Bank Of America Collects Cheers For U.S. Olympic Team

Like most Olympic sponsors, Bank of America is proud to support Team USA in this summer's upcoming games. In advance of those games, the company has established an online and event-marketing program to help others show its support as well.

"Social networking and the social media space is a growing part of marketing," company representative Joe Goode tells Marketing Daily. "We wanted to find a way to create a program that would connect our customers, associates, and Americans around the world to express support for American athletes."

The bank, which has sponsored the team since 1992, is encouraging everyone to record an audio, video or written cheer and upload it to a BOA-sponsored Web site, AmericasCheer.com. The cheers of support will be saved, and will be accessible throughout the games for athletes and boosters to view.

Bank of America is also sponsoring a 19-city tour in which a mobile recording studio will allow supporters to record their cheers. The tour, which will travel more 27,000 miles to stage 26 events, began in New York City on Monday and will end on Aug. 24 (the same day as closing ceremonies) in Detroit.

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"Unlike any other sporting event in the world, the Olympics is the only event where the entire county gets behind one team. And that's a great opportunity to have a passionate dialogue with our customers," Goode says. "This is about creating a collective voice of support for our extraordinary athletes this coming August."

As part of its sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic team, Bank of America has also created an Olympic-themed suite of products. Under the banner of U.S. Olympic Team banking, the products include Team USA credit and debit cards and checks. As consumers use the products, Bank of America will make a donation to the U.S. Olympic team ("at no cost to the customer," Goode notes). The products are also tied to a rewards program, where credits can be redeemed on Olympic-themed prizes, such as Team USA products, audiences with Olympic athletes and perhaps a trip to the games.

Both the America's Cheer and the Olympic Team Banking programs will be supported via national and local television, radio and print advertising, which will break next month, as well as online, direct mail and point of sale materials.

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