We’ve already discussed how businesses can utilise sports events to boost their advertising success, such as with the Euros. And the Tokyo Olympics provide just as much lucrative opportunity for businesses looking to target a highly engaged audience through their social media marketing.
The key tactic here is to leverage the spirit that is created as a result of the games – the apprehension, the excitement, the loyalty - all of which can be weaved into impactful social campaigns that are ideal for building brand awareness.
Why are businesses advertising during the Olympics?
The Tokyo Olympics 2020 commercial itself, demonstrates the four key values of the brand, which are:
Destiny
Distinction
Culture
Experiences
Savvy brands who choose to advertise during the Olympic period can jump on the bandwagon so to speak, and align themselves with the values of the Olympics, which are known and respected by millions around the world.
By increasing your social media exposure between 23rd July – 8th August, you can associate your brand with the established reputation of the Olympics and encourage consumers to see you in the same positive light that they do this prestigious event.
The Olympics are an emotional time for many, as they see their native teams competing for gold, and it's this level of emotion that can create a strong connection between brands and consumers – they value human stories that promote positivity, unity, sportsmanship, equality, diversity, and the quest for greatness.
Brands can make the most of this time of high emotion with their own thought-provoking social media campaigns.
And of course, naturally, advertising during the Olympics can earn you an unparalleled reach, which is predicted to be even more so in the Tokyo Olympics compared to that of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Past examples of medal-winning Olympic marketing campaigns
When talking about how to incorporate the Tokyo Olympics into your social media marketing campaign, it's useful to reference past examples. Here are some of the most clever and memorable ads from previous Olympic Games:
1. Panasonic: #Superfans
Of course, it was a smart move for major electronics company Panasonic to ride the wave of the 2016 Olympic Games. To help encourage the momentum of the fans from the UK, they launched a Twitter campaign that encouraged Brits to send their support to Team GB using the #Superfans hashtag for a chance to win their very own Panasonic TV.
Watching @TeamGB today? Make sure you send your support using #Superfans for a chance to win a TV! pic.twitter.com/KgpbVGuL4W
— Panasonic UK (@PanasonicUK) August 13, 2016
2. Under Armour: Rule Yourself
3. Airbnb: Stay With Me
To help promote home and apartments for rent in Rio during the period of the Olympics, Airbnb launched their “Stay With Me” campaign, that was an eclectic mixture of short videos and photos sent in by Airbnb hosts to showcase their countries.
As the first official “alternative accommodations” sponsor of the Olympic Games, this campaign was also ideal for spreading wider awareness of their platform and offering.
4. Samsung: #DoWhatYouCant
Pulling on everybody’s heart strings and aiming to showcase the struggles of underdogs, Samsung’s #DoWhatYouCant campaign empowers people to overcome their barriers.
The campaign, comprised of a tear-jerking video, accompanied by equally emotional music, documents a number of people confronting their limits and redefines the meaning of ‘can’t’.
Having also published a documentary, Samsung shares the reality and struggles of underdogs fighting for a place in the Olympics.
5. Nike: Find Your Greatness
The Olympics is all about success and the success stories of those competing.
And this campaign Nike was launched in the midst of the London 2012 Olympics and went viral, generating almost eight million views as the powerful story encouraged people to fight for and find, their very own moments of greatness.
Video and TV marketing during the Olympics
While the focus here is predominantly on social media campaigns, the Tokyo Olympics also encourages brands to take advantage of the live, real-time events, which, as a result, discourages time-shifting and commercial skipping.
Now, brands can display creative TV advertisements that will be more likely to be seen by the millions of people watching their TVs at home, allowing them to capitalise on the level of engagement created as a result of the prestigious sporting event.
With the 2021 streaming of the Tokyo Olympic Games predicted to boom, there’s plenty of opportunity here for brands to maximise their exposure and widen their target audience.
Video and TV marketing not only helps to promote products, but they are a great way to increase brand awareness, which is pivotal to all and any brands seeking to climb the ladder to success.
Do you need help with your Olympic social media campaigns?
At Champions, we love nothing more than making the most of big sporting occasions, so with that in mind, we can help you to put on a fantastic social media campaign that gets your brand name at a truly critical time.
Just get in touch with us today to find out more about how we can help you leverage the Tokyo Olympics.