The Dark Side of the Olympics and How to Avoid Brand Disaster (Language Schools Edition) + a Free Public Relations Statement
The Winter Olympics 2022 are coming up, and they're sure to be a hot topic for governments and businesses across the globe.
You might think that an occasion such as the Olympics is low-hanging fruit for content creation for your school - all the vocabulary, national athletes, cultural connections with different sports…
Yeah, well… not really.
Shortcuts:
What is the Problem with Using Olympics for Your Content and Promotional Materials?
Why Are The Chinese Winter Olympics in 2022 Especially Sensitive?
How to Manage Your School’s Social Media and Communication in The Context of the Olympic Games
How To Prepare Yourself For The Difficult Conversations & Trolls
Conclusion: How to Market Your Language School During the 2022 Olympics
Download a free Public Relations statement that you can copy-paste into your school’s communication!
It was prepared based on over 10 years of experience in marketing and public relations - including political and crisis PR.
Simply copy-paste, fill in the blanks, and handle the whole “2022 Olympics situation” with respect, tact, and clarity it deserves!
What is the Problem with Using Olympics for Your Content and Promotional Materials?
As surprising as it might be - the Olympics are always a delicate PR matter because of their vast economic and social impact on the hosting cities. Especially when they’re happening in the developing countries – but that’s a topic for another time because this year is even more slippery considering the complicated political climate of the host country – China.
The Chinese government is using the Beijing Olympics to improve its global image and hide its human rights abuses. Right now, people are imprisoned, disappeared, or otherwise detained in China for exercising their right to free expression. As the world watches the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we cannot forget them. Take action now and demand their rights are respected. (Amnesty International petition)
Countries including the US and UK have announced diplomatic boycotts of the games, refusing to send officials to Beijing, although others, notably France, have said they will attend. (Sky News)
The Social & Economic Impact of The Olympics
There are a lot of areas in sport that are still overlooked. One of these is human rights - fighting racism, sexism, and homophobia in professional sport is becoming a more frequently discussed topic, but - when it comes to Olympics - we shouldn’t overlook the social issues it creates among the local communities.
International watchdog groups are spotlighting the rights of the workers building stadiums, rise in sex trafficking, violence against discriminated groups, and, sadly more often than not, purges of homeless people living in the areas that are being prepared for the games (to make them look pretty, obviously…).
Major sporting events like the Olympics give us a chance to raise awareness of local, national, and international human rights abuses. These include abuse in the event's host country, the countries taking part, or if associated with an event sponsor.
The economic impact of hosting the Olympic games is usually massive and it becomes a burden for the local authorities – and – obviously, the local taxpayers.
The profits from tourism and marketing for the host cities usually don’t cover the full cost of building out the necessary infrastructure, and the maintenance of the new objects is exceptionally expensive. Most of the host cities go into debt, which their residents pay for years.
It was 2006 before Montreal finished paying off its debt from the 1976 games, and Russian taxpayers will pay almost $1 billion annually for many years to come to pay off the debt from the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. (Investopedia)
We also strongly recommend the Guardian’s article about Montreal – very eye-opening: The 40-year hangover: how the 1976 Olympics nearly broke Montreal
Get access to our library of free marketing guides, trackers, and templates for expat language schools:
What is Sportswashing?
Sportswashing is a term that emerged in 2018 and refers to the use of sports by oppressive regimes for propaganda purposes, distracting from the human rights abuses.
Sportswashing is the practice of an individual, group, corporation, or nation-state using a major or prestigious international sport to improve its reputation, through hosting a sporting event, the purchase or sponsorship of sporting teams, or by participation in the sport itself. At nation-state level, sportswashing has been used to direct attention away from a poor human rights record and corruption scandals within local government. (Wikipedia)
Remember this term, as with the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and the Fifa World Cup in Qatar you will hear that word A LOT in 2022…
Why Are The Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 Especially Sensitive?
The Chinese Government is notoriously violating human rights. They are being repeatedly called to stop their brutal and illegal actions by international watchdog organizations and international organizations. Here’s a short list of their most recent violations:
harassment, intimidation, disappearance, detention and imprisonment of Human Right Defenders and activists;
severe and wide-ranging repression of ethnic minorities from Autonomous regions: Xinjiang, Tibet and Inner Mongolia;
censorship, including obstructing the flow of vital information during the earliest weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan;
Internet censorship, harassment & limiting the freedom of expression;
harassment of the Chinese LGBTQI+ community;
“Regulations, effective as of 1 February [2020], stipulated that religious groups must ‘follow the leadership of the Communist Party of China…’ Reports documented the destruction of thousands of cultural and religious sites, particularly in the north-west of China.” (Amnesty International)
creation of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the National Security Law) in 2020: “local government escalated its crackdown on pro-democracy activists and opposition leaders and used national security as a pretext to interfere in the media and education sectors. The right to freedom of peaceful assembly was further curtailed by seemingly arbitrary enforcement of physical distancing regulations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.” (Amnesty International)
You can read more on China’s many human rights violations on this Amnesty International website.
