E65: Coke & The Olympics

Thierry Borra spent 25 years working in sport for The Coca Cola Company, and for a large period of that time was responsible for the relationship with the Olympic Games.So what does the postponement of Tokyo 2021 mean for Coke, the IOC’s longest serving partner? How does the Olympics fit in to Coke’s marketing strategy and how do they know whether it works or not?This was an opportunity to go really deep in to the marketing landscape around the Games and to peer in to the often closed world of Coca Cola, a company that spends more money on sports rights than virtually any other, making it hugely influential across the sponsorship sector, where brands of all categories often ask, what would coke do?Thierry left Coca Cola after the Rio Games and has set up his own business Sport Matters, and I ask him what it’s like leaving Coca Cola after so long, and what advice he would have given himself on his first day.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.