In the first week of the Olympics, we saw iconic moments like Gabriel Medina’s picture perfect surfing celebration and “Pommel Horse Guy” Stephen Nedoroscik’s first medal for USA Men’s Gymnastics. Watching these achievements brings out the best of the human spirit. We’re a world united in competition, rallying behind our favorite athletes performing at their highest level.
The Olympics also provides a moment for brands to be a part of that affection with athlete sponsorships and inspiring anthems.
We surveyed our feeds and spoke with Day One employees to see how brands are showing up at the Olympics—and what activations are winning gold. Here’s what we learned:
It’s All About the Feels
It’s no surprise that one of my favorite ads for the Olympics was created by NBC—and Beyoncé. Her introduction to Team USA showed off the athletes dancing to a remixed version of her Cowboy Carter hit “YA YA.” The energy of the ad is infectious. It’s more than a hype video; it’s an anthemic ode to all the reasons we love competition—and love to win. (“I'm not even American but the way I was just smiling at my phone,” reads the top comment.)
Eli Lilly’s spot with Suni Lee, the U.S. Gymnast, tugged at our heartstrings too by sharing the magic of living in and taking care of our bodies. The anthemic spot reveals that sometimes our health can be out of our control, but inspires us to fight for the best treatment. Lee's presence in the spot, especially after recent recovery from kidney disease and her ongoing struggle with eczema, reminds us that Olympic athletes are still human, just like us.
Eli Lilly’s supporting cutdown, a scrapbook-style chronicle of Lee’s struggle with eczema while performing on global stage resonated, with Trey Taylor, Senior Director of Editorial: “With women's gymnastics being one of the most visible sports at the summer Olympics, it's exciting to see Suni Lee getting recognition by brands for her outsized talent. Even though big pharma company Lilly is notorious for raising the price of desperately needed insulin, which they corner the market on (and have since had to reverse because of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act capping insulin prices at $35 per month), their partnership with Lee focuses on the athlete's experience with eczema. The TV spot doesn't even appear to 'sell' any particular product. Perhaps because Lilly doesn't exactly need your money. However, if any young kids who suffer from eczema feel empowered to seek treatment because of Lee's commercial, that's a net positive.”
Relatability and heartfelt emotions, like those in the Lily spot, also drew Day Oners to love the BBC's animated trailer for its coverage of the games.
At the end of the day this anthem does what all good anthems should: it gets me emotional and excited for the games, I'm drawn into the story that celebrates the love that goes into sport against the City of Love (see what they did there?!). It's an obvious connection that's executed simply and smartly so it doesn't feel on the nose. Plus, the animation approach makes it a universal rally cry for worldwide fans of the games.
- Frank Normandin, SVP of Brand
Letting Personalities Shine
In our survey of Day One staff, our employees also loved the amount of athlete personality that shone through brand sponsorships. Not all sponsorships showed off the athlete’s physical prowess, instead they focused on their sense of humor and personal lives.
Samsung, for example, supplied athletes with their new flip-phones (athletes personal phones aren’t allowed during competitions) to take podium selfies. The photos are published on Athlete365, the official handle for all-things Olympian—and meant to be shared by athletes.
The selfies give the Olympics a more human feel and brings these world class athletes down to earth a little for us. No one is above taking a selfie. I’m also seeing so much Olympic content on my FYP, like so many TikTok-dancing-athletes, it kind of feels like they’re becoming creators themselves.
- Jacques Boffa, Production Coordinator
Nulo, a pet food company, debuted its first-ever ad campaign featuring Simone Biles and her dogs Lilo and Rambo at The Olympics. “I’m a dog and pet lover so I thought it was super sweet to see Biles and her frenchies having a ‘normal’ day,” says Sarah Krauss, Senior Analyst, Earned and Owned Measurement.
If there’s one athlete sponsorship that’s circulated the Day One Slack the most, it’s Parmigiano Reggiano’s sponsorship of Giorgia Villa, the Italian silver medal gymnast. The sponsorship has led to photos of Villa posing with cheese that the internet (and our staff) can’t get enough of.
So How Does a Brand Win Gold?
Brands have two years until the Winter Olympics take over our feeds and TVs yet again, and although what’s happening in culture may change, it’s clear this year’s Olympics proved that brands who tell smart, relatable—and personality-fueled stories—win gold.
