Support Athletes Beyond Olympics: An Open Letter to Brands

Dear Brands, 

The Paris Olympics officially ended with India's medal tally reaching six, and the Paralympics will soon begin, where several Indian athletes will show their prowess. As we witnessed our Indian athletes winning medals at such prestigious sporting events, their victories resonated with us on a personal level. It was a moment of pride and inspiration. We saw several brands taking to their social media to leverage the moment of their victory and congratulate the athletes who won. While that does add to an athlete's motivation, we urge you to believe in their victory, believe in the process too, and in their failures. Join them when they need you. Investing in athletes' journey helps them grow and take their sport and nation globally. 

The humble request is not to look at these sporting events as just another marketing peg. It's about being a brand that supports and celebrates athletes in its true sense, understanding the responsibility that comes with your influence. You play a crucial role in these athletes' journey, not just as a sponsor but as a partner in their growth. If you started working with the athletes who won this year, kudos to you; just don't work with them till they are in the news. Continue the journey, be part of their growth, and make sure your support takes them globally to sporting events. Associate with them for the purpose and not for promotion. 

And what's most disheartening is brands retracting their associations and deals when these athletes fail to win a medal. Their identity and talent are way beyond a medal at a sporting event. The medals only add to their shine and are in no sense their shine. 

If you haven't associated yourself with them now, here is your chance to be part of their journey when they really need you. It's not just about the wins, but also about the losses. Refrain from letting their failure be a metric for you when working with them. Let their talent speak. Your genuine support during their tough times, when they need it the most, can make a significant difference in their journey. 

Look what happened with India's golden boy, Neeraj Chopra. He has been a Gold medal athlete since 2016, but only his historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 Javelin Throw in the year 2021 made several brands invest in him. His endorsement deals and appearances in advertisements were relatively limited before 2020. 

We get that these are not actors, and brand associations are not their core job, but they contribute to these athletes and the nation's success at global sporting events. 

It's ok if you don't want to invest. These athletes might not fit into your marketing plan, or you may not have a budget to partner with athletes. That's acceptable, but don't leverage their fame through different mediums that are ethically wrong. Don't congratulate them using their sketch, name or images. Be respectful of their copyright and their talent. 

Case in point: the recent Apollo Tyres social media post congratulating PR Sreejesh, the Indian field hockey player from the team who won Bronze at the Paris Olympics 2024, by using his sketch and tying it with their ongoing campaign #GoTheDistance. 

Such practices are not only doing wrong with the athlete in focus but also misleading the audience into believing that these athletes are part of the campaign. 

As someone from the Advertising and Marketing Industry, I understand the importance and urge to associate your brand with events like these in some capacity. Not every brand can afford to partner, but there are several guidelines that the Olympics releases for non-commercially associated brands. There are several guidelines that the Indian Advertising Industry also permits that can help you achieve the goal without disrespecting any athlete. 

Let's not treat our athletes as campaigns but celebrate their glory and respect their defeat.