Faster, higher, stronger — and digital

Millions of Americans will watch the Olympics but never turn on a TV set. The Beijing Games will be the first Olympics in which a chunk of viewers — up to 5% — will watch their Olympic coverage via personal computers or mobile phones, estimates Dean DeBiase, CEO of TNS Media, which measures media outlets globally. And those viewers are the coveted trendsetting ones marketers want to reach. The best place to reach them: social media. Some 73% of Americans who have Internet access viewed video online in May, according to a recent Nielsen study. More than 154 million Americans will watch online videos this year, up 12% from last year, according to eMarketer's latest report. More than one in three mobile phone owners have video-capable cellphones, Nielsen reports. More than 147 million people worldwide now participate in a social network via their mobile phones, eMarketer reports. Here's how savvy Olympic marketers will digitally tap in: digital games; blogging; sharing videos; sharing ideas digitally; snatching search terms; and advertising in cabs.