Going for Gold: How Athletes and Brands Leveraged Storytelling Marketing at the 2024 Olympics
And just like that, the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games is over.
I don’t know about the rest of the couch queens out there but this year was the most enthralling Olympic games, in recent memory (especially for Team USA 🦅🦅🦅). Besides what this surge in national pride has done for the upcoming election (politicians need marketing too), we're giving the marketing teams behind the scenes Best in Show for bringing the international competition from the field to our feeds.
This year, the stories that came out of Paris via top-notch marketing campaigns were the real winners. Athletes and brands took the power of digital marketing and ran with it for a fantastic final finish. If you were too busy watching the races to keep up with marketing cues, you know we've got all the tea on how storytelling marketing was the real MVP this summer.
When Shelly-Ann Met Michaela: Why Your Organic Social Needs a Dope Storyline
Social media was the savior of the 2024 Summer Olympics. From the comfort of our phone screens, audiences were able to watch official highlights, behind-the-scenes content from the Olympic Village, and even catch cool complimentary sponsored content. There were dozens of viral moments in every facet of every sport but our favorite has to be the adorably relatable meet-up meet-up between Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and New Zealand Rugby star Michaela Blyde.
When Michaela went viral on TikTok after fangling over her physical proximity to Shelly-Ann, us and 4.1 Million of our closest friends found ourselves wrapped up in the saga, tuning in when Michaela relatably asked her teammates to draft a response to Shelly Ann’s DM ( “Make me sound cool” is so real) and cheering from our remote offices when the moment the two met up irl. The genuine connection between these powerhouses from different nations transcended the competition. At the heart of their interaction, what drew users to this unlikely friendship wasn't big bucket budgets allocated to paid social; it was the story which was heartfelt and relatable.
The Moral for Marketers: With organic social, success comes from the story at the heart of your campaign. Use social media to build bridges and don't try too hard. Organic social often creates itself. Genuine interactions and shared experiences can create an engaged authentic community around your brand.
Nigeria Women’s Basketball Team: Resilience Moves Mountains
They say anything can happen in sports but Nigeria’s Women’s Basketball Team proved why you should never underestimate the underdog. The West African team made history with their phenomenal run at the 2024 Olympics, capturing hearts and headlines as the first African team, male or female, to place in the Olympic finals. These women faced countless hardships, from being excluded from the opening ceremony to missing crucial practice sessions because of scheduling conflicts out of their control. Despite it all, their resilience and belief in themselves led to a historic upset in the qualifying rounds, showing the world that they were always champions at heart. (Naija no dey carry last!) .
These women balled their way into the finals and made history shocking the IOC, FIBA, and the world. Brands jumped on board to celebrate their success, creating campaigns that highlighted their journey and the broad significance of their achievements. By approaching the story from all angles, instead of focusing on their victories, marketers were able to highlight the inspiration the team's success gave to young girls around the world and allow viewers to appreciate the cultural impact of their journey
The Moral for Marketers: Highlight the journey, not just the destination. Celebrating the challenges and triumphs along the way can create a compelling narrative that resonates deeply with your audience.
Sunisa Lee: How to Do Marketing the Gen Z Way.
It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day. Gen Z is growing up. They’re not the kids we remember; they’re college graduates and Olympic athletes. Marketing to a generation with emerging purchasing power is an Olympic-sized effort that requires an in-depth understanding of your audience. This is where Hmong American gymnast Sunisa Lee really shone this summer. Her Olympic journey was a master class in how to tailor your strategy for Gen Z marketing. First, her road to becoming the first Hmong American gymnast to earn Olympic gold was a win for diversity. Brands celebrated her heritage and her background, emphasizing how family and community support helped her to reach the top.
Then Suni herself used an air-tight online strategy to boost her personal brand. Lee replaced Simone Biles in the 2020 Olympics after the GOAT famously pulled out for health reasons, but the emerging gymnast's presence in the Paris 2024 games has been much more pronounced. She’s moved smarter, with a more intentional social media presence (catch this adorable moment of Suni Lee and Simone Biles planning a post podium TikTok) and well-placed sponsorships from brands like PrettyLittleThing, Kiss Nails, and Target that appeal to her audience.
The moral for marketers: Be a master of your market. Gen Z is here, and if you want to appeal to the new adults, make sure you understand them and the things that matter to them. They champion diversity, stay on top of beauty trends and social media marketing is their niche. Study how your audience engages to create a strategy that wins every time.
The 2024 Olympics showed us that the best marketing isn’t just about selling a product—it’s about selling a story. These lessons were brought to you by your marketing besties over at TCQ, so take notes, take your time, and use these tips to go big and win at your own game.
Until next time, you've got this queen.
The team at TCQ.
