Beijing- A year out from the Beijing Olympics, a Games-related media-spending blitz is well and truly underway in China. Two of the biggest advertisers, Snickers and UPS, have launched their campaigns in traditional and online media. “In the last three months, the main Olympic sponsors and their active competitors spent over RMB7b (US$922 million) in measured media – more than any other quarter in our tracking” said Matt Brosenne, International Business Director, CSM Media Research. “This does not include the vast investments in field marketing and other areas not tracked. The Olympics is proving to be a big bet for major players,” he added. CSM Media Research and Beijing marketing consultancy R3 are tracking brand performance/awareness, including the impact of Olympic messages, every three months, polling 1,500 consumers in 10 Chinese cities. By that yardstick, Coca-Cola is the top brand, followed by dairy companies Mengniu and Yili, China Mobile and Adidas. “Mengniu has leveraged NBA and football well, along with a unique sports reality program sponsorship,” said Brosenne.