"Guaranteed to be safe"

Sounds like a TV ad for an oven cleaner.  But it's the message that the Sochi Olympic Organizing Committee wants to distribute as the opening ceremonies are literally underway."Guaranteed to be safe."

Part of our daily gatherings (I'm sitting in on Skype for security reasons) is to talk about messaging.  What is the story about the games that we want to get out to public each day? The longest portion of today's call was focused on the safety of those attending.  The numbers are down dramatically.  If any event at most Olympics is sold out, it's the Opening Ceremonies. Thousands of tickets are either unsold or unused for that event this time. Hotel rooms are vacant and airline seats are being cancelled.

This event is having a very rough start. Infrastructure, venues, transportation and security are all in disarray. And now that media has arrived from around the world, all the problems, little and big, are becoming public.I argued vehemently against the committee making a "guarantee" statement. Even if there is no problem, and no one wants that to be the case more than me, guaranteeing safety is a challenge to the threats. I gave them several other options to put in the messaging. "Maximum security measures are in place." "The safety and well-being of all attending is our primary concern" But the public pressure is just too strong for the Russians to low key this.  They feel that they have to make a bold statement. And I'm afraid this is going to be it.

The athletes are my main concern. They now have less freedom than the animals in most zoos. They're stuck in their rooms until their competition. Then there is an armed escort for them to and from. There is some movement around the village but it's limited. This event should be the time of their lives...not "jail" time.The Olympics is about them. What a shame.

Also remember that this is a media event for the millions of us watching from afar. The media should therefore be catered to in the best way possible. Right now, many of them don't have hotel rooms and few have internet or computer access in the media center. They're on their own...and that's not good.

This could all change, if the organizers start listening and trying to put themselves in the place of those attending. Messaging becomes a crucial element of the strategy now that the Olympics are up and running. Thus far, I can tell you that the Chinese in Beijing were better listeners. I'm not the only one giving them advice and the majority of us strategists are on the same page. Hopefully things will calm down a bit over the opening weekend. Just remember, there are no guarantees. We can only hope for the best. And don't miss NBC's 30-minute lead-in to the opening ceremonies.  It's an eye-opener. And there's a faux-pas that's all the talk online already.