Gold-Medal Marketing Moments: Winning Strategies from the Olympics

The Art of Bringing the World Together

The sports weren’t the only thing fans were oohing and ahhing over at this year’s Olympics; the marketing campaigns received their fair share of applause and admiration. With the games being a once-every-four-years affair, the pressure was on for brands to deliver spectacular experiences that matched the energy and awe of the competitions themselves. Think Flavor Flav watching water polo type of vigor.

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The leading brands featured in this blog transported spectators from around the world straight to Paris, merging the excitement of sports, competition, and community into one experience. If marketing campaigns had their own Olympics, these would proudly stand atop the podium. 

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Counting Down to Victory

The Olympics is one of the most buzz-worthy events to ever exist, and when it comes around, it’s almost a certainty that it will dominate conversations, whether it’s on televisions, social media feeds, radios, or, in this case, inboxes.

As the official NBC audio partner for the games, iHeartRadio launched an eye-catching hero image in their emails featuring a countdown to the opening ceremonies. They needed a quick, direct, and effective way to create urgency, and this approach delivered exactly that.

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Building Hype with At-The-Moment Updates

What can we say? Our attention spans are shorter than ever, and fans of the Olympics are chasing updates with a single click. That’s why Speedo Australia’s marketers came up with a brilliant move: they placed a banner at the top of their emails that tracked the Australian swimming team’s medal count in real time, with the numbers displayed inside gold, silver, and bronze medals.

To make things even more engaging, they also sent out a live poll where recipients could vote on which swimming race they were most excited to see. The number of votes for each option appeared at the bottom, making the whole experience feel more interactive and community-centric.

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Creating an Informed State Of Mind

Weather has the ability to shape your mood, from basking in sunshine to cozying up under an overcast sky. No matter your preference, Accor is on a mission to keep you in the loop as you plan your next adventure.

In their Olympics-themed email, they featured a countdown timer that alternates between the number of days left until the Olympics and the Paralympics. Plus, they’ve spotlighted French getaways close to Paris, complete with live weather updates—showcasing the temperature and a handy icon to let recipients know if it's sunny, cloudy, or rainy.

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Keeping Real-Time Tallies

It’s pretty amazing that we can get answers to our biggest questions in just a few seconds these days— Olympics scores included.

NBC Sports, the official American broadcaster of the games, knew they had to be ready with emails that kept subscribers updated without ever having to search elsewhere. This being said, they included a medal counter directly in their newsletters, showcasing Team USA’s medal count first, followed by the two countries with the most medals.

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Gold Medal Winners in Our Hearts

Below is how we picture all of the marketers behind these emails— because they truly deserve it! After all, it’s not every day you get to craft campaigns for a momentous event that captures the world's attention.

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Looking for more ways to create marketing experiences that make the crowd go wild? Check out the related resources below.

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