ABSTRACT
The success of the London 2012 Paralympic Games media coverage has been attributed in huge part to the marketing campaign that created a build-up of interest. The Paralympians and the coverage were carefully branded by the marketing team, creating new meanings for disability sport and its sub-set of elite athletes, whilst reassuring the public at the same time. Drawing on internal documentation and interviews with key decision-makers, this chapter shows how these new meanings were embedded into the mainstream television culture through a carefully designed marketing strategy, and by collaborating with particular brands, borrowing from other brands, and creating a new brand, whilst simultaneously managing and repairing their own channel brand.
