Branding and Marketing Takeaways from the 2024 Paris Olympics
What We Can Learn From The 2024 Olympics as Marketers and Entrepreneurs
By Alicia Disantis, Owner of 38th & Kip Studio
The Olympics are arguably the most famous global event on earth. Nothing creates fervor, anticipation, and joyful patriotism like the Olympics. It’s an event of epic proportions and tiny nuances; from massive marketing programming and urban design planning, to subtle color cues and heritage prints on uniforms, one could study the branding of Olympics for years. And in 2024, a city steeped in culture and art is hosting the Olympics: Paris. In this article, we’ll discuss what modern business and marketing strategies we can learn from such an epic event as the Olympics.
1. Leverage What Makes You Unique in Your Branding
Ah, the Seine. Possibly the most famous urban river in the world. It is a beloved landmark among Parisians and a thing of wanderlust among travel-lovers. A natural muse. It made darn-good sense that Paris2024 team and Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, chose to spotlight the Seine in all its glory during the opening ceremony.
I was delighted to find that the Parade of Nations was to take place on boat, captained by the very people who run these boats up and down the river for a living. Boats of all shapes and sizes. Some boats sharing three or more countries in a riotous display of color and reverie.
The entertainment was centered around the river. The opening scene was a mesmerizing feature of blue, white, and red smoke billowing over The Seine. Lada Gaga emerged from giant feathers while walking down one of the many staircases to the river’s edge.
What We Can Learn
“Shake what your momma gave you,” more or less. Utilize what makes your business unique, whether it be your people, products, services, location, environment, building…you name it. Your brand is about how people perceive you (you don’t own it!), and the more you show them something unique, the more they remember you. Maybe your neighbor decided to paint their building a hideous shade of bright green. Ok! Talk about it! Maybe your CFO has an eye patch. Cool! Talk about it! Maybe you live in a neighborhood that is known for its wide variety of cultures. Nice! Talk about it.
2. Promote Other Companies to Increase Customer Trust
One of the most heartwarming moments from the 2024 Olympics was Team USA's Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowed down to Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, winner of the gold in floor exercise. In a remarkable display of humility and goodwill, Biles and Chiles further cemented their legacy of not just being great athletes, but great people, too.
What We Can Learn AS MARKETERS
Sharing the spotlight and paying it forward never hurt a brand. When you use your platform to promote another individual or business doing good work, it’s not a loss. There is plenty of bandwidth in the buyer’s mind to remember both you AND the business you are promoting.
When you show kindness, humility, and admiration, especially for the underdog (Brazil has never had a champion in the women’s floor exercise), it only strengthens your brand. Recent studies show that buyers want to do business with companies who are ethical and do good, especially Gen Z. Try it for yourself: shoutout to a company or individual in your social media feed and see the response it receives.
3. Get Marketing and Design Feedback from Outside Your Company
Who knew Mary J. Blige would make a comeback at the Paris Olympics? When the Paris2024 design team chose their logo, they weren’t thinking that the world would hijack the logo’s symbolism. But remember: you don’t own your brand, and just like that, Marianne, a beloved symbol of French freedom, was swapped with an R&B Y2K Superstar.
Here’s the problem. Not many folks outside of France know who Marianne is. When you create a visual brand for a global stage which you are hosting, yes, you should incorporate your culture, but need to walk a fine line. Is the visual brand that you are creating too niche? Is the majority of your audience going to “get it?” Because if they don’t, they are going to run with it and it will take on a life of it’s own. Exactly as what happened here.
What We Can Learn AS MARKETERS
It is critical that you ask for the opinions of those outside your “bubble” before you move forward with any sort of visual identity. When I share my logo concepts with folks, I am consistently shocked at what they see that I didn’t. Especially for international brands or brands that span a variety of demographics: focus groups are key. Ask what they see, ask how it makes them feel. There is no such thing as too much research.
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