Omega spends fortune timing the games - Watchmaker clocks marketing opportunity

By Dave Murray @ Thursday, July 10, 2008 10:16 AM

Section - Telecoms/Fabric

Watchmakers Omega are going overboard to make sure that there are no timing stuff ups at this year's Beijing games. According to a company press release, Omega have built more than 175 km of cables and optical fibre and installed 420 tonnes of equipment, including transponders in shoes and GPS systems to time the 302 competitions.

According to a press release it is the 23rd time Omega has taken part in the games. When they first showed up, they had one man and 30 stopwatches to run things. Spokesman Christophe Berthaud said that the technology had to be ready, reliable and very accurate.

It is worth the company's while. The Games have given it one of the most effective international marketing platforms in the world and allowed it to put the Olympic symbol on its watches. This year is important for Omega as it is trying to get more demand from the brand conscious Chinese market. X

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