Olympic Rings as a Brand and Symbol for Internationalism - A North American Perspective

Abstract

Baron Pierre de Coubertin's dream of reviving the Olympic Games was to establish a broadly based social movement which, through the medium of sport, would celebrate physical culture and art, promote international understanding, and inspire people to reach higher and farther while growing stronger in mind and body (Muller, 1986). He was convinced that the Olympic ideal would help promote universal values such as mutual understanding, friendship, and tolerance that, in turn, would contribute to build a better and more peaceful world (Muller, 1986). More than one hundred years later, these ideals remain at the foundation of the Olympic system and its well known ‘brand’. As the Olympic brand developed into one of the world's most powerful brands, the purpose of this paper is to examine the Olympic rings as a brand and symbol for internationalism. For the purpose of this paper, internationalism is defined as “an attitude or belief favoring a policy of cooperation among nations” (Webster, 2010). The question will be examined using marketing (brand concepts) as a framework with a North American perspective. First, a brief overview of the concept of brand and its use within the professional sport industry will be presented. Second, the various components that constitute ‘brand Olympic’ and its differentiating characteristics will be discussed. Finally, a discussion on Olympic rings as a brand and symbol for internationalism will conclude the paper.