So many athletes won big at this year’s Olympics, delivering their best performances on the world’s biggest stage. Who won the 2016 Olympic Marketing Games?
Gold
Under Armour, Rule Yourself
This popular brand has done the best job of taking advantage of changes to Rule 40. It submitted a marketing plan in accordance with the (slightly) relaxed restrictions and advertised its sponsorship of Michael Phelps and other athletes without ever using Olympic intellectual property (IP), which isn’t allowed by non-sponsors. This video alone is nearing 11,000,000 views, has been shared over 68,000 times and has an average watch duration of 1:21 (for a 1:31 video). The best part? Under Armour’s Olympic marketing efforts are part of a larger overall campaign, so the brand receives an A+ for cohesiveness. [UPDATE: Under Armour removed this video and reposted it, so we’ve linked to the new video. Aforementioned statistics were for the original video.]
Olympic Marketing: A Balancing Act for Brands
Silver
Visa, The Swim
While The Carpool to Rio was an impressive spot, Visa grabbed our attention with its nod to refugee Yusra Mardini’s incredible journey to becoming an Olympian. As an official sponsor, the company has a heavy presence leading up to and during the Games, and this year was no different. This video alone racked up nearly 5,000,000 views, 715 shares and an average view duration of 29 seconds for a 30-second spot. [UPDATE: This video is no longer available on a Visa YouTube channel, so we linked to it elsewhere.]
Super Bowl 50: Winners & Losers on the Big Stage
Bronze
Mini USA, Defy Labels
This spot initially caught our eye on TV, and we love the message behind it. We’ve all been labeled in our lives, oftentimes unfairly or based on stereotypes. It also fits in with the company’s product line, which defies expectations based on its size. Mini USA is an official Olympic sponsor, so the company can use Olympic IP throughout its campaign. The TV spot had a 98.12% average view rate (top 5 overall), and this video (one of a series) has captured nearly 18,500 views and 847 shares. [UPDATE: We’re now linking to an archive of this commercial, not the original video.]
Now that we’ve handed out our medals, let us know your Olympic Marketing Champions. Which ads or overall campaigns caught your attention?
An Olympics (& marketing) fan,
Jaime
Let’s chat (about the Olympics, your marketing needs or otherwise):
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