Licensing

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Official opening of the OlympicStore at Plaka, in the historicalcentre of Athens.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)

Images from the Olympic Storeat Plaka.© ATHOC/G. Prinos

The ATHENS 2004 Licensing programme wasa source of revenue for the OrganisingCommittee, but also a way to promote theGames throughout the world. The ATHENS2004 Official Licensed Products promoted thehomecoming of the Games and conveyed thetimeless values of the Games: Friendship, Ethos,Competition, Participation, became aphilosophy and an expression of life before,during and after the Games.

The Organising Committee, through itsLicensing programme, ceded the right to usethe logos and marks of ATHENS 2004 for themanufacture and distribution of products,receiving a specific percentage of the sales.The revenue received supported the OlympicGames and the Greek Olympic Team. Thepurpose of the Licensing programme was tomaximise sales of official products bearing theOlympic marks and the mascots, in Greece andinternationally.

The ATHENS 2004 Product LicensingProgramme implemented:

• A brand-driven licensing programme thatpromoted the symbols of the Games, withquality licensees, seeking high quality productsand controlled commercial growth.

• A retail sales policy that included the "OlympicStores" and the Olympic Venue Concessions.

• An anti-piracy programme whose aim was toprotect the market from counterfeit products.

ATHOC also developed Numismatic andPhilately programmes in association with theBank of Greece and the Hellenic Post, to strikecoins, publish stamps and promote both for theATHENS 2004 Olympic Games.

The companies that participated in theLicensing programme had exclusive rights tomanufacture and distribute bearing the officiallogos and marks of the ATHENS 2004 Olympicand Paralympic Games.

The Official Licensed Products were producedand distributed by Licensees selected through atender process, in accordance with EuropeanUnion Directives. The products were ofmodem design and high quality, and were aimedat Greek consumers, visitors from abroad andsupporters of the Olympic Games throughoutthe world.

During the first phase of the Licensingprogramme, by December 2001, the OrganisingCommittee signed agreements for themanufacture and distribution of sevencategories of ATHENS 2004 Official LicensedProducts. In May 2001 (and during the period2002-2004), a tender was announced for 35product categories. More than 1.085 detailedtender documents were distributed tocompanies, underlining the intensity of interestin the business community about OlympicProducts. The second and final phase of theprogramme lasted from January 2002 toDecember 2004, with the circulation of variouscategories of products, as follows:

The Licensees

The Licensing Department, reporting to theMarketing General Manager; was staffedrelatively early, in order for the key staffmembers to gain experience from previousOlympic Games. Gradually the Departmentgrew to cover four sections: product approvals,advertising and international licensing programme,retail and concessions. At full development,it had a headcount of 28 paid staff.

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Original tag with securityhologramme.© ATHOC

Olympic products.© ATHOC/C. Voulgari

• Sportswear

• Hats

• Polo shirts

• Casual wear

• Children's clothing

• Pins

• Jewellery

• Household Porcelain - Ceramics

• Household Glassware

• Key rings and Decorative Magnets

• Leather Goods

• Toys

• Towels and Bathrobes

• Pyjamas and Underwear

• Shoes

• Bags and Travel Goods

• Stationery

• Beachwear

• Perfume

• Posters and Greeting Cards

• Socks

• Sunglasses

• Puzzles and Board Games

• Outdoor Toys

• Frames and Photographic Albums

• Computer Accessories

• Umbrellas

• Linens

• Publications

• Music CDs

• Videogames

Each category was exclusive, i.e. was producedand distributed solely by a single company or asingle joint venture of companies chosenthrough the tender process. Opportunitieswere also offered to the Licensees to producespecial promotional products for National andInternational Sponsors (sponsor premiums),creating synergy.

Special importance was placed on selectingcompanies that were reliable and experienced:projected sales (which were secured throughbank guarantees), distribution and anticipatedpoints of sale, previous experience in licensing,manufacturing capabilities and financialsituation, were all taken into consideration inthe process of selecting Licensees.

The ATHENS 2004 Licensing programmegenerated retail sales of over €530,2 million.Over 120 per cent of the forecast wholesale andthe corresponding revenue was achieved in thefirst phase of the programme. The programmeultimately yielded royalty revenues totalling€88,7 million, 30 per cent above the initialrevenue target, and provided substantialsupport for the Greek Olympic Team and thehosting of the Games. In total over 5.000 SKUswere produced in 39 product categories,by 19 local Licensees, 2 international Licenseesand 2 Licensee-Sponsors, and were sold at over10.000 points of sale throughout Greece.

