Olympics and Paralympics 2024: Three social marketing lessons from this year’s games
Summer 2024 has been the summer of sport.
Yep, football, tennis, cricket, and many more have taken over our screens. And, one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year has come to a close. Of course, we’re talking about the Paris Olympics.
Even if you’re not into sports, chances are you’ve tuned into a sprinter tearing through the finish line, or a gymnast perfectly sticking their landing. The 2020 Olympics was watched by more than three billion people around the world!
But why are the Olympics so culturally relevant?
Sophie Booth, Growth Director at Brainlabs, discusses the global importance of the Olympics, how brands should be utilizing its popularity in their social strategies and riding its cultural tide.
Why are the Olympics and Paralympics different from other sporting events?
Football is one of the biggest sports in the world, with the recent men’s Euros drawing an estimated 5B+viewers globally.
But whichever sport you’re looking at, there is no denying – the Olympics are truly global. When you compare this to other sporting events, it’s clear to see just how influential they are. There is such a broad variety of events which means most countries qualify, allowing for a completely worldwide audience. The 2024 Paris Olympics were also the first sporting event in history to achieve gender equality, with women making up 50% of the athletes.
Some sports (especially team-led sports like football) have an element of tribalism. The Olympics doesn’t have this in the same way, making the event much more accessible and widely appealing. Sophie says, “The lack of tribalism is what makes the Olympics really special and relevant for a broader audience. This global unity, signified by one of the fastest growing hashtags related to the olympics (#olympicspirit) is something you don’t get from any other sport or event.”
The Olympics is different. It’s broader. It’s arguably more exciting. It brings people together. We see the athletes’ micro-stories, we see global supporters and spectators coming together, we see people from across the world pinning their hopes and dreams on their sport. It can be magic. And that is what brands need to tap into.
The growth of the Olympics on social
The Tokyo Olympics had 57.3M related posts on TikTok and on 11th August 2024, closing night for the Paris 2024 Olympics, we saw that there were a whopping 4.6B views of the #olympics2024 hashtag, a 12% ER. In fact with 1.3 Million related Posts on TikTok, there was a 1,828% Increase on the Tokyo games.
The sentiment towards the Olympics compared to other sports is different too.
As we can see by our sentiment analysis tool, part of our Bytesights suite, sentiment around the Paris Olympics has been incredibly strong, with the main emotion reported by those engaging with it being either happiness or excitement.
By contrast, we can see that emotions are far more mixed when it comes to the Euros, with happiness still featuring, albeit with a healthy dose of ‘anger, frustration and even sadness’ reported by those interacting with the event.
Sophie says, “The positive sentiment around the Olympics is at 71%, which is definitely near the top end for any major global event.”
Compare this to the 48.5% and the data speaks for itself. With people feeling joy and happiness around the Olympics (happiness and excitement are the top two emotions reported by audiences watching according to our Bytesights tool), they’re more open to being marketed to.
Sophie says, “My sense is that this largely positive sentiment is not solely driven by the success or failure of the countries participating, but by the broader stories that emerge from the competition. The feats of human excellence, the world records, the moments of human connection between participating teams and competitors alike, and, of course, the memes that have graced our social feeds and kept us entertained throughout the last three weeks”.
The Olympics is all about feelings
The Olympics is so heavily based on emotion, it’s crucial to get as much analysis on audience emotion and sentiment as possible.
So we know how people feel, but what topics exactly are those feelings associated with?
Let’s take a look at some of these featured topics in more detail.
Gymnastics
All eyes were on Simone Biles, as the most decorated gymnast in history. She led the women’s team to gold in the team final, winning three golds and one silver in total. Following the team’s victory, Biles posted this iconic TikTok and brands flocked to the viral video. Tinder declared the team “ABSOLUTELY ATE 😌” while TJ Maxx’s comment “The way we were patiently waiting for this video. Congrats ladies! ✨” resonated with the fans. Brands such as Pinterest, Covergirl, and Zillow also joined the discussion, wanting to be part of this cultural moment.
Will we be seeing Simone Biles as the new face of Tinder? You never know. Stranger things have happened.
Opening Ceremony
And speaking of stranger things, another momentous occasion was the Olympics Opening Ceremony, which included a controversial last supper-esque drag performance, a decapitated Marie Antoinette, and the beginnings of a ménage à trois. Did they go too far, or was it simply quintessentially French? Whatever your stance on the ceremony, you can’t deny the global impact and the conversations it ignited across social media.
Fashion
Finally, fashion has been a bit of a talking point with most sporting events. Think about the Euro teams t-shirts, the outfits at Wimbledon, the fashion around the horse races. This year in Paris, fashion is sparking conversations already. A stand-out so far is the Mongolian team’s stunning uniforms, designed by Michel & Amazonka. The insanely intricate outfits have gone viral on social media, bringing hype to the team. Here lies an opportunity to jump on this particular wave, and it will be interesting to see if any brands tap into this.
So what are the tactics brands need to think about when looking for a medal on social around these kinds of games?
Authentic moments have won gold
The micro-moments of the Olympics, paired with their global reach, are the ideal combination for brand exposure. Athletes’ personal stories or idiosyncrasies are excellent grounds for reactive marketing, which can gain huge cut-through.
