August -- The Futures Present Opinion: The letter of the century: C

there were just too many contortions and usages of the letter C to choose just one for this article which will take a look at one company that is heavily vested in the Beijing Olympic Games: Coca-Cola.

As mentioned before Coca-Cola has saturated the Beijing Olympic Games, and much of Beijing along with it.

The 1 line, Beijing's first subway line running from the East 5th ring road to the Fragrant Hills on the city's West side, has few paid advertisers. this is not because there is a lack of advertising space, but due to the saturation of the available space by few select companies, and none more than Coca-Cola. A major junction point of 3 subway lines at DongZhiMen, has been saturated by Coca-cola for the whole of July and August as seen in the video below:







At the venues, Coca-Cola was able to secure what appears to be a total monopoly on advertising in relation to any of its competitors in the Food and Beverage Industry. Below are pictures of Coke ads from the Tennis Venue, the Beach Volleyball Venue in ChaoYang Park, The Worker's Stadium venue, from around the Olympic Village. See Photos here:









As is evident from these photos, the Coca-Cola corporation has invested huge quantities of money into the Beijing Olympic Games, but the question of Why seems to be no question at all.
Drawing from the Visa card's slogan, the only other sponsor with a prevailing presence at all venues, Coca-Cola intends to be everywhere, anyone wants to be, now and LONG into the futures.

August -- The Futures Present Opinion: A bit-a-bruit

Two days ago, I was lucky enough to attend the semifinal of the women's soccer at Gong Ti, the Worker's Stadium, between the United States and Japan. I was excited as this would be my first visit inside of the stadium, which has stood in Beijing long before the Olympic Games.

Built in 1959, as a commemorative monument to the PRC's Tenth anniversary, this stadium is home to the Beijing Hyundai (a.k.a. Guo'an), the city's team in China's recently born "Premier" soccer league. It was recently renovated in preparation for its role in this year's summer games, and now has a seating capacity of over 70,000. There are future plans for it to host the first ever NFL game in China (August of 2009).

As a preface, this was the first time I was knowingly walking into a U.S.A. competitive match, and had enough time to think about some of the issues at stake. One issue, which is not openly discussed in China is the general animosity that many have for the Japanese, the U.S. teams opponents. Secondly, China's deeply seeded desire to stand atop the Medal heap at the end of these Games puts the PRC against the U.S., a well documented rivalry. Lastly, from a futures perspective, Gong Ti is now dwarfed by its big brother, the Bird's Nest, and many question what purpose either of them will serve in the future.

To address the first issue:

It is well known that China has some deep feelings of anger for the Japanese. These feelings come from the two Sino-Japanese wars of the last century, and Japan's economic dominance in Asia during the later part of the century. Recent surveys amongst China's youth show that anger for the Japanese is subsiding, a trend attributed to China's economic success, and the passing of time since the Japanese withdrawal from mainland China. I went to the game with a Chinese friend of mine, and while he was not anti-Japanese, he was adamantly rooting for a U.S.A. victory.
As was the rest of the Chinese flag touting crowd.

Perhaps due to China's success so far in the games or the American fans adaptation of the inspirational rally chant into Mei Guo, Jiao You, the Chinese fans in the crowd quickly picked up on the side of the U.S.A. Though the crowd sat quiet for a majority of the time, when a good play, or a goal was had by a U.S.A. player the cheering was deafening in comparison to the support for the Japanese team. In regards to the medal haul, Chinese fans still came out for good football, and apparently even more so for good American football.... er.... soccer.

And as for the stadium itself, speculation abounds, but it will likely remain home to the nascent Chinese Football Association (CFA) presence in Beijing. This league is a significant step for China, and for the tremendous potential many see in the area of Chinese professional sports. With such a huge population, games like football, basketball, and other easily accessible sports are widely popular, but to date there has been little support for profitable professional sports leagues in the PRC. The CFA and Chinese Basketball Association represent the most successful ventures to date, but have yet to turn a legitimate profit. Analysts and supporters are keen to view the development of this economic area in the future, and Gong Ti and other large scale venues stand ready to capitalize on the emergence of one or more sports circuits.



Gong Ti, the worker's stadium seems to be anticipating one or more sports markets to emerge. Its increased capacity, and recent upgrades on safety precautions would seem to signify planners long term plans. Additionally, it has even been refitted with a huge display screen that can turn 180 degrees and face the street. This megalithic T.V. will apparently face the street and one of the most popular neighborhoods in modern Beijing, during non-game time -- broadcasting public announcements, CCTV1, and even commercials. So even as real estate prices for the SanLiTun area continue to flower, Gong Ti will be able to subsidize its presence with advertisements, and support from the governing media.

