The Olympic Games is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. And, for competitive athletes, an Olympic medal is one of the greatest award in sports. Gold Marketing at the Paris Olympics
For the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, Paris takes centre stage. And, with more than 10,000 athletes from 196 countries taking part, it is acknowledging the lack of restrictions that have presented a challenge for the Tokyo Games in 2020.
After the pandemic, the world is well and truly open and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is widespread, which means brands are taking their Olympics marketing efforts kicked up a notch.
To get in on the action, we’re going to explore this year’s Games from a marketing perspective, focusing on the trends and initiatives expected to keep the torch burning bright.
Olympic marketing after the pandemic Gold Marketing at the Paris Olympics
With a proposed budget of more than €6.8 billion, this year’s Games are more expensive compared to its predecessors which makes them the most expensive ever held.
The Paris organizing committee also has big intentions – pledging to make Paris the greenest Games in Olympic history with half the carbon footprint of London 2012 and Rio 2016. Initiatives to achieve this include shuttlecocks, plant-based menus and tables made of cardboard. Bed, Reported by BBC News
However, there are to many challenges for Paris. Considering the thousands of individual participants, along with the potential threat of cybersecurity issues, Paris has had to spend more so that it ensure the event runs as smoothly and securely as possible.
More than 220,000 of those will be invited guests, and 104,000 will be members of the public who have bought tickets
The original plan was to give free tickets to 600,000 members of the public to watch from the river’s banks.
Expectations from Marketers at 2024 Olympic
Here are some key expectations: Gold Marketing at the Paris Olympics
Comprehensive and Affectional storytelling
Gold Marketing at the Paris Olympics
With so much economic and social disturbance, consumers are more likely than ever to respond to emotional marketing. By taking advantage of the ever expanding choice of digital channels and focusing on strong storytelling, a growing number of brands are striking marketing gold at this year’s Games.
With environmental worry, social issues and gender equality high on the list, we expect brands and sponsors (including Coca-Cola, Omega and the BBC) to step up their game in terms of creating meaningful narratives that make a deep impact. Unfilled sales messages or loud advertising slogans.
For example, Nike has collaborated with the Olympic Refuge Foundation to provide uniforms for the Refugee Olympic Team and support the refugee community in Paris. This ‘Look Where We’re Going’ video offers new view on refugee athletes competing in sports.
Sharp, impactful and powerful, this video based campaign focuses on the difficulties and shame faced by refugee athletes.
In addition to showcasing the challenges faced by refugee Olympians, Nike has managed to capture the grit, determination and talent of athletes like boxer Cindy Ngamba offering its audience a story of hope and success in the face of trouble.
Nike’s high profile collaboration with Jacquemus is also set to make headlines at this year’s Games. By developing a range of unisex apparel, the two powerhouse brands are inspiring the belief that sport goes beyond performance alone and is a form of self-expression as well as style.
Interestingly, brands are hiring more female athletes to launch marketing campaigns for the Paris Olympics to take advantage of the record ratings of women’s sports in Europe and the US. In addition, platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube have also become official According to SportsPro Media, national Olympic committees partner with and broadcasters to target younger demographics, and sponsors turn to social media for athlete-led Olympic campaigns.
The impact of Artificial Intelligence on this year
Recent Olympic Games have led the way in terms of technological innovation, with multi angle slowmotion replays and immersive viewing experiences now commonplace.
The Paris Games promises to take these innovations further by adopting a number of emerging technologies, including AI.
For starters, Alibaba’s AI-powered cloud computing system is set to power a multi-angle replay system with machine learning capabilities. The system will then refine its efforts based on each interaction that occurs during the games.
This will not only make the footage more exciting, vibrant, and comprehensive – it will also give brands and marketers abundant footage to leverage for their own social media marketing efforts.
Intel will use AI technology to create immersive experiences for fans and athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As the official AI platform Olympic partner, Intel is essentially incorporating autonomous technologies into the framework of this year’s Games. Equipped with cutting-edge AI innovations, Intel promises to provide athletes access to tools to analyze their performance and connect more seamlessly with fellow competitors.
As the official AI platform Olympic partner, Intel is essentially incorporating autonomous technologies into the framework of this year’s Games. Equipped with cutting-edge AI innovations, Intel promises to provide athletes access to tools to analyze their performance and connect more seamlessly with fellow competitors.
A number of interactive on-site experiences and digital experiences are also promised for visitors. There will be AI-powered touchpoints to help visually impaired fans navigate and experience the Olympic Village in a fully accessible way.
Sponsorship
In addition to giving professional athletes a platform for success, the Olympic Games are an opportunity for brands from different sectors to connect with a global audience.
-Official sponsors
A mix of long-time sponsors as well as new entrants, each playing with a ‘go big or go home’ mentality, is expected to cut through the digital noise this year.
We can expect to see interesting things from brands like Comcast, Nike, NBC, Deckers Outdoors, Coca-Cola, Uber, Levi’s, Airbnb, Warner Bros. and Visa.
Ever the innovator, Uber is offering visitors free boat trips (including champagne) up and down the Seine River at select times during the Games.
Visa is serving up a mix of informational guides and eye-catching content to support its Paris Olympics sponsorship efforts.
With a ban on Airbnb rentals in Paris, Airbnb is using the Olympics to win over locals and expand its footprint in the iconic city. According to a Wired article, ahead of the Olympics, Airbnb urged Parisians to list their homes for the Games in order to keep prices down and hoped that some of the new hosts associated with the event would remain with the platform for the long term.
To promote the company, two lucky fans are being given the opportunity to sleep in the prestigious Musée d’Orsay on the night of the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
The official technology sponsor, Samsung, is making a big impact by installing 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones on the bows of 85 athlete sailing ships as they travel up the River Seine to give fans a front row seat to the opening ceremony.
This attention-grabbing initiative will provide digital audiences a unique perspective of the celebrations and is likely to generate huge engagement on social media at the start of the Games.
The rise of unofficial Olympic sponsors
Sponsorship has always been a big deal in sports – and this year is no exception. With the exemption to Rule 40, which was first introduced in 2019, unofficial sponsors are now able to partner directly with athletes while being slightly independent with their marketing efforts.
This change in sponsorship law has seen a number of brands – including many from the luxury sector (such as Moët Hennessy, Dior and Louis Vuitton) – coming on board to become unofficial Paris Olympics sponsors.
An example of this is Dior. To promote its sponsorship efforts and carefully crafted brand placement, Dior launched its exclusive Paris Olympics Couture range in June, which traces a line from ancient Greece through the 1920s to today, sculpting the body Displays in motion. Celebrates.
Gold Marketing at the Paris Olympics
