The Olympics will be popular in 2024.
Brands across the industry, from the highest end of luxury brands (LVMH is a Premium Partner of the Games) to mass-market players (Gap-owned Athleta is the “track and field” sponsor of U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky), are pitching in to support Paris, hoping to get a piece of the Olympic sparkle.
The Olympics have become a playground for big brands with deep marketing budgets, including sportswear giants like Nike and Adidas, as well as homegrown labels like American fashion giant Ralph Lauren. These brands will have a strong presence at this year’s games, but so will companies like Left on Friday, the direct-to-consumer swimwear manufacturer that supplies the Canadian beach volleyball team with one-shoulder bikinis, and Actively Black, the three-year-old black-owned athleisure brand that outfits the Nigerian team. Additionally, countless brands are getting involved in Olympics-centric advertising, whether by using Olympians as ambassadors, rolling out special product collections or hosting events.
“I want to build a global brand, and nothing is more global than the Olympics,” said Lanny Black, founder of Actively Black.
The appeal of the Olympics is not just its status as the last vestige of a monoculture, but it should not be underestimated. The Olympics are the first without pandemic-era restrictions, and millions of visitors are expected to spend an estimated 2.6 billion euros ($2.8 billion). According to eMarketer, the Paris Olympics will be the most-watched event since the 2016 Rio Olympics. In addition, being set in Paris, the fashion world’s favorite city, naturally adds a certain allure to the event. LVMH, the world’s largest fashion conglomerate, is a premium partner of the Olympics and the largest local sponsor of the games. This role has usually been held by companies with no obvious connection to luxury goods, such as Toyota or General Electric. This sponsorship guarantees the presence of LVMH-affiliated companies at almost every moment of the Olympics. Jeweler Chaumet will make the medals, menswear retailer Berluti will design the French team’s opening ceremony outfits, VIP suites will be equipped with Moet champagne, and Louis Vuitton will design the trays and travel trunks to carry the medals and the Olympic torch.
Luxury brands are ubiquitous at this year’s Olympics, which is no surprise given the close ties between fashion and sports. In April, women’s basketball phenom Caitlin Clark became the first player to wear Prada at the WNBA or NBA draft. The WNBA and NBA tunnel walks have evolved into runways of their own, with luxury brands competing to dress stars before the game. Athletes are a common sight in the front row and on the runway in Paris and Milan. Fashion and beauty companies regularly partner with sports teams to gain access to marketable superstars and their global fan bases.
Marketing for the Olympics will undoubtedly look different this year, either because new advertisers enter the market or because traditional Olympic advertisers are forced to update their strategies in the face of increased competition for consumer attention during the Olympics.
“When you reach out to your fanbase, you’re able to tap into a whole new audience, introduce your brand to that audience, and start telling your story outside of the echo chamber,” says Lauren Stillman, senior vice president at entertainment and cultural agency R&CPMK. “This can really help your brand evolve and grow.”
Influx of new players
In a fragmented media landscape, the Olympics are a rare moment when people can all focus on the same thing, says Eric Dahan, founder of marketing firm Mighty Joy.[The Olympics] It has widespread support in a very polarized world.”
But for fashion, it’s a chance to step onto the world stage and introduce it to new audiences. With interest in women’s sport especially on the rise, the Olympics are usually the biggest stage for sports with high visibility for female athletes, such as gymnastics, and a gateway into fashion. Jeweler Pandora has released a collection of Olympic charms and bracelets, and has featured French Olympian Estelle Mossely and gold medal-winning boxer and soccer player Sakina Karchaoui in its campaigns.
“We want to support women in all areas of their lives, and we see women in sports as a key area that needs more attention and support,” said Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson, Pandora’s chief marketing officer.
There are many brands entering the Olympic conversation for the first time, with LVMH being a prime example. Brands are having to get more creative to make their logos visible to audiences. This year’s medal trays, which historically have not been branded, will be made in Louis Vuitton’s signature brown-and-tan check pattern. Figs, a DTC label that makes scrubs for healthcare workers, will provide uniforms for the 250 healthcare workers traveling to Paris with Team USA. This will be the first time Team USA healthcare workers will wear official uniforms.
