Sports are always an important part of our culture, but nothing engages the world more than the Olympics. While the athletes’ displays of physical mastery is part of the appeal, we care most for the games where we know the stories of the competitors, the trials and tribulations it took to get them to that moment in front of the world.
Over the weeks of the 2012 Olympic Games, many companies only tangentially related to sports used Olympic themes for their ads during the games. Some ads barely mentioned the product they were selling – but connected their brands to the powerful feelings evoked during the 2012 Olympic games.
Here are 3 of MediaMark Spotlight’s favorite commercials from the Olympics:
Nike
Nike wasn’t the official sponsor of the Olympics, and couldn’t show their footwear on any of the athletes, but they came up with creative ways to advertise during the Olympics anyway. This commercial uses cutting edge avant-garde film techniques to show how far women have come in athletics and the struggles they went through from being the only girl on a team to dominating a sport. The only mention of Nike is at the end, but this is a great way to connect both with women athletes who will be buying their athletic shoes, and anyone in awe of the the struggles these women fought both to win, and to be allowed to won.
Mini Cooper
The think small commercial mixes two great feelings you’d want to associate with your brand – the underdog who is wrongly presumed weaker by the establishment, and the strength displayed by the athletes who look smaller in size.
Proctor and Gamble
Proctor and Gamble focused on the stories of the athletes and their mothers, the years of work that go into training, the nerve wracking moments during the game, and the rapture of winning and sharing that win with the person who made it possible. And as a bonus, they released it on Mother’s Day. They only mention their name and products at the end, after they’ve gotten viewer’s attention with a show stopping two minute commercial.
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