The futures of the Bird's Nest will be discussed in more detail in a following article...stay tuned.

August -- The Futures Present Opinion: Solar Glow Walls and Basketballs

On Saturday I was able to travel to West Beijing, and the quickly developing area around WuKeSong where the baseball and basketball venues were constructed. Without dwelling too much on the symbolism embedded in the building of the venues for two of the most popular western sports in the farther western reaches of the city, we dare say it was intentional. Additionally, we would like to propose that the pairing of the two venues has an additional aspect in terms of long term stratagem for creating a professional sports market here in the PRC.

Basketball represents one of the most popular and fastest growing sports in China. Sources quote anywhere from 100 to 600 million nationwide "participants" in the sport-- players, fans, organizers, and television viewers. The successful Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), started in 1995, has 14 teams, each playing a 36 game regular season, and the league currently draws crowds of over 800,000 total annually. Many, including NBA coordinators, view these statistics as only a beginning for the presence of basketball in China.

Baseball on the other hand has had quite the opposite reception in the PRC. While many nations of East Asia, notably Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, have been very successful in the sport, China is referred to as a "baseball desert" by many. Though 2002 saw the beginning of the Chinese Baseball League, mainland China's newest attempt at a professional level organization, it boasts only 6 teams and a 3-month-long season. However, due to China's huge population and interest in developing professional athletics, both American and Japanese professional baseball leagues have started to invest in the sport across the nation.

It would seem a likely scenario therefore, that the location of the basketball venue and baseball venue in such close proximity was more than just a way to categorize them together as "western" sports. Rather, this strategic placement may be a maneuver on behalf of outside interests to garner support for baseball, and compel its potential in the PRC. By joining the two sports in locale, visitors will undoubtedly begin to make connections between the two sport, and it is hoped that baseball will receive some extra attention.

Why the interest in growing a sports industry here in China: I just opened up a bag of chips and found something from my youth--a basketball player trading card. An NBA superstar, and player for the U.S.A. basketball team is staring at me from behind the card's glossy overlay as I put the chips to my mouth, and the NBA logo sits firmly in the card's upper right hand corner. All text is in Chinese. The market potential for sports iconography in China is huge.

With homegrown stars like Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets (NBA) drawing lucrative contracts and commercial deals, and a potential fan base of over a billion to pour their hard earned yuan into consumerism, Chinese professional athletics is viewed as rife with profits to be made. The commercial success of foreign sports icons in China has been huge for names like Manchester United, Michael Jordan, and the New York Yankees. As China's interest in professional sporting grows, so to will the interest in sports from around the world.

Similarly, sportswear producers see China as a market that can have a big influence on the entire industry. Top-dollar brands are of course heavily vested in and around the Olympics through direct and ambush marketing tactics. While Adidas was able to win the "official partner" status of the Beijing Games and Team China, other companies have taken the opportunity to pour on the commercials. China's growing middle class, and their disposable income, is being vied for heavily, and even brands that have lost their shine in other nations are able to build new identities and new customer bases.

And as for the Solar Glow Wall title of this blog, near the Wukesong venues is an installment of a technology that addresses both large scale advertising projects, and the "green" theme of the Beijing Games. Unveiled in May 2008, the Zero Energy Media Wall is the product of a cooperative development team composed of Chinese and German researchers. Covering over 24,000 square feet, and powered purely by a self contained photo-voltaic array, the installment is used to show artistic works. However, as a substitute for the prevalent (and energy consumptive) neon light displays on many Beijing store fronts, and the single use billboards around town, it is likely that this kind of sustainable and flexible technology will be adopted more.


Thus, the Yao Mings, MJ's, Beckham's, Kobe's, and Tiger's of China's growing professional sports circuits will have another venue in which they and their "favorite" gear can appear larger than life.

August -- The Futures Present Opinion: And now... Many signs from "our" sponsors

There are numerous global sponsors, and China based "partners" of the Beijing Olympics 2008:

Here is a list of the most prominent, and the visual onslaught that they have brought down on the cities public transportation system. Please view the slide show for visual evidence.

Global Partners:
1)Coca-Cola
2)McDonald's
3)GE
4) Lenovo
5) Panasonic
6)Manulife
7)Omega
8)Kodak
9)Johnson & Johnson
10)Samsung
11) Visa
12)Atos Origin

China Partners:

1) Bank of China
2)CNC (China Network Communications)
3)SinoPEC
4) CNPC
5) Volkswagen
5) Adidas
6) China Mobile
7) Air China
8) Johnson & Johnson
9)PICC
10) State Grid


We mention these companies because of their heavy investment in and around the "dream" games, and the potential long-term marketing that is going-on. More images of the heavy presence of these companies along major transportation routes, in public spaces with high pedestrian traffic, and even key television spots are to follow to understand the saturation that is taking place.

