Remember when you couldn’t stop refreshing your feed for Olympic updates? The drama, the triumphs, the pure excitement—you’re hooked—we get it. But it’s not just the athletes breaking records—it’s the brilliant marketing that’s pulling all the strings.
Paris 2024 is killing it with fresh ideas, new technology, interactive experiences, and creative partnerships. Want to know how to turn your marketing from bronze to gold? We’ve decoded the winning formula behind the Paris 2024 marketing tactics. Read on, and allow us to coach you to victory with Olympic-level strategies.
How to Snag the Gold with Paris Olympics Marketing Strategies
Dreaming of making your brand the Michael Phelps of marketing? It’s time to channel your inner champion with these winning strategies inspired by the Olympics and watch your brand sprint to the top of the podium.
1. New Metrics for Olympic Ratings
NBC Sports is redefining Olympic ratings for Paris 2024 by merging live and recap viewership into one powerful number. They’re combining ratings from the 2PM to 5PM ET live events with the 8PM to 11PM ET evening recap.
This fresh approach is a hit with advertisers, who have already invested $1.2 billion.¹ It’s a method likely to continue for future Games, including the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. This combined rating provides brands with a complete picture of the Olympic audience—capturing both those watching live and those catching the highlights later.
What staffing firms can learn from this:
Just like NBC Sports combines live and recap viewership to get the full picture of their audience, you can do the same by bringing together data from different sources.
Instead of just using one piece of information, you can look at other sources like job board activity, social media engagement, and recruitment results to comprehensively understand your candidate and client interactions.
For example, job board metrics can tell you how many candidates are viewing and applying for your job posts, but they don’t tell you how those candidates perceive your brand. Social network engagement, on the other hand, can show how candidates and clients interact with your content, share your posts, and engage with your services. Recruitment results can also reveal how successful your placements are.
When you combine all these pieces, you can spot trends, understand what’s working, and find areas for improvement. It also lets you follow a candidate’s entire journey, from their first interaction with your brand to their placement in a job.
2. Big Talk on Mental Health
At the Paris Summer Olympics, the spotlight has shifted from sheer physical prowess to mental well-being. This topic has gained significant attention following Simone Biles’ courageous stand on mental health during the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Olympic organizers are on board, too. The International Olympic Committee is going all out with a mindfulness program with free access to the Calm app, a mental fitness hotline, a “mentally fit zone” for athletes to chill out, and support in 70+ languages for four years after the games. Oh, and they’re using AI to zap online trolls.
Brands are also making moves. Asics is tackling online hate, while Powerade features Biles’ story to promote mental health in their ads. The Olympic Village has even set up a recovery lounge with virtual reality relaxation, cool-down activities, and spaces for mental health discussions.
What staffing firms can learn from this:
The Paris Olympics prove that mental strength is just as vital as physical prowess. It’s inspiring to see the collective effort to support athletes’ mental health alongside their physical well-being. Follow this example by enhancing your marketing campaign to appeal to clients and candidates who value workplace well-being. For instance:
- Showcase mental health commitment: Highlight how you partner with companies valuing employee wellbeing to attract quality candidates.
- Share client success stories: Feature case studies of clients with strong mental health programs to demonstrate your progressive partnerships.
- Create educational content: Produce blog posts or webinars about workplace mental health benefits to position your firm as a thought leader.
- Emphasize work-life balance: Promote how you match candidates with roles offering good work-life balance.
- Highlight partnerships: Showcase collaborations with mental health organizations to enhance credibility with candidates and clients.
Read More: Time to Talk: Do You Prioritize Mental Health at Every Level?
3. Olympic Ads Go Low-Key
This year, Olympic ads took a backseat to let the athletes shine.
Coca-Cola, for instance, kept its product in the background, focusing instead on the touching moment between South African swimmers Tatjana Schoenmaker and Kaylene Corbett, and US swimmers Annie Lazor and Lilly King. Visa followed suit by highlighting stars like Pharrell Williams and athletes such as tennis player Iga Świątek and skateboarder Sky Brown, with the Visa logo subtly in the background.
Herbalife spotlighted over 50 Olympic athletes in its “Fueling the Best” campaign, focusing solely on their achievements without product placements. While Delta Air Lines also took a subtle approach, using their planes as a backdrop to emphasize the athletes’ hard work and journey to Paris.
What staffing firms can learn from this:
Instead of hogging the spotlight, take a page from their playbook.
Focus on what your candidates and clients care about most rather than just promoting your services.
If your candidates value work-life balance, you can show your commitment to flexible working arrangements. If your clients are focused on diversity and inclusion, you should showcase how your recruitment practices support these values and help build inclusive teams.
Get creative with your stories and share how your firm aligns with what matters to your audience. You should build those connections and prove you’re not just another faceless company—you’re a partner who gets it.
Read More: Spinning Gold from Words: Can Testimonials Become Your Next Power Story?
4. Small Brands Score Big at the Olympics
This year, smaller brands are stealing the spotlight at the Paris Olympics. NBCUniversal’s new programmatic ad-buying option allowed these brands to join the Olympic action. Previously, major sports events were dominated by big spenders, but now, smaller brands can afford to participate thanks to more budget-friendly ad options.
This approach breaks down ad space into smaller, more accessible chunks. Additionally, programmatic buying enables brands to target a wider audience, offering them premium ad placements and a chance to be part of the Olympic excitement without stretching their budgets.
Read More: B2B Marketing in 2024: The Future is Translating Numbers into Genuine Insights and Stories
DON’T SETTLE FOR SILVER – LET ALLIED INSIGHT HELP YOU TAKE HOME THE GOLD
Why watch others win gold when you can snag it yourself? From the opening ceremony to the final lap, Allied Insight is your secret training partner! With our full-stack marketing expertise, we’re here to help you break records with marketing strategies and turn your campaigns into award-worthy performances.
Don’t just cheer from the sidelines—join the winners and make sure you’re the one everyone’s talking about. Contact us now!
Reference
- Bradley, Bill. “NBCU “on Track” to Set Olympic Ad Sales Record with $1.2 Billion in Commitments.” Adweek.com, Adweek, 9 Apr. 2024, www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/nbcu-on-track-olympic-ad-sales-record/.
