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The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have been the talk of the town, the town being the entire world. From the return of old fan favorites like Simone Biles and Sha’Carri Richardson to new instant celebrities like Stephen Nedoroscik and Henrik Christiansen (AKA “Pommel Horse Guy” and “The Norwegian Muffin Man”); from time-honored events in track and field to new competitions in breakdancing and skateboarding; from volleyball in front of the Eiffel Tower to dressage at the Palace of Versailles; social and traditional media were abuzz from the second the opening ceremony started to the moment the closing ceremony ended (and that’s not to mention everyone’s favorite game: What is Snoop Dogg Doing in Paris Today?). There is so much to be excited about and so many events to watch, but there’s one thing that really sets this year’s events apart: the advertising at the Olympics.
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In Years Past…
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been reluctant to over-commercialize the Games, instituting stringent rules for sponsors, advertising and trademarks. The thinking seems to be that ads and sponsorships everywhere would cheapen the experience for competitors and viewers alike. However, no sponsorships means no additional cash flow to support the massive bills racked up by hosting the Games, bills many cities and their citizens are unwilling to undertake. In the bidding process for the 2024 Olympic Games, all but two out of seven cities pulled out of bidding: Paris and Los Angeles. In a panic, the IOC simultaneously awarded Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028, knowing that they would need to make significant economic changes to the games to lure in future hosts.
Enter: ads. An expansion of marketing at the games was a surefire way to raise more money during the Olympics, but threading the needle between getting enough sponsors and not disrupting the viewer experience has been tricky. Most professional sports leagues have ads on every surface of every stadium and tons of broadcast time dedicated to ultra-high value ad space, but there’s a perceived sanctity to the Olympics many don’t want to soil. In this day and age, the world runs on ads, and the IOC is making a smart decision for the longevity of the Olympics by embracing marketing in this manner. But, not every ad was perfect. Some sponsors stuck the landing and scored perfect tens while others missed the mark. Let’s discuss who needs to go back to the gym before the 2028 Olympics, and how certain brands came out on top.
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Misses
The Olympic ad getting the most negative traction seems to be Google’s advertisement for its generative AI chatbot Gemini. In their “Dear Sydney” TV spot, a dad uses Gemini to help him teach his daughter techniques for jumping hurdles like her idol Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, but then goes a step further and prompts the chatbot with “Gemini, help my daughter write a letter telling Sydney how inspiring she is”. Rather than being an authentic love letter to Team USA, the whole thing comes off as disingenuous. While it wasn’t the only weird AI ad included during NBC’s coverage of the Olympics, it’s been widely deemed the worst offender. The Olympics are a celebration of the human spirit, an exploration of what human beings are really capable of, pushing the boundaries of what mankind can do. These games are the culmination of years and years of work and dedication by the world’s elite athletes, and you couldn’t be bothered to sit down for half an hour and write a letter to one of these competitors with your daughter? Co-opting that spirit by demonstrating how one can suck the time, effort, and soul out of something so innocent in the name of shilling a chatbot is gross. It brings back a particular sentiment I read when AI was first getting off the ground: if you couldn’t be bothered to write something, why should I bother to read it?
Another ad that’s been buried in Google’s backlash was a commercial produced by Nike titled “Winning isn’t for Everyone | Am I a Bad Person?”. Already, we’re off to a bad start with that title, but the video goes on to list the more toxic qualities people associate with success. “Deceptive,” “selfish,” “obsessive,” even “not respecting” one’s competition. At best, this ad is saying it takes a certain type of work ethic to be an athlete of Olympic caliber, and that to an outsider that lifestyle may seem crazy. Even so, there’s got to be a better way to get that message across than insinuating that the athletes featured don’t respect their competitors (which is often demonstrably false). One of the most refreshing things about this Olympic year is the greater glimpses we get into athletes’ lives in the Olympic Village and beyond via social media, and dare I say all of these athletes have lives outside of their sports. Simone Biles has spoken a LOT about her mental health journey and how she was able to return to the Games thanks to time spent outside the gym, sparking an important movement for mental health awareness among athletes over the past few years. It’s a shame that one of the most recognizable athleticwear brands in the world is ok with diminishing that.
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Bullseyes
Where some stumbled, others excelled. Rather than taking away from the spirit of the games, these companies created something new and special. Olympians generally don’t have their phones with them during competition, but Samsung has been providing a special Olympic branded smartphone to winners on the medal podium to take official selfies. It sounds silly, but it has made incredible waves. In the spirit of peace and worldly brotherhood that the Olympics champions, North Korean and South Korean athletes posed together in one of these photos as silver and bronze medalists in table tennis doubles, even while sporting relations between the two countries are tense. These selfies on the whole have also fed into the multi-platform coverage of the Games advertisers were counting on for good returns on their sponsorship. Athletes also received one of these special edition Samsung phones in their goody bags, no doubt to encourage content creation in the Olympic Village and beyond. It’s a virtuous cycle of good brand integration and marketing outcomes, because viewers and athletes alike are benefiting greatly from this partnership. Samsung has done an excellent job as a sponsor of the Olympics, creating unique moments and integrating their core product without “cheapening” the experience of the Olympic Games.
LVMH, the European super-conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton, Dior, Moet et Chandon, Tiffany & Co., Givenchy, and many more luxury brands was the headlining sponsor of the 2024 Summer Olympics, and the opening ceremony was their playground. Paris is the epicenter of western fashion and the headquarters for many of its brands, and multiple segments of the show took full advantage of this. A fantastical look inside a French atelier positioned sewists and haute couturiers as the Olympians of fashion, and a runway on one of the beautiful bridges over the Seine drove that point home. All of the featured musicians were dressed by Dior, including Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, in custom looks for the opening ceremonies. The Olympic medals were designed by Chaumet, a French jeweler and watchmaker owned by LVMH, with a piece of the original Eiffel Tower in the center of each award, and they were presented in Louis Vuitton-made trays at every medal ceremony. LVMH made the absolute most of their $163 million contribution to the Olympics, but still managed to keep their involvement pretty tasteful. The celebration of their brands as quintessentially French fed into the celebration of France and its culture at the opening ceremony and throughout the Olympic Games in a way that will likely not be matched for years to come.
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An Ad-Pocalypse in 2028?
While some lament that 2024 represents the first “TikTok Olympics” and fear ads taking over the events, sponsors are absolutely necessary for the Games to keep happening every cycle. Cities don’t want to and often can’t part with the taxpayer money it takes to host the Olympics, but the money has to come from somewhere. While some advertisers flopped this season, some did an excellent job championing the spirit of the Games and of the host nation. All we can hope for is that more will follow in their footsteps. Marketing is here to stay at the Olympics, but it’s not the end of the world. Los Angeles, here we come!
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Author
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Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
