Category Archives: olympics

Lenovo "Sumo" Olympic Commercial

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Lenovo Sumo Olympic Commercial

We watched the Lenovo “Sumo” Olympic Commercial several times, but didn’t understand how their commercial would help them sell more laptops. In the commercial, buses filled with sumo wrestlers pour onto city streets as the sumo wrestlers assemble and form the shape of an airplane to “take off.” Even with the tag line “Heavy on features, light on weight,” we can’t make the connection between sumo wrestlers and laptops. After the commercial is over, we just remember flying sumo wrestlers. The ad was created by Ogilvy & Mather. They really missed the mark on this commercial.

Lenovo explains what they are trying to convey.
Sumo wrestlers arrive from buses, form the shape of a plane and fly off into the distance, metaphorically conveying that Lenovo ThinkPad X300 is heavy on features but light on weight.

The commercial takes too long to convey its point about the product. Also this spot seems better suited for an airline. What do you think of the commercial?

Lenovo “Sumo” Olympic Commercial

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200 Million Americans watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics

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Through 11 days, NBC’s Olympic coverage has reached 200 million people and more than 83 percent of all U.S. television homes. It has also delivered the most dominant margins of victory for any network in any primetime week in the history of Nielsen’s People Meter sample, which dates back 21 years to September 1987.

Through just 11 days, the networks of NBC Universal already have reached 200 million total viewers, 12 million more than the first 11 days for Athens (188 million) and 4 million more than the Atlanta Games (196 million), which was the most-viewed television event in U.S. history. The 11-day total for these Games makes it the fourth most-viewed television event in U.S. history. Additionally, 94 million of the of the nation’s 112.8 million television homes (83 percent) have tuned into the Olympics.

MOST VIEWED EVENTS IN U.S. TV HISTORY:

1. 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, 209 million (17 days)

2. 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, 204 million (16 days)

3. 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, 203 million (17 days)

4. *2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, 200 million (*through 11 days)

5. 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, 194 million (17 days)

For the week of August 11-17, NBC generated more than four times the household rating of the No. 2 network, and more than five times the total viewers of the No. 2 network to claim the biggest week-long wins in those categories for any network since Nielsen initiated its current People Meter sample in September 1987.

According to data provided by Nielsen Media Research, NBC averaged 28.7 million viewers overall and a 16.8 rating/28 share in households for the primetime week of August 11-17. Those averages were strong enough to deliver record margins over the week’s No. 2 finishes of 463 percent in total viewers (28.7 million vs. CBS’s 5.1 million) and 394 percent in households (16.8 vs. CBS’s 3.4).

NBC also beat the combined ABC-CBS-Fox results in these categories and again by margins that are the biggest for any network in People Meter history, 143 percent in total viewers (28.7 million vs. 11.8 million) and 113 percent in household rating (16.8 vs. 7.9).

Below is the Total Audience Measurement Index measurement through Sunday, Aug. 17

Sunday, Aug. 17: 107.2 million

Saturday, Aug. 16: 107.9 million

Friday, Aug. 15: 95.0 million

Thursday, Aug. 14: 101.4 million

Wednesday, Aug. 13: 100.9 million

Tuesday, Aug. 12: 105.0 million

Monday, Aug. 11: 103.1 million

Sunday, Aug. 10: 113.0 million

Saturday, Aug. 9: 97.8 million

Friday, Aug. 8: 74.6 million

Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

200 Million Americans watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Emily Cross wins silver in Women’s Team Foil Fencing

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Russia’s team of Evgenia Lamonova, Victoria Nikichina and Svetlana Boyko outdueled Americans Emily Cross, Hannah Thompson and Erinn Smart through most of the final late Saturday. The bout started out cautiously for both teams as the 3rd bout ended at a 4-4 stalemate. The Russian team showed why they have the number one world ranking: they held the United States scoreless for 4 straight periods. From the 4th bout, they slowly built a 15 point lead over the Americans going into the last match. Russia easily defeated the US team in a 28-11 win. Russia took the gold while the USA Women’s Foil Fencing Team took the silver. Emily Cross is a Korean HAPA.

