The 2024 Paris Olympics are not just a platform for athletes to shine; they are also a golden opportunity for brands to reach millions worldwide. Companies are investing heavily in marketing campaigns to promote their products and services, often using Olympic themes and athletes to create a strong emotional connection. Alongside other major sporting events, the Olympics have incredibly strict rules on what verbiage brands that are not official sponsors are allowed to say, but even with these restrictions in place, the Olympics is a “hype beast” for brands to jump on. 

Beginning with the question, “Am I a bad person?”, Nike associates greatness with characteristics such as deception, obsession, and disregard for competitors, in contrast to the Olympic ideals of "excellence, respect, and friendship." Featuring athletes as being overly competitive and self-centered, critics argue that Nike is painting these individuals to be "egotistical maniacs" instead of dedicated athletes who have compassion for their sport and competitors. As stated by The Growth Equation, "Nike’s ad appeals to the angry gym bro or the person in the municipal running club who cheats to win their local 5K. It does not represent the best in the world."

One of the most controversial elements of the ad is a scene featuring a Chinese athlete licking their table tennis paddle. This sparked outrage across Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site, as many deemed the ad culturally insensitive. According to Jing Daily, many critics believe that the "scene specifically targeted the mainland due to the sport’s national significance, and accused Nike of tarnishing the public image of Chinese athletes." Nike has yet to issue an apology. 



Despite the controversies, the ad has garnered significant attention. Global Media Intelligence CARMA reported that out of 15,000 observed responses to the Nike ad, 56% were positive, and only 1.9% were negative. This indica

Google's Gemini Failure

In a groundbreaking move, Google has become the first tech company to partner with Team USA and NBCUniversal for the Paris Games, marking its inaugural role as the team's official search AI partner. In an effort to highlight their cutting-edge advancements in Gemini, Google's "Dear Sydney" ad portrays a father asking Gemini, an AI writing assistant, to help his daughter write a letter to Olympian and 400-meter-hurdle world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The father says he’s "pretty good with words, but this needs to be just right."

Prime Hydration's Legal battle

On July 19th, The US Olympics and Paralympics Committee (USOPC) sued Prime Hydration for trademark infringement. The lawsuit states that "Prime used the goodwill associated with USOPC’s intellectual property to sell and promote its products and its brand."

The USOPC claimed that Prime Hydration used "Olympic-related symbols and terminology" such as "Olympic," "Olympian," "Team USA," and "Going for Gold," on their packaging, as well as featuring Olympic US basketball player Kevin Durant. USOPC had previously signed a licensing agreement with Coca-Cola to use Olympic and Team USA branding in the US, stating that "the value of the sponsorship agreement is derived from its exclusivity."

This legal battle underscores the importance of adhering to trademark guidelines and respecting exclusive agreements. Prime Hydration's use of Olympic-related branding without authorization has led to significant legal and reputational consequences.

Innovative Approaches by Nonofficial Partners

As most brands do not have the luxury of having an official partnership with the Olympics, due to the Olympic Partner Programme’s restrictive set of collaborators, some have found creative ways to leverage the event without infringing on any Olympic properties. 

Amazon employed an indirect marketing strategy with "The Deep’s Olympic Ad" on YouTube. The ad features the character 'The Deep' from Amazon Prime’s show "The Boys" starring in Vought International’s Olympic ad.

The ad does not directly promote any products but instead promotes the show's season finale, which is exclusively available on Amazon Prime. By using a popular character and aligning their marketing with the Olympic spirit, Amazon successfully creates buzz and drives viewership to their platform. This approach shows that even nonofficial partners can benefit from the global attention the Olympics garner.

From Nike's controversial yet engaging ad to Google's AI experiment and Prime Hydration's legal troubles, there are numerous lessons to be learned about the dos and don'ts of Olympic marketing. Additionally, innovative strategies like Amazon’s indirect marketing demonstrate that there are creative ways to benefit from the Olympic spotlight without official partnerships.

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