Team USA nurses wearing Figs apparel. (Provided)
Figs CMO Bené Eaton says the partnership helps the company shine a spotlight on its mission to inspire healthcare workers and engage with the public. The outdoor advertising campaign will run this summer along commuter routes to hospitals in major cities.
But piggybacking on the Olympic association alone isn’t enough to stand out, especially this year. Figs, for example, is hosting multiple events, including an opening ceremony viewing party called “From Arch to Arc” in New York City’s Washington Square Park, which pays homage to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Athleta aired its first TV ad starring Biles ahead of the Olympics.
Brands can do more than just become official partners of a team or the International Olympic Committee. For example, J.Crew rolled out a product collaboration with USA Swimming to “cement its position as a great American brand.” While it’s not an official sponsorship of Team USA, it still gives J.Crew a close presence in one of the most-watched events. The first drop of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and more was so well-received that J.Crew did a second release to keep up with demand.
Activewear brand Year of Ours didn’t have the budget for an official partnership with the team, but they wanted to make the most of the moment by releasing a red, white and blue, Olympic-inspired collection called “Year of Ours Sport” without even using the word “Olympics” in messaging reserved for official sponsors.
“This is an accessible way for us to get involved and for our consumers to get involved,” founder Eleanor Haycock said. “Other brands may be making clothes for athletes, but we’re making things that fans want to wear.”
Sportswear giants still have a say
The influx of new brands presents a challenge for traditional sponsors like Nike and Adidas, which have long used the Olympics as a springboard to launch new product cycles and memorable campaigns, and now they are placing more emphasis on cultural marketing as well.
Nike remains the biggest sports sponsor of the Olympics, partnering with hundreds of athletes and more than 100 international federations. The brand is especially keen to assert its dominance after 18 difficult months. The company announced a partnership with the Centre Pompidou (whose architectural design is said to have inspired the creation of the Air Max 1) to transform the façade of this iconic Parisian landmark into a giant Nike billboard. Jordan Brand is transforming a former department store in Paris’ 18th arrondissement into the “23rd Arrondissement,” hosting cultural and sporting events for locals over six weeks.
Nike’s big-budget marketing plan for the Olympics includes the acquisition of the Pompidou Centre, whose architectural design is said to have inspired the creation of the original Air Max shoe. (Nike)
Nike’s pre-Olympic marketing culminated last week with its “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” campaign, which was widely praised by fans for evoking the arrogance and bravado of the brand’s Air Jordan commercials of the 1980s and 1990s. Meanwhile, Nike also launched its first breakdancing shoe, Nike Jam, to make its presence known at the sport’s Olympic debut.
“The Paris Olympics are our perfect opportunity to share our vision for sport with the world,” Chief Executive John Donahoe told investors last month.
Other sportswear brands are not about to miss the opportunity. Adidas has launched a pre-Olympic campaign with an uplifting commercial following athletes such as American sprinter Noah Lyles, set to the soundtrack of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” The brand will also unveil the latest in its collaboration with Sporty & Rich at Le Bristol Hotel in Paris. In recent weeks, Salomon opened its first sports-style concept store in Paris to showcase high-fashion footwear and apparel, and in May opened a flagship store on the Champs-Élysées. On also chose the famous shopping street for its largest-ever flagship store, which opened earlier this month and spans three floors. The Swiss sneaker giant, which sponsors 66 athletes at the Olympics, will also show off its latest sneaker technologies, such as Lightspray, at the On Lab in Paris, where it will also host panel talks and running clubs.
New Balance sponsors 85 athletes, including U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, and has brought renowned sneaker collaborators Joe Freshgoods and Teddy Santis to Paris for an event unveiling their upcoming collection, which will include Freshgoods’ highly anticipated 990v6 silhouette.
“Brands are getting smarter and capitalizing on moments outside of the actual sporting action at the Olympics,” said Kenny Annan Jonathan, founder of sports marketing firm The Mailroom.
