Olympic rings in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Paris Olympics 2024: Marketing Campaign Takeaways

Thursday 8th August

Blog Author Beth Perrin by Beth Perrin

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The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have been absolutely jam-packed with breathtaking sporting moments, record-breaking achievements and epic photo finishes - from Noah Lyles’ extremely close 100 metre win to Novak Djokovic’s first gold medal, plus plenty of viral social media moments like Ye-ji Kim’s cool-as-a-cucumber vibes and Snoop Dogg’s dapper equestrian outfit. Athletes have reached new heights, lengths and speeds, while spectators have enjoyed two weeks of non-stop action and amazing displays of strength all across France’s capital.

The Games have also given brands and sponsors lots of opportunities to run exciting marketing campaigns that harness the buzz of the Olympics, from high-spec TV ads to timely social media content. With the events coming to a close in just a few days on 11th August, we’re taking a look back over some of the biggest campaigns and outlining what your business can learn from them when it comes to future strategy planning.

 

Coca-Cola: Discover the Magic

The Coca-Cola Company is the longest standing partner of the Olympics, having supported every edition of the Games since 1928. It has also been a proud partner of the Olympic Torch Relay for more than two decades.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by The Coca-Cola Company (@thecocacolaco)

 

As well as refreshing Olympic athletes, staff and spectators with its diverse portfolio of drinks, which includes Coca-Cola (of course!), Powerade, Fuze Tea and Smart Water, the brand always helps build public excitement ahead of each edition of the Games through its global marketing campaigns, as well as entertaining fans on location in the host cities with its interactive activations and showcases. It also supports Olympic athletes via sponsorships, as well as investment in youth sports programmes and national teams. This year, Team Coca-Cola has had the tagline “Celebrate Everyday Greatness”, which has also been used as a hashtag throughout the brand’s social content.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Coca-Cola (@cocacola)

 

Coca-Cola’s campaign has been centred around the idea that “it’s magic when the world comes together”, and in July, the brand unveiled a series of emotive, dynamic and unifying videos, content pieces and designs that show the power of sport, encourage people to embrace their differences, and foster cross-cultural connections.

Together with the International Olympic Committee, Coca Cola also teamed up with award-winning musicians Ryan Tedder, Gwen Stefani and Anderson .Paak to create the official song of the Games, “Hello World (Song of the Olympics™)”. The song celebrates the magic that happens when everyone joins together at the Olympics and captures the exciting, celebratory spirit of the event, with a music video containing clips of the athletes themselves as well as Gwen Stefani and Anderson .Paak performing on top of a giant Coke bottle shaped stage.


 

Throughout the Games, customers have been able to scan selected Coca‑Cola products to be in with a chance of winning an exciting range of prizes, including a Parisian getaway for two, a meet and greet session with the athletes from Team USA, plus exclusive items such as an official branded grocery tote bag, a lunch cooler and a prepaid Visa gift card.

 
 

Nike: Winning Isn’t for Everyone

Nike’s bold and controversial Olympics campaign, “Winning Isn’t for Everyone”, examines the ruthlessness, drive and determination it takes to be a top athlete. It explores the qualities that often motivate sporting icons despite being largely perceived as negative - such as an obsession with power, an inability to be satisfied, and a lack of empathy. At the centre of the campaign is a gritty film narrated by actor Willem Dafoe that asks “Am I a bad person?” and shows a variety of athletes excelling at their sports and defeating their competitors.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Nike (@nike)

 

Social media content and billboards have also been included in the campaign, featuring feisty and audacious statements such as “If you don’t want to win, you’ve already lost”, “Winning is always the answer”, and “My dream is to end theirs”.

 

 

However, some have criticised the campaign, believing that it enforces toxic narratives and a selfish mindset. Fernando Desouches, Managing Director of London-based advertising agency BBD Perfect Storm, told The Drum: “As someone who works daily with brands to help them grow through positive male narratives, I feel dismayed when a creative authority like Nike fuels the opposite”. He also voiced concerns that the campaign is “a departure from the more empathetic, inclusive messaging we’ve seen from Nike over the years”, and asked: “Do we want to tell the next generation that treading on the dreams of others makes us winners?”

What do you think? Is the language used in Nike’s campaign simply assertive and self-assured, or is it too pushy and potentially harmful? Share your thoughts with us on X @3sixfivepro.

