A Digital Marketing Debrief: The 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics 

This past summer, we saw some incredible moments from athletes from around the world — not to mention some incredible marketing strategies come to life. From the best ads to the impact sports have on television viewership, let’s explore the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics from a digital marketer’s perspective. 

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Video Marketing 

At the intersection of sports and marketing, no one would be surprised to find Nike stealing the show. In terms of more widespread video marketing, they created and released the “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” campaign, which highlights athletes outperforming the competition. As Adweek wrote, this campaign “pays homage to elite athletes as the brand aims to return to ‘impactful storytelling.’” Adweek estimated this campaign reached around 42 million viewers. 

Nike also created a localized video marketing campaign in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou to highlight the brand, the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and athletes, including para-cyclist Oksana Masters. As the Creative Review explained, this location inspired “visible Air cushioning technology,” which was later used in the ​​Air Max 1, making this digital experience a homecoming of sorts for Nike.

Social Media 

The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games really took over every medium, including social. Even folks whose names you probably hadn’t heard before — hey there, Stephen Nedoroscik — saw an incredible increase in engagement and followers on their platforms. As Adweek reported, “Nedoroscik’s Instagram follower count increased by more than 1,200% between July 25, the day before the 2024 Paris Summer Games began, and Aug. 1.” Adweek also reported that “British hurdler Lina Nielsen and American rugby player Ilona Maher, meanwhile, have attracted millions of views on TikTok during the same period.” 

So what’s the secret to their social media success? According to Adweek, social media management platform Dash Hudson found three commonalities between the athletes’ posts: entertainment, authenticity, and community. But these elements aren’t just key for athletes; they’re critical for individuals, brands, influencers, and others on the platform. 

Many (many) brands, including Nike, Google, and Microsoft, also took their campaigns to social media, sharing cut-downs of their longer videos and campaigns. 

Viewership 

Ahead of the Olympics, industry leaders anticipated an incredible increase in viewership — and they weren’t disappointed. According to MNTN Research, “NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics attracted 30.6 million viewers across their key platforms — marking an 82% increase over the Tokyo Olympics.” And these people were tuned into the games for an extended period of time. MNTN Research also found viewers spent 23.5 billion minutes on Peacock watching the 2024 Summer Olympics. 

According to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), this year marks the first time all of the sports from the Paralympic Games were available to watch live. In addition to expecting more viewers to turn in, they have a record amount of media coverage. According to the Paralympic website, “Over the next 12 days, a record of more than 225 Media Rights Holder broadcasters, web streamers, digital, social and audio platforms will cover the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.” 

Viewer Habits 

While the sheer number of people watching the Olympics and Paralympics drastically increased this year, it’s still critical to pay attention to consumer behavior. As B LaLanne points out in this Adweek article, the way we experienced the Olympics this year felt different. For many folks, watching the events was a solo experience, especially among friends. 

And it seems advertisers are eager to change this. Accenture, a leading global professional services company, used video marketing to underline the importance of community during the opening game of the 2024 NFL season, alongside their partnership with Peacock. Watch the full ad here. Additionally, Toyota, the presenting sponsor of the Paralympics, used their partnership to run a “power of community” campaign, according to Adweek. 

Advertising 

With more viewers ready to tune in, more advertisers are willing to invest in advertising during the Summer Olympics. MNTN Research reported that “The Paris Olympics generated the highest-ever Olympic and Paralympic advertising revenue for NBCUniversal, with more than half a billion dollars from first-time sponsors.” Overall, NBCUniversal saw a 60% increase in ad sales for the 2024 Paralympic Games compared to the Tokyo Paralympic Games. 

And these investments have really paid off for advertisers. According to MNTN Research, “the games delivered a significant boost in ad performance, with attention levels rising by 27% and message recall increasing by 44% among those 30.6 million viewers. These heightened engagement levels translated into 14% higher search engagement and a 17% increase in purchase intent.” MNTN Research also reported that approximately 35% of global fans are likely to be interested in the products and services of a sponsoring brand of the Olympic Games, so this is a huge opportunity for brands to get their ads in front of the right audience. 

The Virtual Concession Stand 

In order to help viewers stay engaged with the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Peacock introduced Hubs, which was the center for the event coverage. And while it’s impossible to recreate every element of a sporting event for a virtual setting, NBCUniversal and Instacart teamed to create a virtual concession stand experience. 

This partnership allowed viewers to order snacks, drinks, and other items from Instacart through ads and QR codes displayed on Peacock. This partnership gave spectators the opportunity to stay tuned into the Olympic Games while making sure the snack table never ran low. 

According to Adweek, “Laura Jones, chief marketing officer of Instacart, said that despite the longstanding partnership between the two parties, the Virtual Concessions innovation is a first-of-its-kind experience for both sides.” 

Read more: WTF Is Mcommerce? 

The Power of Performance 

While the Olympics and Paralympics are great opportunities to remind us of the power of performance, it’s important we make sure it’s ingrained in our marketing strategies every day. With the right video marketing strategy, brands can effectively connect with their audiences year round — and then be able to make the most out of timely events like the Summer Games.