ABSTRACT
The Olympic Games brand enjoys the highest brand recognition globally in the sport realm (Payne, 2006). Researchers have discussed the differences between the perceptions of consumers of the Olympic Games and manager perceptions of the Olympic Games image’ in a number of areas (Seguin, Richelieu & Reilly, 2007). From the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) standpoint, there is always concern about how the Games are consumed and how the consumption process correlates with the IOC’s image (Maguire, Barnard, Butler & Golding, 2008). This is why the IOC is conducting its own research regarding the Olympic brand globally (International Olympic Committee, 2013). The most recent research by the IOC regarding the Olympic brand suggests that it outperforms other global brands in the values of “Inspirational”, “Heritage and Tradition”, “Diversity”, “Optimistic”, “Excellence”, “Global” and “Inclusive” (International Olympic Committee, 2013). In the latter research, consumer perceptions of the IOC were evaluated as well. The results revealed the highly positive consumers’ attributions of the IOC in terms of it being modern, transparent, dynamic, strict about doping, global and a leader (International Olympic Committee, 2013). Despite the positive results in the IOC research, criticisms still remain about the Games being a capitalistic growth platform that often foists cultural products in each host city (Maguire, 2011) that can be reflected differently within different genders (Silk, 2011).
