Extensive study by Vision Critical’s Public Affairs division reveals Olympic sponsorship has boosted brand awareness for top Olympic sponsors – and at least one non-sponsor.

Toronto, March 1, 2010 – Olympic sponsorship has been worth its weight in gold for brands like HBC/The Bay. That National Olympic Partner has seen the biggest increase in sponsorship awareness for its brand: a 43% increase in awareness, since October. That’s according to the latest results of the Corporate Reputation and Sponsorship Index™ (CRSI), a report by Angus Reid Public Opinion – the public affairs division of interactive research and technology company, Vision Critical. CRSI engages more than 60,000 Canadians a year to track the impact of sponsorship awareness and corporate image on a brand’s reputation. In this most recent evaluation, nine of the top 10 brands chosen by consumers were correctly identified as Olympic sponsors. Tim Hortons was also selected among the top ten, even though it’s not an official sponsor.

“In the run-up to the Olympic Games, and even during the events, Canadians have really noticed which brands are Olympic sponsors,” says Jodi Shanoff, Senior Vice President of Angus Reid Public Opinion. “The exception is Tim Hortons – the iconic Canadian brand with strong ties to professional and amateur sports. It’s only natural that consumers assume that they’re also a sponsor of the Olympic Games.”

Designed for corporate brands, CRSI continuously tracks the reputations of and the impact of sponsorship awareness on Canada’s leading brands and corporations. Olympic sponsorship is one of the many corporate activities, tracked by CRSI, that contribute to an organization’s overall Corporate Reputation. Every week, more than 200 Canadian brands and corporations are evaluated by 1,200 Canadian consumers – over 60,000 consumers every year. The index is based on the assessment of eight corporate image attributes and eight sponsorship categories. This most recent data is based on an evaluation averaged over 13 weeks and ending February 23, 2010.

About Vision Critical®
Vision Critical is a strategic interactive research company combining technology, researchers and global panels. We help companies reduce research costs while generating engaging and insightful relationships with consumers. Vision Critical uses a visual approach, panel technology and our own global panels to embrace markets with the click of a mouse. The company has offices across North America, Europe and Australia and a Global Partner Program that provides other research companies and consultants with access to our technology.

Angus Reid Public Opinion is the company’s global public affairs practice, specializing in the analysis and understanding of “citizen markets” and the public commons. Its Global Monitor contains over 20,000 published surveys.

Contact Information
Shana Hugh
Communications Manager, Vision Critical
+1 604 647 6716
shana.hugh@visioncritical.com
@visioncritical

Jodi Shanoff
SVP, Public Affairs, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+1 416 642 7699
jodi.shanoff@angus-reid.com
www.visioncritical.com