Among the many human rights violations committed by the Chinese authorities, their systematic violations of the right to freedom of expression demand specific attention at the 2022 Olympics. It is highly problematic that the Chinese government while hosting a mega sports event that claims to celebrate international exchange and mutual understanding, is implementing an immense system of massive censorship and crushing control over what people can say and see.
- Amnesty International petition to drop all charges against and immediately release Zhang Zhan, Ilham Tohti, Li Qiaochu, Gao Zhisheng, and Rinchen Tsultrim. You can read the full text and sign the petition HERE
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How to Manage Your School’s Social Media and Communication in The Context of the Olympic Games
At this point, we all know that the Olympics will be a sensitive subject this year. Talking about the Olympics:
might help you get respect from your students;
will for sure impact your brand negatively or positively (the way people think and feel about your school);
might even get you in long-lasting image trouble.
So we’re here to give you some tips before you release anything Olympics-related to the world.
How Language Schools Can Talk About The Olympics And Gain The Respect And Trust Of Their Students While Avoiding a Brand Disaster?
Your messages might come across as an act of ignorance, or – if you go the opposite direction and decide to take a stance on a political situation – even as an attack rather than showing support for your athletes.
Take a stand - don't be neutral when facing crimes against humanity!
It’ll get you a lot of respect from your existing students and might convince the ones that are on the fence to work with you instead of your competitor because they share your values. In value-based marketing, you win clients by being an honest, good human being. It’s a win-win-win: for you, for your clients, for the causes you fight for!
If you already have your content planned - add the awareness part to your captions or even graphics and videos if possible (add your local Amnesty International [AI] petition, the definition of “sportswashing”, your stand on the matter)
Make a clear statement that you support your country's athletes and the Chinese people, but you voice your opinion on the actions of the Chinese government.
Would you like a safe, yet firm PR statement we’ve prepared? One that you can copy-paste without breaking your brain? One that is non-invasive, yet firm? You can download it here as a PR gift from us 🤗 And as an encouragement to become a part of the solution 💪
Explain the term "sportswashing" to your social media followers or email subscribers.
Find the petition of your national AI and redirect people to sign it. Google “Amnesty International + name of your country + Beijing 2022”.
If you won’t get the proper results – contact your national AI through their social media channels.
AI is based mainly on volunteers, so it might take time for them to respond.
If that gets you nowhere – here’s an English version: https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/champion-freedom-of-expression-in-china-olympics/
If you feel up to it – organize debate clubs or meetings for people who would like to discuss the issues. Make sure to disclaim that you are not an expert on the subject and the event will be there simply to provide emotional support and a place to exchange thoughts and feelings around the violation of human rights.
You can organize a meeting with an expert on human rights violations in China or during sports events. You can also search whether there are meetings on the subject held in your city or area and promote them. Just make sure to research people you endorse or invite!
How To Prepare Yourself For The Difficult Conversations & Trolls
Word of warning – by taking a stand you obviously have to be ready to have public conversations. You might attract some trolls and have to put up with some nonsense comments – though that’s not very probable in this case, but hey – people are very bored lately…
If it happens - it’s going to be ok 😉 Here’s how you can prepare for this torch and pitchfork bearing mob (in case they actually come):
Don’t delete any comments that are not clearly offensive to you or other people!
Example:
If someone attacks Chinese people as a nation in the comment – delete ASAP. Offensive, unproductive, nasty.
If they share an “innocent” conspiracy theory (so not the type that says that “Chinese people did Corona on purpose”) or doubt the works of Amnesty International – do not delete. They’re sharing an opinion, they have a right to discuss it. And you should join the discussion.
Remember that you’re taking a stand on human rights – it’s an important matter, so don’t get intimidated.
When you don’t know something – admit that you’re not an expert on the subject. No one expects you to be an expert on anything and everything. Acknowledging publicly that you don’t know something or don’t feel competent to answer gets you respect – it’s not a sign of weakness!
You’re not alone – people are very passionate about human rights. Your followers will jump into your comments and tear haters apart. Talking from experience 😉
Conclusion: How to Market Your Language School During the 2022 Olympics
To summarize this message: we urge you to USE YOUR VOICE - don't stand by!
It’s a powerful opportunity to bond with your clients, showcase your values and become a meaningful part of a conversation. Who said marketing is all about dancing on the Internet and making pretty pictures? 😉
And please - don't pretend like nothing's happening and just post about the Olympics. At best it'll make you look ignorant. Worst case? You'll have an image crisis on your hands.
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