How brands are winning the golden attention of Sports fans in Paris 2024

Allez! Allez! The most talented athletes in the world are flocking to Paris to compete for medals they’ve been waiting their whole lives to win. Fans and even casual viewers will also be watching closely, whether it’s in person or on a screen. Et voila! As a result, brands will be doing their best to chime into the noise surrounding the biggest event of the past four years.

But like the untold amounts of effort it takes to win Gold at the Olympics, brands will also not find it easy to break through the clutter of sports-related marketing during the games. Official and unofficial sponsors will be doing all they can to appeal to a heavily targeted audience. To add to the struggle for attention, distinctive and unique Olympic ads have become few and far between.

“It’s like Christmas,” Lynsey Atkin, 4Creative executive creative director, says. “Everybody who is making a Christmas ad watches all the Christmas ads come out with one eye shut thinking; 'Oh, God is it going to be the same idea?' because we're all playing in a relatively small pond. It’s the same with the Olympics.”

And while this summer of sport (think Euros and Wimbledon) means the marketing landscape is more competitive than ever, not just any brand can slap their stamp on the games either. Karen Martin, CEO of BBH London, told BBC Radio 4: “Companies have to have a good reason to show up and participate, enhance the experience, engage in the conversation, make people laugh and enjoy it - because slapping a brand on and saying something like ‘go sport’ isn't really going to cut through.”

Nevertheless, the Olympic and Paralympic Games provide ample opportunities for brands to chime into a shared sense of national and international unity. “Because it is live, because it's got so much emotion, and because our channels have changed over time it’s become a bigger opportunity,” Martin adds. “Particularly with social media, you can connect with the nation, you can talk about how people are feeling during the games.”

Fiona Gordon, CEO of Ogilvy UK, echoes this sentiment, describing this summer as the “collective economy”, where global sporting experiences break down boundaries and build connections. According to Gordon, behavioural science reveals that national sporting events create collective euphoria, “so people celebrate the country as much as the sport”. Gordon adds: “Brands that can authentically tap into that inclusivity will be the winners, no matter the result.”

For Coca-Cola, an official sponsor of the two week event, the Olympics has enabled the multi-national brand to innovate its marketing communications by tapping into the pulse of global culture.

Islam ElDessouky, global VP of creative strategy and content at The Coca-Cola Company, comments: “Whether it be how we are driving authentic storytelling, creating experiences through our packaging, or connecting with fans through digital platforms, the global event helps us innovate. While our message is global, it also allows us to tailor our approach to resonate with local cultures and communities.”

So, how have brands already sought to smash records and win the hearts and minds of a world eagerly anticipating the sound of the starting pistol?

Flipping the script

There’s always a need to be different and distinct in advertising but arguably never more so when it comes to Olympic marketing. Channel 4's 'Meet The Superhumans' spot to promote the 2012 Games broke the mould, so much so that it is still cited today by agency practitioners as a go-to favourite example of cutting through during the event.

This is why brands have had to flip the script this year. And it may come as no surprise that Channel 4 itself is moving beyond the label ‘Superhumans’ when it comes to promoting coverage of the Paralympic Games.

After the final spot for the 2020 Tokyo Games, which concluded with a screen displaying the term 'Superhuman' being shattered, the broadcaster aims to shift viewers' perception of the athletes from a collective label to seeing them as individual competitors. 

The new campaign, 'Considering What?', seeks to challenge the public's preconceived notions about the Paralympic Games by capturing their reactions while watching the events, highlighting that these athletes are world-class competitors in their own right.

Atkin explained that she wanted to shift perceptions and remove any patronisation. She adds: “Whenever we speak to people, whether they are athletes or within the disabled community, the word “overcoming” is so problematic, because all it does is compound the idea that disability is a problem for the individual to overcome.”

Adam&eveDDB has also shattered harmful misconceptions about the Paralympic Games with its empowering campaign for the International Paralympic Committee, titled 'The Paralympic Dream'.

Aiming to boost global viewership for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the campaign challenges the traditional notion that the Paralympics is mainly about uniting individuals with disabilities in joyous sporting harmony. Instead, it highlights the impressive athleticism and intense competition that characterise the event.

“When people talk about the athletes taking part in the Olympics, they tend to talk about them competing and yet when they talk about them taking part in the Paralympics, they talk more about them participating,” Richard Brim, global chief creative officer at adam&eveDDB, says. “What is that about?”

Animation

As exemplified in the 100 Days to Go film, [see above] animation has also emerged as a theme for Olympic marketing this year. Using animation, the International Olympic Committee’s ‘1 in 100 Million’ campaign, created by Gravity Road, celebrates the Refugee Olympic Team ahead of the Paris 2024 Games. 

Featuring a graphic-novel-style short film, the campaign highlights the inspiring stories of 36 athletes who have overcome immense challenges. The initiative underscores the severe global refugee crisis, with over 100 million displaced people. The film, made with cutting-edge AI and contributions from the refugee community, aims to mobilise worldwide support for the team.

BBC Creative also deployed an animated look, collaborating with Nexus Studios to produce a captivating launch film for BBC's coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Directed by Fx Goby, the film draws parallels between romantic love and athletes' passion for their sports, showcasing their trials, challenges, and triumphs. Set against iconic Parisian landmarks and narrated in French, the spot highlights 36 athletes across 58 shots, capturing the intensity and joy of sporting love.

National unity

No sports ad released around a time in which athletes are competing for their country would forget to play into the national pride and shared sense of belonging that many fans feel during an international event. 

