Unified world a central theme in Olympics ads

The tone is different this year. In the flagship ad called 'Come Together,' actor Morgan Freeman talks about how the games bring people together, despite their differences.

Images of athletes in rich sepia tones stream as Freeman says, "We don't always agree. But for a few shining weeks we set it all aside and we come together to stand and cheer and celebrate as one. We forget all the things that make us different and remember all the things that make us the same."

Burke said this year's campaign — which features Phelps, gold medal-winning gymnast Kerri Strug, Bob Beamon, who has held the record for the long jump since 1968, and others from countries including Ukraine, Ethiopia, South Africa and Nigeria — wasn't designed to reflect anything that's going on in the world. He said viewers like its message of togetherness.

"When we shared it with consumers they really enjoyed the fact it wasn't just a celebration of U.S. athletes. It was a celebration of all athletes," Burke said.

Coca-Cola's ads continue the company's campaign called "The Coke Side of Life" and their theme is to connect the world through a Coke, Bayne said. Another ad features animated birds from around the world collecting straws and assembling their own Olympic stadium, a model of the one in China, which is nicknamed the bird's nest. They come together, in all their different colors, and watch the opening ceremonies from inside their nest.

McDonald's has a television spot airing now called "The More We Get Together" that juxtaposes a nursery-song rhyme against competitive moments with athletes of varied races and colors, none wearing national symbols.

"The more we get together the happier we'll be," the ad says.

Mary Dillon, chief marketing officer for McDonald's in North America, said the company wanted to play up the universal themes of its fast-food restaurants, which are found in more than 100 countries.

"In Athens, the last summer Olympics it was about the Olympic tradition. Really this time we're really trying to bring it up a notch," she said. "The Olympics is all about bringing people together and we're looking at ways of bringing it to life."

Advertisers could also be taking a more global approach to advertising in the U.S. to appeal to the foreign tourists flocking here now because of the weak dollar, said Michael Roberto, a management professor at Byrant University Smithfield, R.I. Anything too patriotic could turn these tourists — and their euros — off, he said.

"Those are the kinds of people who are most likely to buy American consumer products when they go back to their home countries. Companies are perhaps concerned about the image they present," Roberto said.

But advertisements in China are boasting with national pride. Why? Because companies are trying to capture the attention of consumers in a market where retail spending is growing at more than 20 percent per year.

An ad by McDonald's called "Open Door" features Chinese athletes training in their sports, such as gymnastics, cycling and badminton, and workers making food at McDonald's. It ends with the athletes, in bright red track suits, eating burgers.

The Olympics advertising in China focuses on homegrown stars, not only Yao Ming, but others who are likely unknown to foreign fans but well-loved by the Chinese: hurdler Liu Xiang, diver Guo Jingjing, soccer player Ma Xiaoxu and table tennis legend Deng Yaping.

The tone of the ads is often rousing, with a focus on winning glory for China and its people.

"The applause of 1.3 billion people" says one television spot for Chinese sports product maker Li Ning, while flashing triumphant images of the always-dominant ping pong squad. A recent campaign by Adidas shows individual Chinese athletes shot in color, held aloft by crowds drawn in black and white.

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