What to Expect From the Paris Olympic Games
The Olympic Games in Paris are set to begin Friday, July 26 and continue through Sunday, August 11. Excitement is already building with multiple brands and sponsors launching Olympic-related campaigns and efforts.
These games, both physically and from a marketing perspective, feel like a return to form after the COVID issues that challenged the games in Tokyo and Beijing.
The Paris time zone is much friendlier for US TV coverage, which should yield more viewership given the ability to catch events live. A recent Ad Age story reported that the cost for a :30 primetime spot was between $750,000-$850,000, with NBC saying the network was on track to reach $1.2 billion in ad commitments (a record), including $350 million from first-time advertisers. It’s no wonder the event is expected to dominate cultural conversations.
MOST MARKETABLE ATHLETES
-Gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky. No surprises here, the ever-impressive superstars are sure to dazzle and capture even more hearts.
-Swimmers Torri Huske, Lilly King and Katie Grimes dipped their toes in Tokyo, but should have a strong showing for Team USA. Huske in short and Grimes/Finke in long distance events.
-Basketball star Diana Taurasi is chasing history for her 6th Olympics and possible gold medal.
-Breakdancer Sunny Choi will be highlighted and exciting to watch as Breaking makes its debut as a new Olympic sport.
–Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, Beach Volleyball youngsters, could make a run to continue Team USA’s long-standing dominance.
–Ilona Maher will lead Team USA Rugby and is already a social media star.
–Carissa Moore will be defending her Gold in Surfing from across the globe in Tahiti, a French Polynesian island.
-High expectations for Sydney McLaughlin and Sha’Carri Richardson in Track & Field.
-Swimmer Simone Manuel is a seasoned Olympian who (like Simone Biles) overcame some personal and physical limitations with time away from training to put it all back together and make the 2024 team.
-Expect men’s discus/shot put star Ryan Crouser and potential world’s fastest man Noah Lyles to make headlines. Ditto American swimmer Bobby Finke.
U.S. TEAMS TO WATCH
–Men’s Soccer is finally back for the first time since 2008, featuring under 23 players given tournament age restriction.
–Men’s Basketball vs other NBA All-Stars (especially vs. host country France which will have Victor Wembanyama.)
–Women’s Basketball going for a record eight straight Gold finishes (without Caitlin Clark, a controversial decision.)
–Women’s Gymnastics will be led by Simone Biles, flanked by three Olympians (Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey) and 16-year-old newcomer Hezly Rivera.
–Women’s Soccer has the youngest roster since 2008, reflecting Megan Rapinoe’s retirement and Alex Morgan’s exclusion (another much-discussed decision.)
OTHER STORYLINES/POINTS OF INTEREST
-Opening Ceremony, always an impressive spectacle, will have a French twist, floating down the river Seine.
Rule 40 rules have stabilized, allowing athlete’s personal sponsors (who aren’t official sponsors of the Games), to continue their campaigns through the Games period. Knowing this, brands can plan accordingly.
-This will be the first Sue Bird-less Games since 2000.
–New Sports. Breaking, for one, should be interesting. The “oddity” of new sports is always intriguing to fans as they try to understand terminology, moves, how it’s scored, etc.
-On the other side of the world, the French territory of Tahiti will be hosting surfing.
-After an online call for support, Flava Flav signed a five-year sponsorship to be USA Water Polo’s official Hype Man.
Lead author Basia Wojcik, VP of Sports at TMA, has worked on activations in every Olympic Games since Beijing 2008.
