We love sport, we follow it, we have fun, we talk about it, and sometimes we have heated arguments about it. He is able to bring people of different generations together and relieve us of nervousness. The feeling that sports victories bring us is indescribable, but sports also teach us to deal with defeats. From the pole vaulter to the incredible speed of the famous Bolt, the power of sport to inspire and motivate is great.
For the marketing industry, the London 2012 Games were a unique opportunity to showcase the talent of athletes from around the world, as well as the cultural heritage and beauty of London. In the glow of Olympic glory, serious analyzes are expected about who won the Olympic Games (OI) in terms of marketing, which brands stood out and which ones failed to even show themselves. Only one thing unites all companies, and that is to recognize the importance and power of sports as well as the passion that customers feel for the video.
He created a great campaign for Adidas that showed the spectacular opening of the OI. Congratulations to Royal Mail who inspired many in the host country to send a letter (instead of an email) with a beautifully designed Great Britain (UK) team stamp. Thanks to LOCOG, many Londoners felt like tourists in their own city.
Don’t be afraid to show your emotions!
As the BBC covered the entire Olympics, we were able to watch a veritable rush of multimedia content on it, leaving businesses across the UK scrambling to provide their employees with live coverage. The BBC became a brand that was in step with the emotions of British viewers during this unique sporting event.
Choose a side!
In an age when many brands rely on economies of scale and global marketing messages, Adidas’ support of the Great Britain team stood out in a sea of competing marketing activities. At a time when consumers were still struggling with the emotions of coming out of the recession, Adidas showed that consumers were on their side.
Get closer to your employees!
In the largest peacetime period of people’s mobilization since World War II, the 70,000 volunteers who worked at the Olympics truly “released the spirit” of the games. Their enthusiasm was contagious. From the grand opening ceremony to their unwavering desire to help, they emphasized the importance of employee relations. In fact, the Harvard Business Review rated this as OI’s greatest feat: an unpaid, highly engaged workforce.
Act like you own the media, not like a brand!
“We won the Olympic Games – we will be on the stamp!” said British competitor Katharine Copeland to her stepmother Sophia Hosking. It was a moment of pure joy. And it was marketing gold for Royal Mail. From overnight stamp printing to Adidas’ beautifully designed poster in the Metro, this was marketing at its best.
You don’t own the Olympics – consumers do!
It was not uncommon to find the OI logo on various shop windows. However, a bunch of articles told butchers and bakers and others to remove the OI logo from their windows because it proved to be counterproductive even when they had the right to display that logo. When it comes to a national sporting event like this, brands have to take into account the current mood of customers.
Don’t get carried away with brands; focus on the bottom line!
We all know that the London Olympics were supposed to be a huge media event. However, for brands like Nike and Adidas, the real strength during the Olympics was precisely in their sales.
Get active!
With or without a recession, investment and activation are key. Channel 4 presented and promoted the Paralympic Games in the best possible way ever with supreme creativity.
Embrace real role models!
From Nicola Adams, who won a historic women’s boxing gold for the UK, to our very own Milica Mandic, who won gold in taekwondo, the Olympics have allowed brands to look to a variety of athletes for inspiration. As the Paralympic Games are knocking on the door, we can only expect the best, in the words of “Channel 4”: “Thank you for the warm-up”, and “Thank you London for these memories”.