Olympic Sponsors May Rethink Marketing to Reflect Current Events After Delay of Summer Games

Olympic marketing plans are years in the making; oftentimes the beginning stages of planning for the upcoming games take place just after the latest has wrapped. As Jason Cieslak, the president, Pacific Rim at brand strategy firm Siegel+Gale, put it: “This is a big bet for any brand,” adding, “And it’s a global bet. They spend a lot of money and do a lot of prep.”

For their part, sponsors appear to be taking the move to postpone the Summer Olympics in stride. Corporate statements from Visa, Intel, Bridgestone and P&G, all major Olympic sponsors, commended the decision to postpone the games in Tokyo until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Visa committed to “work with the IOC, the Tokyo Organizing Committee (TOCOG), the government of Japan and our partners in the coming months to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 as memorable in 2021 as they would have been this year,” while P&G said they’ll be “working on how to adjust our plans accordingly.”

Bridgestone said that in terms of how marketing plans will be affected, it’s too early to tell.

“There are still many details that need to be decided regarding the new plan for Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020,” a statement from a company spokesperson read. “We will maintain regular contact with the IOC and Games organizers in the coming weeks to get the latest updates as they work through this complex situation, and we will continue to work collaboratively with all of our partners to adjust our activities and identify creative solutions, as necessary.”

Brands don’t pay for their air time unless it actually runs, so in a financial sense, major Olympic sponsors are saved from the worst of the effects of the postponement. (Those are reserved for networks like NBC and parent Comcast, who won’t be receiving their expected ad revenue.) And as the games are postponed, not canceled, there’s an argument to be made that the effort put into Olympic campaigns so far may not have been a waste—particularly for those that have not yet been revealed. (Many Olympic campaigns are still under wraps, though some, like SK-II’s “No Competition”-themed campaign, were unveiled a few weeks ago.)

However, what the world’s mood will be come 2021 is still yet to be determined, and after a global pandemic has wreaked havoc on people’s lives, the sentiments that would have resonated in a coronavirus-free 2020, as the Olympics were originally intended for, may not hit the same mark in a post-pandemic world.

“A lot of the creative could become outdated immediately,” warned Rob Prazmark, the president and CEO of 21 Marketing, a sports and entertainment marketing company.

That shift may present greater opportunities in advertising, with a greater focus on international unity, or the added adversity that athletes have had to overcome in their training. These new stories could be the foundation of some of the most talked-about campaigns of the 2021 Olympics.

“The fact that some of these stories have Olympians around the world on how they’re going to have to adjust their training to be ready for a year from now is a great story,” said Prazmark. “There’s so much heightened awareness around moving the games, that’s an opportunity for Olympic sponsors to really harness some of that public affection for what these athletes have to go through.”

Continue Reading