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Olympic pins.© ATHOC/D. Kalopisis,G. Prinos, C. Voulgari

Beyond the financial results, the presence of theOfficial Licensed Products on the marketpromoted the Games for four years beforethey actually took place. They also offeredconsumers the opportunity to feel that theysupported the Games, increasing theirenthusiasm.

Memorabilia

All ATHENS 2004 Official Licensed Productscommemorated the Games' return to Greece,and celebrated the unique history and values ofthe Olympic Games. Each Product was acollector's item, which ceased to be producedafter the end of the Olympic and ParalympicGames.

Other Products were released as a series, eitherall at once or in stages. A complete set of thelimited edition Products had enhancedcollector value after the Games.

Pins and Countdown SeriesPins are the most popular collectable items ofall Olympic Games, and pin trading isconsidered to be the sport of the spectators.

The Athens Pins drew their themes from avariety of artistic applications, includingemblems, mascots, Olympic values, Sports,Greek landscapes and a wide variety of othertopics. Each Pin had a unique code on thereverse side, as well as a number indicating thetotal number of pins produced of that specificdesign. Pins that circulated in numbers less than35.000 units had particular value as a collector'sitem, while those with fewer than 7.000; 4.000;or 1.000 units had even higher value.

The most popular series of pins were theCountdown Series. These circulated onlandmark dates for the Olympic and ParalympicCalendar e.g. "1.000 days before the OlympicGames". Besides being highly popular, they werealso highly collectable, as they were issued in

only very limited numbers. There were fourcountdown series issued for the OlympicGames: years, months, weeks and days, whilethere were two series for the ParalympicGames: years and days.

NumismaticATHOC cooperated with the competentagencies in order to develop and implementprogrammes of circulating coins andcommemorative coins. The assistance of theGrand National Sponsors, Hellenic Post andAlpha Bank, was necessary in order to achievenational distribution of the coins. They werealso available in 23 countries worldwide,including Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland,Japan, Canada, China, Hong Kong, etc.

The first phase of the numismatic programmebegan in December 2000, in close collaborationwith the Greek Ministry of Economy andFinance and the Bank of Greece. A series of six500-drachma Olympic coins, the last drachmacoin circulated before the currency wasreplaced by the euro, circulated in 24 millionpieces and generated significant revenue for theprogramme.

In May 2004, a commemorative 2-euro coincirculated on the occasion of the AthensOlympic Games. As all euro coins, it was sold atall the branches of the Bank of Greece and atcommercial banks. Its value was the same asthat of the 2-euro coins of the Eurozone andwas legal tender The first Olympic euro coinever to circulate bore a commemorative designon its national face, where besides theperimeter of twelve stars, there was a depictionof Myron's Discobolus (discus thrower), basedon the Roman copy of the fifth century statue.The same face showed the Olympic rings, theATHENS 2004 logo in English and the facevalue of the coin in Greek. The depiction wasdesigned by painter and sculptor P. Gravvalosand the die was cut by sculptor K. Kazakos, whilethe other face of the coin is the commonEuropean 2-euro coin face.

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ATHENS 2004 coins.© ATHOC

The second phase of the numismaticprogramme began in March 2003, with thecirculation of the first series of collectableOlympic coins. It comprised six series, eachmade up of a single gold coin and two silvercoins. The topics for the gold coin were drawnfrom themes of Greek civilisation, while thethemes on the silver coins were drawn fromsport. The complete set of 18 coins (six gold,twelve silver) were issued quarterly up to May2004.

The reverse face of the coins showed thetwelve stars characteristic of European coinsaround its circumference, encircling the emblemof the Games, the olive crown, the ATHENS2004 logo and the Olympic rings, and bore thesymbol of the Greek Mint, the "anthemion" orhoneysuckle palmette. They were the firstOlympic euros, with a nominal value of 100euros for the gold coins and 10 euros for thesilver The collection was issued to proofstandard (the highest numismatic quality) andwas accompanied by a numbered certificateissued by the Bank of Greece. There were fewercoin designs circulated in comparison toprevious Games and the number of series waslimited. Fewer than 160.000 gold coins and800.000 silver coins were placed intocirculation.

To commemorate the Olympic Torch Relay, alimited number of 10.000 numbered collectionswere circulated. The Olympic Torch RelayCommemorative Coin Collection consisted oftwo gold and four silver coins. The gold cointhemes were drawn from the lighting of theFlame at Olympia and the delivery of the Flameat the central altar while the silver coins showedthe route of the Flame from Europe to theother four continents, with artwork created byP. Gravvalos and K. Kazakos.

