Gold Medal Marketing: The Best and Worst Campaigns from Paris 2024

As the world tunes in to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it’s not only the athletes who captured our attention. This global event always presents a golden opportunity for marketers and brands to showcase their creativity and innovation. While some campaigns rose to the occasion, others fell short, missing the mark entirely.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the standout campaigns, dissect those that failed, and explore the broader impact and significance of these marketing strategies on this global stage.

Campaigns That Hit the Mark

Skims: Limited Edition Skims x Team USA

Jessica Long and Fred Kerley- Paralympic swimmer and Olympic sprinter for Team USA x Skims

Whether you admire or criticise her, Kim Kardashian and her brand Skims have undeniably mastered the art of iconic marketing. Skims has a history of launching collections centred around the Olympic Games, starting with the Tokyo 2020 Games and continuing with the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Now, it’s Paris’ turn.

For the Paris 2024 Olympics, Skims continued their tradition of collaborating with iconic athletes, this time partnering with Team USA. The collection featured some of Skims’ best-loved pieces, embossed with various Olympic and Team USA-themed emblems. These items were designed to combine the athletes’ professional needs with Skims’ signature styles, including exclusive products only available to athletes.

This campaign successfully blended patriotism with fashion, allowing customers to purchase products modelled by their favourite medal-winning Olympians. By creating this connection, Skims not only reinforced its brand image but also deepened its relationship with consumers, linking them directly to the spirit of the Games.

Airbnb: Official Olympic Partner Until 2028

Since 2019, Airbnb has collaborated with thousands of hosts across Olympic and Paralympic host countries, offering travellers authentic, sustainable experiences. As part of their ‘Host the World’ campaign, Airbnb committed to providing travel options that are economically empowering, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable.

Beyond accommodations, Airbnb has created initiatives like the ‘Athlete Travel Grant’ and the ‘Airbnb500 Travel Fund.’ The Athlete Travel Grant, valued at $2,000, helps qualifying athletes with living expenses during training, while the Airbnb500 Travel Fund offers $500 to athletes for any travel-related purpose.

This campaign not only boosts Airbnb’s visibility for spectators seeking accommodations but also reinforces the brand’s promise of providing authentic, memorable travel experiences. By rewarding athletes for their dedication, Airbnb successfully positions itself as a brand that cares about both the Olympic spirit and the communities it serves.

Channel 4: ‘Considering What’ Paralympics 2024

As the Paralympics begin, Channel 4’s ‘Considering What’ campaign powerfully challenges and subverts ingrained stereotypes about Paralympic athletes. The campaign features images of Paralympians labelled with well-meaning but condescending phrases, such as “She’s incredibly fast, for someone in a wheelchair.”

Typically, Channel 4 has used the term ‘Superheroes’ to describe these athletes. However, this year, they intentionally avoided this term in favour of the ‘Considering What’ campaign, aiming to normalise disabilities and encourage viewers to see Paralympians in the same light as Olympians.

By challenging perceptions and celebrating the athletes’ journeys, this campaign not only promotes the Paralympic Games but also shifts the narrative surrounding disability and sport, fostering a more inclusive and equal society.

The Misses: Campaigns That Fell Short

EGO Official

EGO Official, a brand purportedly dedicated to empowering women, recently faced backlash for a misguided Olympic-themed social media campaign. The campaign featured a selection of Olympic athletes in candid poses, with captions that trivialised their achievements by centring them around male validation.

This approach starkly contrasts with the brand’s supposed mission to uplift and empower women. Instead of celebrating the athletes’ incredible feats, EGO reduced them to mere objects of male attention. The backlash was swift, with many criticising the brand for undermining the progress and equality these athletes represent.

This campaign serves as a cautionary tale for brands—when your messaging conflicts with your core values, the disconnect can alienate your audience and damage your reputation.

Conclusion: Lessons from Paris 2024

In conclusion, the Olympics offer a unique and powerful platform for marketing campaigns, capable of resonating across a diverse global audience. The Paris 2024 campaigns highlight the importance of aligning brand values with the spirit of the Games. When executed well, these campaigns can inspire and unite; when mishandled, they risk alienating the very audience they aim to engage.

Successful brands during Paris 2024 created campaigns that harnessed the essence of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, promoting unity and diversity. Ultimately, these Games have provided clear examples of what works and what doesn’t when crafting a campaign on this scale. When done well, Olympic-themed marketing becomes a vital tool for brands to connect with their audiences and evoke a sense of togetherness. However, when done wrong, it can be patronising and deter consumers from engaging with the brand at all.