Which Brands Will Take The Spotlight In Rio This Summer?
There is absolutely nothing in the history of modern civilization that draws more worldwide attention than the Olympic Games. Spanning countries, languages, cultures and demographics, everyone around the world tunes in to watch as people from every corner of the globe compete for legendary medals, commercial ad spots and even side line branded moments.
In this blog, Hollywood Branded takes a look at the upcoming brand partnerships with the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and how brands extending their international reach through the event.
The 2016 Summer Olympics
This summer, the Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Featuring over 10,500 athletes from 206 nations, the 2016 Olympic Games will be one of the largest yet. It is also the first Summer Olympics to be held in a South American city. And the first time more people are concerned with potentially killer mosquitos than pick pocketing crime. Huge brands are already involved and more are being added by the day.
What you might not know is that celebrity endorsers participating in the Olympics are actually BANNED for a specific blackout period leading up to and out of the Olympics from singing the praises of their sponsors. So brands have to find another way to make an impact.
Check out what these brands are doing for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Worldwide Olympic Partners
Brands have been gearing up for months and even years now to partner with the games, and more and more brands are getting involved as the event approaches.
These top companies have had brand partnerships with the Olympics for years and this year are solidifying their partnerships with the multinational event through sponsorship, support and endorsements.
GE
General Electric has been involved in the Olympics all over the world since 2005. With their sponsorship, cities that are preparing to host are able to consult with technicians and engineers for logistics and infrastructure development and improvement. Near the games, many of the events will feature their logo as well as an accompanying ad campaign.
Coca-Cola
The Atlanta-based soda company has maintained the longest relationship with the Olympics of any single brand partner. Since the 1928 games in Amsterdam, Coca-Cola has been a sponsor in every single Olympics. Athletes, coaches and fans alike will all be drinking Coke beverages in Rio this year, as they have been since 1928.
Coke has also had huge endorsement deals with American athletes such as Michelle Kwan and Alex Morgan. Of course, as an American company they are well known for their support of USA Olymians.
Visa
Visa is the exclusive payment system and sponsor for the 2016 Olympic Games. Visa International has been a partner since 1984 and continues its partnership this year. On top of its sponsorship, Visa will carry out sweepstakes to attend the games and sponsorships of various athletes from around the world.
Last September, the company released the names of Team Visa for the 2016 Olympics with more than 30 Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including Carli Lloyd (USA), Ashton Eaton (USA), Emanuel Rego (Brazil), Tiago Splitter (Brazil), Sally Pearson (Australia), Ryan Cochrane (Canada), Kim Jae-Bum (Korea), Daiya Seto (Japan), Ivan Garcia (Mexico) and Yana Kudryavtseva (Russia).
Official Olympics Brand Sponsorships And Supporters
Every four years, official brand sponsors, both local and global, support the games.
Brazilian Brands
Brazilian banking company Bradesco, postal company Correios, and brands Embratel and Claro are all official sponsors of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. These local brands will no doubt catch international attention when the games begin that otherwise would be nearly impossible to get.
By throwing their support behind their nation's Olympics they will also undoubtedly win favor with their own local demographic in Rio de Janeiro and throughout Brazil.
International Brand Suppliers
Brands like AirBnB, Microsoft, Nike and Symantec will all be suppliers of the games, offering supplies to athletes and organizers, as well as special discounts and support for the Olympics. This support ensures that their brand logo will be everywhere at the games and also draws in more Olympics-related traffic with special editions and discounts.
AirBnB will connect those living in Rio who want to rent their living space for the games with people looking to find accomodations in a city whose hotels have been booked to capacity since the games were announced. Not only will they be helping both residents of Rio and Olympics attendees, but will be increasing brand name recognition and app usage.
Individual Athlete Sponsorship - U.S. Women's Soccer Team Phenomena
After a fight for equal-pay that inspired and made waves around the world, the U.S. women's soccer team (which has won three World Cup titles to the men's team zero) has garnered worldwide attention from brands looking to sponsor the powerful team of women.
Their captivating fight for equality has only grown their fan-base and made them incredibly popular with young Americans - especially young women and athletes. Brands like Nike, Visa, McDonald's and Nationwide have signed endorsement deals with higher-profile members of the team like Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd.
More and more brands will likely get involved with other players on the team leading up to or out of the Olympics who are sure to share the spotlight in this summer Olympics.
Lacoste's #SupportWithStyle
With international brands beginning to show their support for athletes and teams from their home countries, Lacoste has released an artistic video showing its support for France in the upcoming Olympics.
Lacoste, who will be outfitting all French Olympic Teams during this year's games, is already capitalizing on its support of its home country with this ad campaign choreographed by famous Parisian artist duo I Could Never Be A Dancer. Check it out:
How Can Your Brand Get Involved?
As we mentioned, there ARE black out periods during the Olympics - but the time before and after are an AWESOME opportunity to work with an Olympic athlete, send them a little monetary love, and show your country your support. A lot of the athletes are actually priced quite reasonably - compared to the A-lister celebrity crowd.
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