We are now just 10 days from the start of the Olympics in Brazil, which start on 5 August in Rio de Janeiro, and brands have begun to roll out their campaigns ahead of the international event.
We’ve had a look at the marketing, communication and technological activations launched by brand partners on social media. Samsung, Puma, NBC, Coca Cola… the official partners of the Olympic Games are ready to invade the daily life of sport fans all around the world. Some of them have already started the ‘conquest’:
Samsung, a big partner
To begin with, Samsung unveiled its latest marketing activations within the scope of its overall communications campaign. Samsung is both an Olympics and Team GB sponsor. The aim is to provide a way in to the games to the general public. The spots specifically push Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones.
Jack Whitehall is schooled by Olympic greats in Samsung’s ‘School of Rio’ campaign. There are five spots in total for the campaign, which extends across media, retail, digital and social. The brand’s chief marketing officer, Russell Taylor, said it wanted to bring fans closer to the games in a “credible” way.
“A central brand belief for Samsung is that meaningful progress comes from daring to defy barriers and this is evident in the initiatives that are running across the globe to support Samsung’s official partnership with the Olympic and Paralympic Games – we are shining a light on athletes around the world who push the limits of what is possible,” he said.
Furthermore, Samsung hit the emotional spot with their video “One World, One Anthem”. The electronics giant brings together various national anthems to create a world without barriers. Check the video below.
Puma and Usain Bolt create emojis
Ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Puma and Usain Bolt have joined forces to launch the Jamaican sprinter’s very own Emoji keyboard. Puma presents “Boltmoji”, a set of emojis representing Usain Bolt. You can send messages to your friends in support of Usain Bolt and Jamaica during the Olympics with “Boltmoji”. The mobile application, which is now available on both the Apple and Google Play app store, has just over 40 unique Puma and Usain Bolt Emojis.
The list of emojis range from Puma running shoes and Usain Bolt’s slogan, crying laughter and his set of signature poses.
Personalised emojis are great to engage with fans ahead and during a major event.
NBC to offer content on Snapchat and VR
NBC is counting on BuzzFeed and social influencers to get young viewers to tune into its coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
As the exclusive broadcast partner for the Olympics, NBC plans to stream more than 4,500 hours of live content during the event. But those are just the games themselves. The company has also partnered with BuzzFeed and social influencers like Amanda Cerny and The Fine Brothers to create Olympics-related videos across social platforms.
Things get weird when @Flula meets the @TeamUSA Olympians #RoadToRio#Boomhttps://t.co/e3yLtsjqUC
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) July 18, 2016
“When we market the games, we sell it based on a household rating. And in order to get a household rating, you try to get as many old people as you can to watch,” said John Miller, CMO of NBC Olympics. This “ages up” most of the marketing NBC does to grab television viewers for its Olympics coverage, Miller added. But 12- to 34-year-olds are also a priority for the company, and it believes the best way to reach them is by enlisting the voices that they already listen to on a daily basis.
In partnership with Samsung, 85 hours of programming will be available to watch in VR including the Opening Ceremony, but only if you use Samsung’s Gear VR.
Coca Cola engages with fans
To mark the 88th year of this partnership in style, Coca-Cola is encouraging Australians everywhere to come together, celebrate and share their own special ‘#ThatsGold’ moments and get into the Olympic spirit as part of a major multi-channel marketing campaign.
Coca-Cola brand manager Romy Mueller said: “Coca-Cola and the Olympic Games share many key values that make us so compatible. The gold medal is an icon of Olympic success and our #ThatsGold campaign goes one step further by taking that gold feeling beyond the podium, bringing people from all walks of life together to celebrate everyday moments that inspire us all. The campaign is one of our biggest Olympic campaigns to date and we hope to bring Australians together to make the most of the big occasion!”
Other global partners, such as Adidas, Nike and Nissan, as well as national team partners, have also revealed their activations on social media, which should be the greatest digital sport event ever seen.
The Olympic Games is already omnipresent on your social platforms and it will invade our daily digital life.
