Paris Olympics: A prime opportunity for brands to shine

India's medal count at the Paris Olympics has reached five, comprising four bronze and one silver. Manu Bhaker kickstarted the tally with a bronze in the women’s 10m Air Pistol event and secured another bronze in the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event alongside Sarabjot Singh. Shooter Swapnil Kusale contributed a bronze in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions. The Indian men's hockey team also earned a bronze medal, while Neeraj Chopra added a silver in the men’s javelin throw.

As the Paris Olympics captures global attention, the event offers a platform for brands to shine. With the Games underway, a host of Indian and International brands have stepped into the limelight. 

Major players such as Puma, Dream Sports, Amul, JSW Group, and Adani Group have secured sponsorships and partnerships with the Indian contingent. Similarly, global Olympic sponsors like Coca-Cola, Omega, and Samsung are tailoring their deals to the Indian market, alongside others like Yes Bank, Aditya Birla Group, Borosil, Herbalife, Inox Leisure, and Bharat Petroleum Corp.

Mazhar Gadiwala, VP of Sports at Togglehead, highlighted the potential of the Olympics for brand visibility. He noted that with the growth in franchise leagues for various sports and the success of athletes in recent global sporting events like the Commonwealth Games and the Tokyo Olympics, the marketability of athletes across sports has increased.

He shared, “These sports can prove to be cost-effective methods for advertising and sponsorships. Grabbing the attention of sports fans does not take much, and if brands can associate with athletes who win, their brand is valued more because it is perceived to have been a contributor to the athlete’s success.”

Drawing parallels with cricket, he added, “Cricket, on the other hand, has so many eyeballs that brands associated with the sport can get lost unless they are linked to the Indian Cricket Team directly. The Olympics provides a unique opportunity to stand out and be remembered since the event happens only every 4 years."

Deleise Ross, Senior VP & Business Head, Mudramax said, “The key factors driving brands to consider integrating the Paris Olympics into their marketing plans are global conversation & building human stories. Since consumers connect with stories more effectively than just products. Moreover, brands are challenging traditional planning and now empowering athletes to deliver unforgettable experiences.”

Big brands, bigger campaigns

As the Paris Olympics near its conclusion, with just three days remaining, major brands have released and intensified their campaigns to amplify their presence and support for the event.

Ross highlighted the importance of creating engaging stories in Paris Olympics campaigns. “Build meaningful differences with a long-lasting impact since here we deal with human stories & their experiences,” she said. “Brands can craft compelling narratives that resonate deeply with the audience segments. This is a highly active opportunity for brands to interact with the sportsperson and audience in an emotional yet meaningful manner.”

This focus on emotionally resonant storytelling has clearly influenced the narratives of big brands. Their campaigns vividly reflect emotions, such as recognising athletes' achievements, celebrating their supportive pillars, and the community efforts behind them. The campaigns have captured the pride and confidence India has in its athletes, highlighting the spirit of sportsmanship.

Nipun Kaushal, CMO of YES Bank, explained that as the Indian team prepared for the Olympics, YES Bank emphasised the importance of recognising not just the athletes but also the support systems behind them. He highlighted that success is a collective effort involving coaches, family, and friends. The brand conveyed that celebrating these unsung heroes is as important as acknowledging the medals won. Their campaign, ‘Milkar Jitayenge’ reflected the narrative of honouring the entire journey of the athletes.

Kaushal shared, “The objective was to build a strong ground connection and create a festive mauhal. It is a festival that doesn’t come around every year.”

Similarly, PUMA India with its OOH campaign, ‘See the Game Like We Do,’ the brand has been celebrating athletes' achievements by integrating them into urban landscapes. 

Another major player, Aditya Birla Capital, the Official Sponsor of Team India at the Paris Olympics 2024, launched its campaign celebrating athletes who defy expectations and push beyond the ordinary. The campaign, titled "India Ab #HadhKarDe!" embodies the relentless spirit of Indian athletes who overcome challenges and exceed boundaries, embodying the unstoppable drive that defines them.

Small Brands/Startup Brands missing a key opportunity?

While big brands like PUMA, YES Bank and others have rightly identified the value of this opportunity, which comes only once in four years, a critical question emerges: Are small brands missing a key opportunity by not capitalising on this global event for advertising?

If we compare the costs of advertising during the Indian Premier League, which saw more than 30 small brands and startups invest, with those of the Paris Olympics, which offers brands a global stage, we find a significant disparity. 

This year, for IPL, Disney Star's spot buy rates were Rs 12.8 lakh per 10 seconds and Rs 5.45 lakh per 10 seconds for SD and HD, respectively and Viacom18's spot rate for advertising on CTV was Rs 6.5 lakh per 10 seconds.

For the Paris Olympics, media reports indicate that a ten-second spot on Sports18 ranges from Rs 1.5 to Rs 1.65 lakh, while JioCinema offers CTV ads priced between Rs 90,000 and Rs 1.25 lakh for the same duration. Mobile advertising rates on JioCinema are set between Rs 250 and Rs 275 per CPM.