A numbered certificate issued by the Bank ofGreece accompanied each coin collection andthe revenue generated was utilised to supportthe Games and the Greek Olympic Team.

The connection between the Olympic Gamesand philately dates back to the first modernGames in Athens in 1896. A year before theGames, the Organising Committee of thoseGames faced funding difficulties to completethe venues. Two Greek philatelists proposedthat the Greek state issue a series ofcommemorative postage stamps, and part ofthe revenue they generated was utilised for thevenues.

The series of 12 stamps circulated on 25 March1896, the first day of the Games, now ofinestimable artistic and collectable value, as theywere the first Olympic stamps in the world andcontributed to the organisation of the Games,marking the start of an important institution forthe Olympic Games.

The Hellenic Post as a Grand National Sponsorof the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Gamessupported the national effort to organiseUnique Games on a Human Scale. The HellenicPost designed and implemented an innovativeand ambitious programme of issuing Olympicpostage stamps, in order to promote Olympicvalues and the global ideals of the OlympicGames, to promote Greek culture andcontemporary Greek art, honour the Olympicspirit and mobilise the international communityto move in harmony to the rhythms of Athens.The Greek Olympic postage stamps weregood-will ambassadors, travelling to everycorner of the globe, carrying the message of thehomecoming of the Olympic Games.At the same time, Hellenic Post createdcollectable items of great artistic value, withparticularly innovative characteristics, throughthe 15 series of collectable Olympic postage

Philately

The coins were available for sale at OlympicStores, branches of Alpha Bank and of theHellenic Post, as well as at a limited number ofauthorised sale points throughout Greece.

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Helliniko Olympic Complex.Olympic Softball Stadium.Official Merchandise outlet.© ATHOC/A. Panayiotou

stamps issued from November 2000 up to2004. Major contemporary artists contributedto this effort, including Alekos Fasianos, MinaValyraki, Costas Tsoklis, Pavlos and many otherrenowned artists.

The programme included commemorativeseries of Olympic postage stamps, Olympicsheets, as well as special editions of the Mascots,Olympic Moments, etc. Through thisprogramme, Hellenic Post sought to offereveryone an opportunity to capture uniqueOlympic experiences for all time, impressed inminiature works of art of timeless value: thepostage stamps of the ATHENS 2004 OlympicGames.

violations resulting in civil action and criminalprosecution. The Organising Committeegranted the right to use the logos to ATHENS2004 Olympic Games Sponsors, as well as toOfficial Licensees for commercial use.

In order to protect all its products and symbols,ATHOC developed and implemented a systemfor locating illegal counterfeit products. AllATHENS 2004 Official Licensed Products hadto bear advanced anti-counterfeiting systems(holograms), as well as clearly marked logos,allowing consumers to discern immediatelywhether the products were genuine. The retailpoints of sale for the official licensed productswere approved in accordance with thespecifications laid down by the OrganisingCommittee and the authorised points of retailsale were marked with a self-adhesive authenticlicensee sign that was supplied only by ATHOC.

For the anti-counterfeiting protectionprogramme, a group from the OrganisingCommittee, including lawyers, cooperated withthe Hellenic Police, the Financial CrimeProsecution Service and the CustomsAuthorities. Their aim was to prevent the entryof any counterfeit products into the country, todeal with instances of counterfeit products and,with regular and strict market controls, to avoidsuch occurrences. Over 200 instances of piracythroughout Greece were taken to court, andover 20.000 counterfeit products wereconfiscated (90% of these were imported).

Supporting Services

Style GuideA basic factor of the success of the ATHENS2004 Official Licensed Products was theproduct design. The designs included theemblems, the mascots, the Look of the Games,and other themes relevant to the AthensGames. Great attention was paid to developingthe four Style Guides, with the proposeddesigns. They were developed by a companywith great experience in this sector, incollaboration with the ATHOC Image &Identity Department, and were provided toLicensees. This ensured use of common themesand the integrated look of all productcategories, and reduced approval times.