Coca-Cola's ‘It’s Magic When The World Comes Together’ campaign highlights the power of the hug (meaning human connection and inclusivity) during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Created by WPP Open X (led by Ogilvy), the campaign includes a brand film, new can designs, and digital content to showcase the unifying spirit of sport.

For Coca-Cola marketer ElDessouky, the games are the perfect celebration of Coca-Cola’s brand values - moments of genuine human connection that bring people together. “These events are more than sport, they are a showcase of passion, dedication, and the unifying spirit of competition and cross-cultural connection. For Coca-Cola, they represent a unique opportunity to connect with a diverse, passionate audience on a global scale, hence our 96-year long relationship with the Olympic Movement.

“The spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has also fueled our marketing initiatives and been a springboard for our creativity.”

British Gas has also celebrated the invaluable role sport plays in people’s lives, making the most of its Team GB and ParalympicsGB partnership in the ‘Powering Home Fans’ campaign.

Created by T&Pm, the film flips the focus from the athletes to show customers in their homes, with Team GB and ParalympicsGB superstars Tom Daley, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Alfie Hewett making cameos.

Matt Moreland, group creative director at T&Pm adds: “Think it’s fair to say the majority of us Brits won’t be going to Paris. Instead, we’ll be enjoying the Olympics and Paralympics from places like Preston or Plymouth. In this campaign we wanted to recognise that, by heroing all the home fans who'll be cheering Team GB and ParalympicsGB on from good old Blighty.

Continuing the trend of inspiring the nation once again, T&Pm also created NatWest's first Team GB ad campaign, ‘Whatever your goals, let's get going’. Building on the ‘Tomorrow Begins Today’ platform. it encourages people to take action towards their goals. Featuring Olympic medallists and NatWest employees, the campaign highlights motivation and momentum, running across multiple media channels to support NatWest's partnership with Team GB.

Micky Tudor, executive creative director at The&Partnership, adds: “NatWest wanted to inspire the country to get going on their goals. So naturally we smashed Team GB, a Gwen Stefani banger and Georgia Hudson’s music video approach together.

Adland’s favourite Olympic ads from over the years

'Meet the Superhumans' 2012 Channel 4 Paralympics coverage by 4Creative

Laurent Simon, chief creative officer at BMB: The OG. Way ahead of its time. We would have never got to enjoy 'We’re The Super Humans', nor 'Super Human' without it. Also did I mention Public Enemy?

The campaign can be viewed here.

'Rule Yourself' Under Armour by Droga5

Lynsey Atkin, executive creative director at 4Creative: Its strength is its simplicity - not just a sharp insight articulated in smart writing - buts its commitment to one athlete, one story. There’s a temptation with multi-sport, multi-athlete, multi-everything events to try and cram in too much, and the result can often leave you cold. By focusing on Phelps there’s room to be artistic and interesting in how the story is told, most notably in the photography which is stellar.

'Games Maker' London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games by McCann Worldgroup

Dan Watts, executive creative director at Pablo: What’s better than getting your idea written about in the newspapers? Well how about getting it in the Oxford Dictionary? That’s exactly what the creative team did with the redefinition of ‘volunteer’ to ‘Games Maker’ for the 2012 Olympic Games. Just by changing the name, they redefined the role and made ‘volunteers’ feel and act like an integral part of the Olympics, prompting over 250,000 applications. Now that’s smart thinking without needing a massive budget.

'Find Your Greatness - The Runner' Nike by Wieden & Kennedy Portland

Alicia Job creative NCA: My favourite Olympic advert? Nike: Find Your Greatness. Why? Because there’s not an Olympic athlete in sight. Instead of talking about the unstoppable, unbelievable, unattainable athletes and superhumans, they chose to talk about the everyday humans. The ones that might’ve been that tiny bit inspired by the Olympics to move, to challenge themselves, to take up something new. The ad encourages them to run with it. Literally. Without being pushy, it invited everyone to take part in the Olympics. Whether you’re an athlete or not. It was truly greatness.

Nikki Lindman and Frances Leach, creative directors at VCCP

Frances: Everyone’s going to talk about Superhumans, so let’s not talk about Superhumans.

Nikki: Yes, no…because there’s so many other great Olympics ads to pick from aren’t there…aren’t there?

Frances: They’re just all a bit…samey. The best ones don’t feature ice baths, bandaged appendages or sweaty athletes jumping into sand pits in slo-mo.

Nikki: They’re about something more than just sport.

Frances: Like Droga’s Ancestry.com 2018 Winter Olympics piece, 'Greatness comes from everywhere'. I love that it uses the simple truth, that we’ve all got mixed heritage, to tear down the patriotism, nationalism and division that comes with sports.

Nikki: They actually DNA tested all the athletes from the American team to prove their point, too.

Frances: But is it the best? It does feature a lot of sweaty sportsmen….

Nikki: Speaking of sweaty performances, what about good ol Channel 4’s other Olympics ad “Gay Mountain” for Sochi Winter Olympics.

Frances: Not a sports person in sight, in fact, and they weren’t even talking about sport.

Nikki: But it addressed an issue no other brand was willing to take on - the fact the Olympic host country is openly anti-LGBTQIA+, making it problematic for some athletes and supporters to travel and compete there. So they renamed Sochi, ‘Gay Mountain’.

Frances: And they rewrote the Russian national anthem to write a big Gay song of support for everyone heading to Sochi.

Nikki: Apparently MI6 warned Ch4 about making Putin an ironic gay icon.

Frances: Now, that’s an Olympic level bar to reach.