and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom, is using a new blue and white visual identity to position itself as a "challenger brand" to Heathrow, according to Andrew McCallum, director of communications at Gatwick. He says "we want Gatwick to be a friendlier, more human airport throughout the customer journey."

Gatwick is investing in more than superficialities to beef up its brand.Continue reading...