After all, the minds of a consumer populous of 1.3 billion are attentive, inspired, and supple. Is this forward thinking as well as the formation of future thought patterns?

August -- The Futures Present Opinion: Cheap Plastic Color

Borrowing from the acronym that represents the leading political party in China, the title of this article will discuss the general pervasiveness of plastics in the PRC.

As the rain came down on Wednesday's Tennis venue, boxes of rainbow-colored rain ponchos were distributed among the many thousands of spectators at Beijing's Outdoor venues. While the sight proved to be quite and aesthetically humorous one, the deeper implications of this sort of behavior are a problem in China and other parts of the world.

In January of 2008 China passed policy limiting the use, sale, and manufacture of plastic bags in the nation. A nation wide surcharge for plastic bags was mandated, a tactic recently employed in some U.S. states and EU nations, and the manufacture of some types of bag was completely outlawed. The reason behind these policies is the basic chemical composition of plastics and its inherent resistance to degradation. Plastic has a general lifespan of many thousands of years, thus making it a Futures Image in and of itself.

However, the longevity of its chemical composition does not transfer to the usefulness of the products that are made out of it, and these many thousands of ponchos being donned at the Olympics, and everywhere else in the world that happens to see the occasional rain storm, are a perfect statement to that fact. For about 80 cents (US), two ponchos (alternatively viewed as human sized plastic bags) were purchased at a nearby corner store. With in five minutes of being worn, they were already showing stress marks, and one of the plastic snaps had begun to tear. It was obvious that these were not meant to last as rain guards, but no collection measures were in place to ensure their recycle either.

This is not an Olympic specific problem, but it does constitute an Olympic sized issue for our consideration.

For more information concerning the Production, Use and Impact of plastic bags please refer to the following pages.


JUNKRAFT -- from California to Hawaii on your plastics

Wikipedia -- Plastic Shopping Bags

Alternate Views on the Threat of Plastic Bags:

Times Online : Non-Threat

Worldwatch: Threat

August -- The Futures Present Opinion: A collection of Images

Today, we revisit the main hub of the Olympics 2008, between Pangu Hotel (the Torch), The National Aquatic Center, and the Bird's Nest. Ranging outside the fence once more, the following images were gathered, and will be briefly discussed.





The first Image is the megalithic clock. Understandably, a public countdown clock to any large event helps to build the excitement and anticipation amongst those who passby. The original Countdown clock was unveiled in Tiananmen Square nearly four years ago. Since then no -less than 5 additional clocks speckle Beijing's Highways. Police Stations and public facilities have also sported these wonderful devices, and as time went they all ran on towards Zero. I am searching for an official count of the number of countdown clocks across China, and more information on how prolific they are outside of the capital.

And now...there they all stand. Zeros across the board. The question of their purpose in times to come probably isn't much of a concern at this moment, but as years go on all of these relics are sure to become a collectors item for the generations that were most impressionable during the countdown. I wonder what kind of effect a constant reminder of this nature has on an individual, a community, or an entire culture.

Omega, the offical time keeper of the Beijing, Vancouver, and London Oympics has unveiled the Vancouver installation, and has plans for a similar version in London. We would like to consider the stark contrast of these clock in comparison with another monolith tribute to Time -- The Clock of the Long Now.

The Long Now Foundation began building the Millenium Clock in 01996, and the first prototype was initiated on new year's eve of 01999. We add an additional digit to these dates because of the scope of the project -- building a clock that will run accurately for 10,000 years. The prototype design is currently being improved for a larger version that will stand in an undisclosed location in Nevada, US.

To sum up a comparison of these two projects in less than a hundred words. The Olympic Clock was built to run to zero, and stand as reminder to millions that there was a bigger idea to build towards. The Clock of the Long Now has been designed to run for 10,000 years, and stand as a reminder to millions that there is a bigger idea to build towards. So far pretty similar.

But the ideas that drive the difference between countdown, and count-on, are quite different. The Olympic Clocks drive the building of monuments that will likely last less than a hundred years. The amount of human/natural resources, mind/idea power, and even things as mobius as "national spirit" required to build towards an event like th Beijing Olympics is draining. The fallout for China after the games is already coming under speculation in some circles.

Meanwhile, the ideas and challenges that drive the design and construction of a clock that will last an amount of time equal to the length of human history is transforming. The type of thought, resources, and energy that pours into a solution for this kind of problem is altogether differnt than that listed above. As is the end outcome.