The reason behind this? Authenticity.
Authenticity is arguably still the most important factor in influencer marketing. By tapping into real stories, brands can connect with their audience on a deeper level. And campaigns don’t have to be sport-related. As much as the Olympics is about the games, it’s also about the people.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, British diver Tom Daley was photographed serenely knitting in the stands to “relieve stress”. Viewers loved it, and the pictures went viral. Conversations sparked around the diving champion and the Olympics, as well as an influx in the hype around knitting.
What started with a ripple (an Olympic moment that captured attention), turned into a wave (where people were talking about it on social and driving the conversation), then a cultural tide (where this moment became more than just a social conversation). Daley’s knitting Instagram account @madewithlovebytomdaley blew up to over a million followers. He knitted a cardigan for Gillian Anderson’s character Dr Jean Milburn on the popular TV show Sex Education, and auctioned it off to raise money for LGBTQIA+ mental health support services. Made With Love has also collaborated with Rimmel and Lion Brand Yarn, and is stocked by John Lewis.
Reactivity may pole-jump over strategy
Now we’re not going to sit here and say you don’t need a strategy for the Olympics. Or are we?
Essentially, you can plan all you want to create great content around the 2024 games, but just as no one could have predicted they’d see Tom Daley knitting on a bench in between incredible dives, we have no idea what this year will have to offer in the form of “moments”.
That’s where reactive marketing on social will be your friend.
The Olympics will create relevant, trending conversations, and if you want to win big on social, you need to be at the forefront of these conversations.
Utilize social listening tools. Our Bytesights tool measures what conversations are growing (when they are ripples) so brands we work with can jump on these trends before they peak, allowing them to ride that wave of growth. Partnering with the right influencers on these conversations and tapping into niche audiences (who may be interested in this Olympic topic as well as your product) will help brands maximize this growth and maximize their ROI.
Three viral moments from 2024 Olympics
Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec
The Turkish Shooter Olympian Yusuf Dikec became an online sensation due to his casual shooting stance. This went so big over socials, that other athletes started referencing the pose in their games too, contributing to the ripple becoming a massive wave of conversation. He’s even been featured in street art now, with his stance becoming a true cultural moment.
How could brands respond?
Why did this image blow up so quickly? Dikec’s unorthodox approach to his sport, wearing a t-shirt and not much shooting gear, and donning a simple pair of yellow earplugs made this moment feel incredibly authentic. We’re surprised to see that not many brands tapped into this conversation. It’s moments like these that are the perfect golden nuggets to build conversations about.
Breakdancing
Breakdancing debuted as an olympic sport this year, and let’s just say the feedback has been mixed. One particular moment went completely viral. This was the Australian olympian Raygun’s performance. Despite the fact she had some heavy trolling on social, there was a surprising amount of support too. With people naming her as an “icon” for her attitude on stage as well as her moves.
How could brands respond?
Conversations around this have been etched with comedy. We saw plenty of opportunity here for relevant, humorous content around this subject. Lots of creators have chimed in on the conversation, but not many brands. Perhaps because it’s too risky to make a judgment on an olympic sport… but we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, in a social landscape that is more saturated than ever before, brands need to be taking risks.
Tom Cruise closing
At the closing ceremony of the Olympics, Tom Cruise made quite the entrance. Dropping in “Mission Impossible” style, he’s made headlines both on and off social.
How could brands respond?
Creators like @ATfrenchies on TikTok posted responses to his entrance and, most notably, his quick getaway to LA with the flag. This is the kind of memeable material brands could definitely tap into and with the next Olympics being held in the USA, there is more potential than ever for western brands to tap into these trends.
A glance to the future
So now the main Olympic games has had its closing ceremony, what comes next? Well, first we have the Paralympic games which is set to have more moments than ever before.
The Paralympics is the perfect setting for authentic stories, and if brands get their socials right they can share in these conversations and ride the cultural waves that are sure to form.
It may be too late to get involved in the Olympics viral moments we’ve already talked about, but there is still time to prepare for the Paralympics. Stay reactive, authentic, and aware of feelings. Keep in touch with the stories and moments that matter, as cultural events like this will stand as a platform to catapult your content to new heights.
Think unconventionally
The Olympics is about feelings. Moments. Stories.
These are all things that don’t need to be tapped into conventionally.
Your brand is totally unique. So think about how you can tap into these emotions, sentiments, and trending conversations in ways that feel authentic to you.
It’s not about the larger Olympics discussions. It’s about micro-moments brands can utilize. Look out for authentic conversations and stories. Assess how people are feeling and listen to what they want. Even if something doesn’t directly fit in your niche, is there a creative way to apply it?
And above all, think outside the box. Bring in influencers who lie outside your niche. Connect with athletes. Challenge the status quo.
And, of course, measure everything, especially conversations around the Olympics and their growth.
To win exponentially, it might be worth talking to us at Brainlabs. Our set of proprietary data tools and our hands-on knowledge will help you build High-Performance strategies and reactive tactics. Let’s get ready to win gold this year.
