Although a year late, the sporting event of the summer is well underway, and athletes from all corners of the world have landed in Tokyo, ready to prove their athletic ability. Like many large scale events, businesses use this as a time to tailor their marketing campaigns to capitalise off the emotions and excitement created.
We wanted to share with you 6 of our favourite Olympic themed marketing campaigns…
Coca-Cola: “Bird’s Nest”
I’m sure we all remember the iconic Bird’s Nest 2008 Beijing Olympic Stadium, being such an iconic building, the soft drink giant, Coca-Cola took inspiration from the architecture and applied it to their advertising campaigns.
The advert featured animated birds flying across the world to collect drinking straws and building a replica of the Beijing stadium. The birds then sit and watch the ceremony from their ‘new home’!
Procter & Gamble – “Thank you mom”
Procter & Gamble has created what has been lauded as the most memorable, most shared Olympic video of all time. P&G, in partnership with Wieden & Kennedy Portland, launched a “Thank You, Mom” campaign, with the “Best Job” video leading off for the 2012 London Olympics. The video follows four child athletes on their path to the Olympics, supported by their mothers through thick and thin every step of the way. It will pull at your heartstrings as you realise that it takes the strongest people to make the strongest athletes.
This creative take from Visa is team-agnostic as it gradually builds, showing the comradery and sportsmanship among the different Olympic athletes as they pile in and converge on the 2016 Olympics. While intended to be tongue-in-cheek, it’s also a subtle reminder that we all train together, we all live together, and we all travel together.
Under Armour
Under Armour’s ad campaign for the 2016 Summer Olympics perfectly embodied their values of self-improvement and self-reliance. It focuses on the side of achievements that people don’t often see.
In the ad they used Michael Phelps as an example, showcasing the ice baths, physiotherapy and 12,500 calories he consumes every day. For those of us that aren’t Olympic athletes, that may be getting out for a walk or making a change to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Their message of “It’s what you do in the dark that puts you in the light” is powerful and speaks to a wide audience.
Of course, we all watch the Olympics to enjoy the athletic competition, but another reason the games are so enjoyable is that they bring together people and cultures from all corners of the world. That’s exactly what Apple focussed their “The Human Family” campaign around, for the 2016 Rio Olympic games.
The ad showcases videos and photos of people all over the world, all taken on an iPhone to follow on from their ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign.
Samsung School of Rio
Samsungs 2016 Olympic ad campaign saw them partner with comedian Jack Whitehall. Whitehall visits various sports teams and trains with the athletes, providing comedic commentary along the way!
A slightly more tongue in cheek campaign, this ad doesn’t take itself too seriously. With their audience being more of a younger demographic, viewers can connect with the ad by it being relevant, making it a huge success.
There you have it! It’s always interesting to see how brands adapt their marketing efforts to reflect particular world events!