The Olympic Games are Calling
Between July 23rd to August 8th, the blue, yellow, black, green and red of the Olympic rings will finally have their moment to shine in Tokyo, Japan. With spectators unexpectedly having to wait a year for the 2020 games to get underway, pent-up enthusiasm is setting a stage of feverish anticipation. An AdWeek survey reports that currently 53% of US consumers are chomping at the bit to tune in. And with multiple factors converging, it’s clear this may be one of the most unique Olympics in history.
- With the US thirteen hours behind Tokyo and an increased reliance on digital platforms among consumers, NBCUniversal has added Peacock streaming service to their Olympics coverage in an effort to keep stateside viewers happy with real-time event coverage.
- There is just over a month to go and much Covid controversy and drama remains. The world is still waiting to see if Japan will proceed with the games, whether spectators will be allowed into venues, what impact the Covid bubble will have on the athletes and how marketers will adjust to on-site restrictions.
- We’ve seen an overall decrease in ratings across sports content in the US, and with significant spend tied to Olympics sponsorship, the pressure will be on to make the most out of each brand’s campaign.
As July approaches, brand campaigns will launch in full Olympic swing flashing the famous rings and asking for our undivided attention. We’ll experience ramped-up news footage about the upcoming games, stories about athletes and newly introduced events and of course real-time coverage of all the surrounding drama and issues as they unfold. In total, consumers can brace for a whopping 7,000 plus hours of Olympic coverage from NBCUniversal properties alone.
As consumers we know what to do – watch enthusiastically, cheer for our favorite heroes and revel in the victories and their glorious medal ceremonies. As marketers, our job is to pay attention to upcoming global campaigns, identify what’s trending and appreciate how brands are engaging in real-time. We also need to understand what’s resonating and delivering best on brand strategy while questioning and appreciating measures (both qualified and quantified) that justify the cost of partnership.
From now until the Olympic torch goes out in Tokyo, we have the opportunity to experience real-time learnings in an incredibly unique and evolving environment. And if we play it right, we may apply those learnings to impact strategies for our clients. At Unbound, we’re constantly watching, listening and dissecting what’s happening in the marketing environment around us – all in an effort to push and challenge our own thinking. The Olympics represent a dynamic pop-culture window in time to be both marketing observers and participants as we strive to help our clients be a part of history.
We’d love to set up a 30-minute call to see how we can help your brand achieve Olympic-level greatness. Or as the Olympic motto states: Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communis! (Faster, higher, stronger – together.)
And because we’re awesome, click here for a schedule of all 339 events. And to aid in your personal programming efforts here’s a time conversion table.
