Compass Labs highlights Olympic engagement

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games are now in full swing. Athletes are swimming and shooting, running and biking. Or flipping across the mats in the gymnastics arena. Meanwhile the rest of the world is tuning in on television or through online portals. Who's watching and what does that mean for brands?

by Kristina Knight

Initial data out from Compass Labs finds younger women are most interested in the 2012 Olympics. According to data compiled through the first weekend of the games finds most viewers are between ages 18 and 25 and more than half are women. The most buzzed about athletes - so far - include Michael Phelps, Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Ryan Lochte. The most buzzed about sports include Track & Field, Soccer and Swimming.

Compass Labs compiled the data based on what fans of the US Olympic Team Page and The Olympic Games pages on Facebook have also liked or listed as an interest. This is where the data could be most helpful for brands.

For instance women (55.3%) make up the bulk of 'likes' on The Olympics Game page; these fans have also listed an interest in Family, Spending time with Friends and sports like Track & Field, Skiing and Weight Training. They watch Criminal Minds, Oprah Winfrey Network and True Blood.

Meanwhile, fans of the US Olympic Team page are primarily women (54%) aged 18-25; they are interested in Exercise & Fitness, Knitting and Sudoku. They watch NCIS, SportsCenter, Fashion Star and Blue Bloods.

These fans are also engaging with brands through social networks. Fans of the US Olympic Team page expressed interest in Dow Chemical Company, Xfinity (Comcast) and Dick's Sporting Goods while fans of The Olympic Games page expressed interest in National Geographic, Gucci and Banana Republic.

Tags: 2012 Olympic Games, ad metrics, advertising, brand metrics, Compass Labs, social marketing