2021 Olympics Proceed as Tokyo 2020 Games
The Summer Olympics will now take place in 2021 while the official name will remain the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. This agreement derived from the Olympic tradition that the games are always held on even years, and to provide a ‘beacon of hope’ for the unprecedented time of these games. The following of this tradition means that the $1.2 billion marketing budget for the games will not have to be completely re-evaluated. Additionally, if the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were to be changed to 2021, the already completed copywriting process would have to start at square one.
From a marketing standpoint, this mitigates several challenges. The Olympic Committee decided on its initial logo in 2015 after receiving over 15,000 design entries. Shortly after establishing the logo, a Belgium designer claimed it looked very similar to one that he created for a theater; the allegations were denied but the logo was scrapped.
Since finalizing the second logo in 2015, marketers and sponsors have been using both the name and logo for their collateral. Since 2018, licensed merchandise has been selling, and the logo can be seen on several large digital clocks across the country.
While keeping the logo may seem like a form of complacency to some, confusion surrounding the two different names will eventually be eliminated and consistency and tradition will remain strong.