The difference between these ad rates ranges from approximately 69% to 87%. Additionally, the IPL's high ad volume and the increased number of brand campaigns create significant clutter, further amplifying the difference. These are some of the observations that highlight why the opportunity presented by the Olympics should not have been overlooked.

However, for smaller/startup brands, leveraging digital solutions could have been a game-changer during the Paris Olympics, especially when traditional mass media options are out of reach. 

Abhigyan Shekhar, Founder & CEO, Zupotsu said, “The easiest way is to leverage their regional (and strong) footprints. This can mean influencer campaigns, or even geographically restricted activities if required.” 

This targeted approach could have allowed smaller brands to engage with local audiences more effectively, maximising their impact in specific markets.

Similarly, Gadiwala considered social media platforms a powerful tool for engagement during the Paris Olympics. He suggested that brands could significantly benefit from using social media to create interactive and engaging content.

Gadiwala shared, “Smaller brands can leverage regional athletes by creating content that tells their genuine stories. By sharing their struggles, achievements, and personal anecdotes, this can strike a chord with the audience during the Olympics.”

This approach could have not only personalised the brand’s message but also helped the brand tap into the emotional journey of the athletes, making the brand's association with the Games more impactful and relatable.

Ross emphasised that brands should have aimed to build meaningful connections by focusing on human stories and experiences. 

She said, “Build meaningful differences with a long-lasting impact, since here we deal with human stories & their experiences. Additionally, balance the consistency of branding with the realism of messaging. Brands can craft compelling narratives that resonate deeply with the audience segments. This is a highly active opportunity for brands to interact with the sportsperson and audience in an emotional YET meaningful manner.”

On the other hand, Deepak Sonpar, Managing Partner at EssenceMediacom India, acknowledged the challenges for smaller brands in mass media settings. "Smaller brands may want to stay away from large-scale events like the Olympics because they want to be very specific in targeting and it is a mass viewership event," he explained. 

He added, "Unless a brand identifies a unique audience such as through sponsorship or presence on connected TV, that’s the sweet spot. However, if it were to invest in mass TV, small brands may not be able to make that choice due to their funding limitations."

Sonpar suggested brands to integrate their messages with the overall event. 

He said, “Brands need to stand for something. So, if the brand stands for India or if the brand stands for a sport or a skill, they should integrate their message with the entire event and that I think is the sweetest spot for anybody.”

Navigating advertising regulations

While brands of all sizes can explore Olympics as a medium, they must remember the stringent advertising regulations. 

Recently, IOS Sports & Entertainment, the management company for Manu Bhaker, has taken legal action against brands using her images and videos in congratulatory ads without proper sponsorship agreements. This underscores the need for careful compliance with Olympic advertising rules.

The biggest challenge that brands face when navigating the strict regulations of the Olympics is trademark infringement. Brands cannot use Olympic trademarks, terminologies or symbols unless they are an official sponsor for the Games.

- Mazhar Gadiwala 

Gadiwala explained that Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter prohibits athletes from promoting personal brands during the Games, necessitating vigilance from brands to avoid breaching these regulations.

He added, “Ambush marketing is something that is also looked into with a close eye by the IOC, and needs to be avoided as it does not align with the Olympic spirit.”

To navigate these restrictions, he suggested that brands can still leverage moment marketing during the Olympics without infringing on rights, and compromising the integrity of the Olympic Games.

“Athlete stories can be brought out without directly referencing the Olympics during the blackout period, and the themes of the games can be showcased, which makes it pretty evident to the audience that the references drawn are to the Olympics. Copyright-free images can be used along with generic terms to ensure that the correct message is sent out to the consumers without impeding rights,” shared Gadiwala.

Below are some of the guidelines from the 'Illustrative Guidance for Non-Olympic Partners- Commercial Opportunities for Participants' document released by the International Olympic Committee on Rule 40 ahead of the Paris Olympics.

• If the campaign uses an image of an Olympian but does not incorporate any Olympic properties or create a direct connection with the Olympic Games, it cannot be considered generic advertising if it cannot be shown that the advert has been in the market for more than 90 days.
• Even if the campaign has been in the market for over 90 days and does not use Olympic properties, it still cannot be considered generic advertising if it establishes a connection with the Olympic Summer Games.
• If the campaign has been in the market for over 90 days but includes Olympic properties (e.g., 'Paris 2024') and creates a connection with the Olympic Summer Games, it is not compliant.
• The use of official Olympic team apparel, which features Olympic properties, creates a connection with the Olympic Summer Games, thus making the campaign non-compliant.
• Utilising iconic Paris imagery creates a link to the Olympic Games beyond merely featuring an Olympian's image, rendering the campaign non-compliant.

To learn more about these guidelines, please click here.

The Paris Olympics, along with the global recognition it brings, offers not only a prime platform for sports promotion but also a golden opportunity for brands to amplify their visibility on the big stage.