2024 Paris Olympics: How brands are looking to enhance visibility and engagement

The Olympics, a global spectacle celebrated for its unparalleled spirit of athletic excellence and international unity, holds an extraordinary place in the hearts of millions. The 2024 Paris Olympics promises to be nothing short of breathtaking, showcasing the pinnacle of human talent and determination as athletes from every corner of the globe compete at the highest levels. As nations unite to witness this grand event, the Olympics also offer a golden opportunity for brands to engage with a diverse and captivated audience on a massive scale.

Savvy brands have long recognized the immense potential of aligning themselves with the Olympic Games. Through strategic sponsorships, partnerships with top athletes, and innovative marketing campaigns, companies leverage the Olympics to catapult their visibility and reputation. The association with such a prestigious event not only boosts brand recognition but also reinforces values of excellence, perseverance, and global unity. By sponsoring Olympic teams and individual athletes, brands can craft compelling narratives that resonate deeply with audiences, thereby solidifying their market position and fostering enduring consumer loyalty.

Industry experts emphasize the diverse strategies brands employ to maximize their Olympic partnerships. These include harnessing digital platforms, engaging in dynamic real-time social media interactions, and creating impactful content that embodies the Olympic spirit. Such efforts ensure brands remain top of mind throughout the games and beyond. As we delve into this article, we will uncover how various brands are seizing these sponsorship opportunities and partnerships to their advantage, transforming the Olympics into a powerful marketing arena ripe with potential.

How are brands leveraging sponsorship opportunities to enhance their visibility and reputation?

Manu Bhaker winning a Bronze in the shooting event in the second day of the Paris Olympics has brought much cheer not only to the Indian camp, but also the advertisers that are leveraging the Games to increase visibility and engagement.

Jayen Mehta, MD, Amul, believes, “Sports provide an active opportunity for brands to interact with the sportsperson and audience in a meaningful manner. At Amul, we have always believed and professed Milk as World’s Original Energy Drink in all our communication for more than a decade. Every sportsperson has and continues to consume milk in any of its forms for energy and good health. Thus, we have always partnered with sporting events like Olympics, Cricket, Football, Tennis, Kabaddi among others to convey the goodness of milk to our customers.”

Varun Mohan, Head of Revenue & Growth at MiQ Digital, noted, “Sports marketing has come to be one of the most effective ways of creating lasting associations and engagement with audiences. The Olympics games are known as one of the most prestigious sports events in the world, and it helps the brands to reach out to a wide audience. We have seen brands running after some celebrities, sports without understanding the ROI. In this war of brands, there is also a possibility of getting unnoticed, hence brands need to think strategically and participate only if the brand’s values are aligned with that Olympic spirit of excellence, determination, and unity.”

Mohan further said, “Connected TV can be one of the most powerful mediums, it will help brands to identify their target audience, and also help them to build a personalized and engaging campaign. An integrated marketing plan brands should include a multi-dimensional approach across TV, digital, and social. This will help the brands to be top of mind throughout the campaign.”

On the other hand, Naresh Gupta, Co-Founder, Bang in the Middle, feels that there doesn’t seem to be great excitement around the Olympics. He added, “While Jindal, Adani and Reliance Foundation are there, there are very few other brands that have looked at the Olympics in a big way. Neeraj Chopra endorses a few brands and they obviously are looking at the Olympics, but there are other potential winners who do not feature in a big way with brands.”

Social media platforms and digital marketing

Jayen Mehta emphasized, “Amul is the official partner of the Indian Contingent to the Paris Olympics 2024, and we have been working with the Indian Olympic Association since the London 2012 Olympics as well as Commonwealth games and Asian games. Our sportspeople are our heroes and we have celebrated them and their achievements every time they made the nation proud through our Amul Topicals as well as digital posts for individual performances. Our sales team also meets the sportsperson and their family members and celebrates their success and honor them with an Amul Gift Hamper. These efforts are very well received by our sportsperson, their family and our customers.”

Varun Mohan noted, “Brands are leveraging advanced data analytics to improve their marketing efforts, focusing on personalized content which is relevant to different segments of their audience. Through real-time engagement different segmentation of the audience by interests, behaviours, and demographics allows a brand to create more focused campaigns. Real-time analytics track performance and aid in making adjustments as necessary. Social media platforms like LinkedIn, X (formally Twitter) and Instagram are most prominent for the brand campaigns.”

He noted, “The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games garnered over 6 billion engagements on social media. The use of Twitter’s hashtag #Tokyo2020 was utilized more than 75 million times within tweets alone – an indication of wide engagement. Brands brought unique, interactive experiences and harnessed advanced data analytics to zero in on personalized content relevant for many segments of the audience. This holistic approach drove higher engagement rates but built brand loyalty and reach.”

He further added, “User-generated content is highly encouraged with brands willing to do photo or video contests among their fans for prizes on the best content. A multi-channel approach ensures greater reach, where brands use different social media platforms to create corresponding content. There is a fully consistent way in which campaigns are carried out because of the consistent branding and messaging. Influencers play a vital role and personalized messaging comes through data analytics, whereby brands manage to create tailored content that really speaks to the individual user.”

Naresh Gupta said that the strong copyright policy of IOA could obstruct with the content on social media. “On social media, we will see the usual congratulatory posts and some contests, but most brands cannot use the Paris Olympics logo or the Olympic logo without permission from IOA, so I don’t see brands being able to ride the wave as they are not partners of IOA,” he added.

The content game to woo target audiences

Jayen Mehta noted, “During every Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, we create a customized telefilm on the theme of Milk – World’s Original Energy Drink – and depict the sports being played in the tournament. This further strengthens our communication of milk as a super food and its goodness for the nourishment and development of every individual. It also provides impetus to our communication, ‘Amul Doodh Peeta Hai India’.”

Varun Mohan said, “The 2024 Paris Olympics is expected to be more than just a summit of athletic achievement. It is evolving into a significant event for marketing as well. With connected TV, social media brands can now become a global influencer through their unique campaigns. When it comes to Olympic marketing, Nike is at the forefront. The brand consistently forms significant partnerships which are noteworthy, Nike’s 2024 campaign has introduced a diverse range of team uniforms, highlighting athlete comfort and individual expression. The brand took a step further, claiming that the 2024 collection is its most “data-driven and visually unified effort” ever.”

Brands need to track the trending events and ensure their content has relevance with the ongoing campaigns. All brands should post victory social media post to gather fan participation. Other forms of activation include brands utilizing augmented reality and virtual reality experiences that put fans in contact with something from their very own environment. Now, for all of this to be relevant, there is quite some research done to understand the audience's preferences and behaviours. “Tapping into these data points, they can develop very specific content targeted at what their audience really cares about and believes in. Moreover, association with athletes and leading opinion leaders close to their audience is always present to validate the brand message and make it more relatable,” Mohan concluded.

Also Read: BPCL collaborates with IOA as Principal Sponsor from Paris 2024 to LA 2028