Customizable Mascots Promote 2012 Olympics

With just 511 days to go until the games start, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is trying to get the word out via social media.

To get the conversations started, the organization has rolled out a feature on its website where consumers can make their own Olympic mascot and then share them on Facebook and Twitter. The mascot maker is based on the designs of Wenlock and Mandeville, the Olympic and Paralympic mascots, respectively.

Like those mascots, the self-created ones bear the distinctive one-eye designs and metallic finish that were originally fashioned from drops of steel used to build the Olympics stadium. Those characters, introduced in May 2010, are part of the viral push and appear in some online short films as well as “Swim Wenlock Swim,” a webcam-based swimming game, according to Creativity Online.

The push comes after the logo for the 2012 Olympics received a chilly reception from the public upon its introduction in 2007, with many comparing it to a jigsaw puzzle. Nevertheless, customizable online avatars have a good track record in marketing. In particular, OfficeMax’s “Elf Yourself” program has been a continuing viral success since its introduction in 2005.

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