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From Copa América to the UEFA European Championship, it’s been a summer of sport to remember for advertisers and athletes alike.
With the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games in full swing, brands have another opportunity to claim a spot on the podium. However, if marketers want to go for gold, then they will need to lean more on platforms like TikTok as the tournament progresses, planning timely activations around culture.
In this episode of Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad, ADWEEK’s brand editor, Rebecca Stewart, and community editor, Luz Corona, are joined by Louise Johnson, CEO of sport and entertainment marketing agency Fuse.
She discusses how the Olympic Games have always been a platform for brands to talk to a global audience, but offers advice on how brands can limber up to activate in a more fragmented digital landscape.
Listen to the full episode here, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and read key takeaways below to learn more.
Brands Need to Gear Up for the First Real ‘TikTok’ Olympics
Since the Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics, TikTok has grown substantially. With over 1 billion users globally, it is a crucial line for brands to reach Generation Z and millennials.
As an official partner of the Games, TikTok is empowering athletes to become creators by providing workshops and tutorials. They are also shooting behind-the-scenes content at the Olympic Village—from training videos to fashion hauls.
Relaxed International Olympic Committee rules now allow athletes to directly engage with fans, creating new types of heroes who leverage social media and are expected to be signed by brands post-Olympics.
Over the years, the Olympics audience has aged, so investing in platforms like TikTok is necessary to attract younger viewers, as is the introduction of lifestyle-oriented sports, like skateboarding and surfing, by the IOC.
We’re In a New Era of Olympic Brand Partnerships
The Olympic Partner (TOP) program has historically shifted from FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) brands to B2B (business to business) in the past few cycles, but there has been a notable increase this time of younger consumer brands coming in, with a distinct emphasis on using athletes to highlight product benefits.
