News International signs Olympics advertising deals

News International has penned a series of commercial agreements with major companies including Samsung and Adidas regarding advertising during the London 2012 Olympics.

The agreements will be of particular benefit to the company’s titles, notably The Times, which is set to link up with Samsung and provide a “Times Lite” digital edition formatted for the electronics company’s smartphones and tablets.

Interactivity is crucial to the second News International deal, which is aiming to encourage readers of The Sun to send messages of support and encouragement to British athletes into the newspaper, which will then be featured on Adidas-branded sweatbands.

Originally reported in Marketing Magazine, News International is anticipating a “significant” rise in circulation during the Games as a result of the above deals, for The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Additional innovations include a “pub” hosted by The Sun at BT Live events taking place in Hyde Park during the Olympics, as well as an “Olympic Scrapbook” which will be featured in The Sunday Times this weekend.