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Keith McCord ReportingNo doubt about it, any city or country that hosts the Olympics receives a lot of attention. We certainly saw it four years ago; Torino is seeing it now. Actually, Salt Lake is still getting a lot of recognition.
We've done stories in the past talking about Utah's Olympic legacy, how well the games were run, the economic impact. The question always comes up: For how long will Utah and Salt Lake keep getting that "Olympic Bounce"?
We all know that the current Winter Olympics are going on in and around Torino, Italy. But have you noticed how many times you hear the words: "Salt Lake City" during NBC's coverage?
NBC Sports: "Well, Bode in his last Olympics in Salt Lake in 2002, he only started racing downhill."
NBC Sports: "Elle is not considered a medal contender here. She finished 22nd in this event four years ago in Salt Lake City."
NBC Sports: "As you can see, he was 12th in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City."
Every few minutes it seems, we are mentioned or referred to. Talk about free advertising; the folks at the Utah Office of Tourism are loving this!
Leigh von der Esch, Utah Office of Tourism: "There's no question that you can't brand yourself better than with Olympic Gold."
Whether it's a verbal mention of the 2002 games, or success of one of our athletes, it all translates into great PR for Utah. Utah Tourism Director Leigh von der Esch gives a Superbowl analogy as to what this is worth.
Leigh von der Esch: "If they were getting 2.5 million for a 30-second spot on during the Superbowl, translate that into how many spots that we're getting, the repetition over and over and over. It's really hard to quantify, but certainly we are in top of mind."
We checked in with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, ski areas and other groups, and all said they expected Salt Lake's games to be mentioned during the Torino broadcasts, but not to this extent.
Leigh von der Esch: "They're mentioning us all the time on television from the Torino games, and we can be very proud of the Utahns who are competing, as well."
Some of PR folks with the ski areas had a meeting today, and they were chuckling, saying, "We wish we had a dollar for every mention of Salt Lake on NBC." And Scott Beck, the CEO of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, is headed to Torino later this week. He is setting up meetings with people over there to promote Utah as a destination area for tourists. He says the NBC attention to Salt Lake and Utah really helps in that effort.