This series of images comes from a new housing development directly across the street from the epicenter of the Beijing Olympics. Constructed in the past 3 years and openend in late 2007, this housing development was partially created for some of the families reocated for the building of the Olympic venues.

I thought it poigniant that these large concrete based towers were encrusted with pieces of broken of ceramic art. Shards of vases, tile, and fine "china" create an interesting montage. Especially considering the outcry from the estimated 250,000 people who were moved to make way for the construction of this proud national monument.

Just food for thought.








These last two Images are short, ambient eye-pieces, meant to give tribute to a major driving force behind the Beijing Olympic Games -- the nation of 1.3 billion people. The Olympiad has been a unifying factor for the nation of China, and many different projects on display around the Bird's Nest attest to that. These "Sponsors" and other like them have led very interesting existences during the build up to the games.

On a positive note, these projects serve as a testament to the inspiration and creativeness that have been born as a result of these games. The sense of national pride, and unification have spread across the huge expanse of China. For seven years, a goal and purpose behind China's development stood in the public mind, and stood as evidence not just political rhetoric. On the otherside of the argument is a complex question -- What will fill this void in the years to come?

August -- The Futures Present Opinion: "U-Home" brought to by Haier

Chaoyang Park is located just inside of Beijing's 4th ring road, in the quickly developing East Side of the city. It 60 plus hectare area is currently one of the cities largest green spaces, including a small amusement park, massive lake system, and miles of walking paths. Sony Entertainment has built a Science exploration center here, and other commercial interests are allowed to build within the park and keep its high priced real estate green. It is also host to the Beach Volleyball portion of the Olympic Games.

Upon entering the gates to the Park, i was immediately met with Coca Cola companies marketing campaign-- Cheerleaders dancing below a mammoth screen, music blaring at alarming levels, and more Red and White everythings than could be listed here. More commentary on companies saturating the Olympic surroundings, and their prolific use of the Olympic logo in entries to come.

Tucked just behind the soda installation were two bubble dome structures, rising from the sidewalk like bubbles through a straw into a glass of Mother's Milk. The hot pink signs emblazoned along the pathway denoted this territory of Haier, a China based manufacturer of home-appliances and technologies. I was abruptly invited to investigate the "U-home" installation, a glimpse into the "future" of households.

And there it was... the seemingly ever-prevalent view of automated everything, hearkening back to the Immersive Images like GE's "Home of the Future", Disney's "Tomorrowland"(1984) or (2008).

Technologies on display:

1) The Refrigerator-- with Internet access, a camera for recording messages to the family, and RFID enabled stock management. We are told it can even be set to pre-order food for delivery via online retailers and delivery agents.

2)The Air Conditioner -- with television, and Internet access. Can be turned on via text message!

3)The Home Computer -- But this time without any of those nuisances, like wires.

4) The Touch Screen Panel -- Translucent glass embedded with touch screen sensors. Browse the Internet, order and watch movies, organize your life... by touch.

5) The Video Conference -- A center hub houses five cameras. Display camera switches depending on the person speaking. You can talk to your bosses anywhere in the world!

6) The Television -- now waterproof and ready for your tub/spa experience.

7) The Water Heater -- Send it a text message and it can have the warm water ready for you as you crawl along the ring road in your car.

8) The Clothes Washer -- Now detergent free.


The Home of the Future.... now!!!!!

But let's analyze this from a futures perspective.

We are presented with a vision of the future that is now nearly 80 years old. The original vision of the future was created during GE's most visionary time, when innovation and technology were just coming into the public eye on a mass marketing scale. These visions were also developed before environmental degradation, limited resource availability, and cultural extinction came under consideration.

A closer analysis of the actual technologies also turns up some interesting points. Many of the showcased technologies are now considered standard in most western homes, with saturation levels of 6 of the 8 listed technologies above 90 percent. The integration of the Internet and cellular communications technologies were not explicitly included in GE's original "futures" images, but it was implicit that ubiquitous communication would exist via some technology or another.

Perhaps the most important implication of Haier's "U-home" is that this Image of the Future, still is an amazing future to behold for a majority of China's population. This gives companies like Haier, and other companies in the Home Appliance industry a huge market to inspire, and entice. Additionally, the use of this "future" as a selling piece for possibilities here in China might imply that as other developing nations evolve they too may be presented with the same.

The factors that lie behind the manufacture, maintenance, and disposal of these technologies have begun to influence new opinions of their convenience and usefulness in societies that have been normalized to them. The long term impacts of the technologies is encouraging a re-thinking of them, while alternative innovations wait for consumer support and an equally powerful marketing campaign.

This begs the question: Is this the home U-want?