The medal is the first ever in Olympic women’s foil competition and the first U.S. Olympic medal in foil since 1960.

Watch Emily Cross wins silver in Women’s Team Foil Fencing here.

News for the silver win in Women’s Team Foil Fencing was over shadowed by Michael Phelps swimming feats and Usain Bolt’s world’s fastest man record

Coach Liang Chow helps Shawn Johnson get Olympic gold

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Liang Chow had been a former co-captain of China’s men’s national gymnastics team for more than a decade. He represented China all over the world and won over 30 international gold medals and national championships. Chow was also the first gymnast in the world to perform the double front release with piked position on parallel bars.

In 1990, with his athletic career over, Liang Chow came to the United States, where he was offered a scholarship and a job coaching at the University of Iowa. He barely spoke any English when he arrived. To adapt to Western culture, he westernized his name from Qiao Liang, his given name, to Liang Chow. He also went back to Beijing to marry Liwen Zhuang, who Liang met when they were both at the national team training center in Beijing. She joined him in Iowa and built a new life together. Chow spent 7 1/2 years at Iowa, but he and his wife had dreams of starting their own gym. In 1998, they moved to West Des Moines and opened Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute with hand-me-down equipment.

Here’s the mission statement for Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute

“We believe all children are precious gifts. Every child, regardless of ability, deserves the best instruction possible. It is our goal to provide a safe and loving atmosphere in which each child knows he or she is valued. We will strive to provide an environment that cultivates listening skills, confidence, self-esteem, self-discipline and responsiblity. Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute is a place where all children can feel great about their accomplishments.”

Shawn Johnson signed up as a pupil of the gym at the age of 6. For the next ten years, Liang Chow trained Johnson using both American and Chinese methods. His star athlete has shown the world what she is capable of at the Olympics. Not only is Liang coaching Shawn Johnson, but he is also the USA Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team Head Coach. For the Olympics, he returned to his native city of Beijing for the first time since immigrating to the USA in 1991. So far, the USA Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team has won a team silver medal and Shawn Johnson has won two silver medals one for Women’s Individual All-Around and another for Women’s Floor Exercise. Shawn still has one more shot at a medal for Women’s Beam. Shawn Johnson captured the gold medal in the Women’s Balance Beam event.

Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Over a hundred volunteers helped prepare Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute for the flooding Raccoon River in West Des Moines in June 2008

Howard Bach in Olympic Home Depot Commercial

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Great to see men’s badminton player Howard Bach in the Olympic Home Depot commercial entitled “Sweat”. Apparently, he works as a cashier for Home Depot. Also the commercial shows him in badminton action.

Through the Olympic Job Opportunities Program (OJOP), The Home Depot offers Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls a flexible 20-hour work week with full-time pay and benefits to accommodate demanding training and competition schedules. Since 1992, The Home Depot has been the largest employer in the United States Olympic Committee’s OJOP with more than 550 athlete-associates participating in the program and bringing over 200 medals home to the US.

Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Howard Bach in Olympic Home Depot Commercial

China’s Liu Xiang out of Men’s 110m Hurdles

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In the biggest upset of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games for host country China, world and Olympic champion Liu Xiang stumbled at the start of his qualifying heat in round one of the Men’s 110m Hurdles on Monday morning. During his warm-up, Liu grimaced as he attempted to stride over a set of two hurdles. He stepped onto the track with the other runners in his heat and warmed up in his start lane. In one practice run, he fell to his knees and held his leg. After a false start first-round heat, he attempted a run several times, but eventually shook his head, removed his race numbers and began to repeatedly kick a wall.

He later withdrew entirely from the event. At a press conference following the event, Liu’s coach confirmed that the star’s withdrawal was as a result of an injury to his right take-off foot, which has been affecting him for about six years. Liu also reported on his own website Sunday that he was suffering from a sore Achilles tendon. Liu Xiang’s showdown with Dayron Robles, the Cuban who took away his world record earlier this summer, was one of the most eagerly-anticipated events of the Games.

China’s Liu Xiang out of Men’s 110m Hurdles