Will public call shots on IOC pitch?

Will it be the public at large who finally determines how Chicago positions itself to win the bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics?

While the Chicago 2016 organizing committee has dragged its collective feet devising an overarching marketing theme or prepping any snazzy new videos for its all-important pitch to the International Olympic Committee, the local organization is stepping up its efforts to collect videos from the public that show why Chicago should be chosen to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

What in August had been an informal call for Chicagoans to submit videos to the Chicago2016.org Web site has now morphed into a full-blown national video contest with judges, online voting and prizes for the winning videos, including a trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, to see how that city is preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics and another trip to Colorado Springs to watch America's Olympic athletes train. For more info on the expanded contest, visit www.chicago2016.org/contest.

It remains to be seen whether the marketing mavens inside the Chicago 2016 organization will find some inspiring nugget in one of the submitted videos, or whether the 2016 committee professionals themselves, with talent from the city's ad agencies, will create the theme and collateral materials for our crucial upcoming IOC pitch.

Whichever way it goes, time is quickly running out if the 2016 Committee hopes to shoot fresh video footage of Chicago before the IOC site evaluation team arrives April 2, for a seven-day visit.