 
 

Samsung: Open Always Wins

Samsung began its legacy with the Olympics three decades ago as a local sponsor of the Games in Seoul back in 1988 and has remained a partner ever since, providing the event with cutting-edge technology and mobile innovations. The Olympic Committee describes its relationship with Samsung as a “strategic digital collaboration” that “engages young generations around the world in order to promote the power of sport and the values of Olympism”.

This year, Samsung’s campaign message is “Open always wins”, expressing how openness is at the core of the winning spirit, and the belief that “with an open mind, every new experience becomes a meaningful achievement that opens up new perspectives and infinite possibilities”.


Samsung Mobile's Instagram profile

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is the official phone of the Olympics and was given to nearly 17,000 athletes and other members of the Olympic and Paralympic families at the start of the event, having been specifically designed to enhance their experience at the Games, take ‘Victory Selfies’ on the podium and connect with new people while they’re in Paris. According to Campaign Magazine, Samsung saw an impressive 23% spike in sales of the Galaxy Flip 6 on July 30th compared to the average day at the Olympic Games so far, thanks to the photos and features showcased by athletes on social media throughout the event.

 

 
 

Aldi: Flying the Flag for Team GB

Aldi is the official supermarket partner of Team GB. Its Olympics campaign has involved a fun TV ad featuring the brand’s beloved Kevin the Carrot character, athlete ambassador profiles, ideas for your very own Garden Games, a competition to win a trip to the Games, and a partnership with Get Set to Eat Fresh, an initiative that has inspired over 2.8 million school children to learn about the importance of healthy food, nutritious recipes and balanced meals.


 

Throughout the Olympics, Aldi has used its social pages to share both reactive and proactive content, including funny memes, behind-the-scenes videos and congratulatory messages to the athletes, all incorporating the campaign hashtag #AldiXTeamGB.

 

 

The brand’s followers have particularly enjoyed its series of Instagram Reels and TikToks following Kevin on his travels around Paris, where he has been sampling the local delicacies, visiting the city’s most famous landmarks and generating excitement for Team GB. Aldi’s social media team are great at carrying out Community Management, sending humorous and lighthearted responses to the customers and fans who comment on their posts, and encouraging further engagement from the audience. Replying to comments and messages from followers is a highly important part of any social media marketing campaign and is an excellent way to generate more buzz around your brand and content, so it’s essential to set aside some time to interact with your community rather than simply going offline after publishing a post.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Aldi UK (@aldiuk)

 
 

Takeaways for Your Brand

 

• Use moment-based marketing

The Olympics may be coming to a close, but your brand can carry forward the implementation of real-time moments and reactive marketing. Whenever a national or global event is taking place - whether that’s an official celebration like the Olympics or simply a trending pop culture moment - use it to create engaging and relevant social media posts, ads, videos or blog content, and to interact with your audience in a fun way.

 

• Link current events to your brand

Relate moments from the Olympics (or any other current event) back to your brand values - for example, you could use a runner’s perseverance through a tough race to highlight your company’s commitment to resilience, or a team’s collaborative victory to showcase the positive impact of teamwork within your business.

 

• Utilise UGC

Millions of conversations have been sparked online over the past couple of weeks thanks to the Olympics. You can harness this excitement for your brand by encouraging your audience to participate, whether that’s via photos, videos, competitions or testimonials. Share relevant content generated by your customers and fans to show that you value their opinions and to give prospective buyers a realistic view of your product, service or location. This is especially effective if you’ve launched a limited edition product for the event in question, as you can share images from customers who have purchased it to inspire urgency and exclusivity.

 

• Highlight human stories

Olympic athletes may be super fast, super strong and super skilled - but it’s important to remember that they’re humans just like everyone else! Use their personal stories and struggles as inspiration for your own brand storytelling strategy, and find ways to relate their individual growth to the growth of your business.

 

• Strategic partnerships

The Olympics campaigns we’ve outlined, among others, demonstrate the power of partnering with the right influencers, creators, famous figures and other brands. Learn more about how to collaborate successfully on social media!

 
 

Summary

Partners and sponsors of the Olympics this year have gone above and beyond to deliver powerful and relevant campaigns for the event that celebrate its undeniable impact and diversity. Whether your brand is planning to create marketing content for another cultural event or something on a smaller scale, we hope you can take on board some of the tips and ideas we’ve shared today to build a campaign that gets your audience involved and really makes people want to stop and listen.

What’s been your favourite social media moment from the Olympics so far? We’d love to hear from you - find us on X @3sixfivepro to let us know.


 
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