Anti-Piracy ProtectionThe authenticity of ATHENS 2004 OlympicProducts was ensured by the use of nineOlympic logos. The pictured logos, whole or aportion thereof, as well as the terms "Olympic","Olympiad", "Olympic Games - Greece","Olympic Games 2004" and any related termseither in Greek or in any other foreign languagebelonged to ATHOC, along with the sole rightof their use, and were strictly protected inaccordance with current legislation, with

Olympic Product Sales

The Olympic StoresThe Olympic Stores, which sold exclusivelyOlympic products, offered visitors their firstglimpse of the enthusiasm for the ATHENS2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games.A total of six Olympic Stores and one Store inATHOC Headquarters opened in Athensleading up to the Olympic Games. The firstopened at the Athens International Airport in

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Phevos visits the ATHENS 2004Olympic Products stand at aTourist Merchandise Exhibitionin Athens.© ATHOC/Athens News Agency(ANA)/S. Axiotis

March 2001, in the Departures area, open to alltravellers and Airport visitors. The secondOlympic Store opened on 17 April 2002 in thecentre of Athens, in a dedicated area of a majordepartment store. The third Store opened itsdoors on 20 December 2002, at the AthensInternational Airport, in the area after boardingpass control, the fourth Olympic Store openedin the popular tourist area of Plaka, the fifth inMay 2003 on the pedestrian street of Korai andthe sixth and largest (700 square metres) in theheart of the commercial centre of Athens inApril 2004.

The Olympic Stores were run by Nuance,exclusive contractor of the "Olympic Stores".The Nuance Group is the largest retail salesorganisation in airport sales, managing 350shops in 16 countries. The goal of the OlympicStores was to promote the Olympic Games toGreeks and foreign visitors, to create andmaintain the consumers' interest in order togenerate additional revenue, and to support theLook of the Games and the ATHENS 2004values.

Additionally, eight retail chains and 600 outletsthroughout Greece participated in thePreferred Retailer programme. The programmecommenced early in high-end stores and mass-market retail; despite the fact that there was nocontractual relationship between these storesand the Organising Committee, a partnershipmentality developed between them.Retailers supported the development of theprogrammes, selling the products, while theywere being positioned as preferred retailers,which were allowed to carry exclusive productlines and conduct promotions.

Venue ConcessionsThe objective was to offer Ticketed spectatorsor Accreditation holders the opportunity topurchase Official Licensed Products atCompetition and Non Competition Venues.Almost all Venues had concessions, and besidescertain selected products from the generalrange, every Venue also offered an exclusiverange of products, part of the "Olympic VenueCollection" for the Events that took place atthat specific Venue. The collection wasparticularly successful and demand quicklyoutstripped stock reserves.

Venue concessions were easily identifiable, asthey were placed near spectator entry/exitpoints and at central locations in the Venues.Additionally, venue concessions were markedand noted on Venue maps. Competition Venuesoperated a total of 84 Venue Concessions.Non Competition Venues operated threeoutlets selling Official Licensed Productsexclusively, while another eleven outlets soldother convenience items as well as the OfficialLicensed Products. The majority of Venue

Concessions were 50 or 36 square metre tents,while in the indoor Venues build-outs wereconstructed, built at the expense of theLicensing Concessionaire, with the exception ofthe OAKA Superstore (covering an area of3.000 sq. m.) and the Olympic Village Store(600 sq. m.). The opening hours were agreedwith the Concessionaire, Spectator Servicesand Venue Operations. A single companymanaged all outlets, in order to ensure aconsistent level of service and fullharmonisation with the policies and proceduresof the Organising Committee.

In recognition of VISA as International Sponsorof the Olympic Games, only VISA credit ordebit cards, VISA travellers' cheques, or cashwere accepted for purchases made within theVenues.

International Licensing ProgrammeIn order to further enhance its Licensingprogramme, ATHOC implemented aninternational Licensing program me, with greatsuccess. Consumers the world over supportedthe Athens Games by purchasing ATHENS2004 Official Licensed Products. In order tomeet increased demand, stores operated in theUnited States, in Asia and in Europe. During theGames, consumers all over the worldpurchased Official Licensed Products from theelectronic shop hosted at the official ATHENS2004 website.

Achievementsof the Licensing Programme

In a relatively small market of 11 million residents,the ATHENS 2004 Licensing Programmegenerated retail sales exceeding €530,2 million.

More than 120 percent over forecast wholesaleand the corresponding revenues were achievedin the first phase of the programme.The programme was ultimately expected toreturn royalty revenues of €88,7 million, 30 percent above the initial target revenue, andsupplied substantial support to the GreekOlympic Team and to the organisation of theGames. The numbers are higher than previousGames, up 40 per cent in comparison to thecorresponding programme in 2000, and evenmore impressive given the limited size of themarket.

According to the IOC Marketing Report, "theATHENS 2004 Olympic Games Licensingprogramme demonstrated the power andprofitability of a fully integrated designprogramme. ATHENS 2004 created amerchandise retail experience thatincorporated the image and Look of the Gamesmore consistently than any programme inOlympic history."

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