.svg){kind=small}
A Global Message to Sponsors
Introduction
For ten years now, marketers have been told that brand campaigns are dead, that performance marketing is everything, that personalization and hyper-targeting is all that matters, and that ‘appointment viewing’, watercooler moments are a thing of the past.
Should brands give up on the Olympics then? After all, it’s an expensive, noisy space. ROI is tough to measure. And global viewership has been declining.
Glimpse decided to investigate. The first step: exploring how Olympics-sponsoring brands are (or aren’t!) resonating with their audiences.
To gain deeper insights, we surveyed 562 people across five countries, uncovering which strategies and messages truly engage viewers and, as a result, using Glimpse’s industry-leading AI features to help identify key areas where brands can still win.
As always, we asked and analyzed lots of open-ended questions at scale–in addition to more traditional survey questions. Why? Because brand marketing impacts are difficult to measure exclusively with multiple choice questions. We want to know–in the form of unaided discovery–how audiences describe the Olympics, brands, campaigns, and their interrelationships.
One significant finding that might surprise marketers:
When asked, “Which of the following areas do you think offer the greatest opportunity for future Olympic sponsorships?”, the overwhelming winner (57%) was “Supporting athlete mental health.”
Understanding Olympic Audiences
This study surveyed respondents from the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Spain. Among the 562 participants, a full 80% were serious Olympics viewers. When prompted with this open-ended question, “What brands do you associate with the Olympics?” the following brands, unsurprisingly, emerged:
One important insight: the brands audiences associate with various aspects of the Olympics are not necessarily the official sponsors or those who invested the most money in Olympics marketing.
What Olympic Viewers Are Saying About Brand Sponsorships
When asked, “Which of the following areas do you think offer the greatest opportunity for future Olympic sponsorships?”, the responses were as follows:
We also asked, “How interested are you in seeing more sponsorships that focus on supporting athletes’ mental health and well-being?” 37% of respondents were ‘somewhat interested’ while another 37% were ‘very interested,’ highlighting that mental health is a significant area for connecting Olympics viewers with brand sponsors.
For a related spin, check out Figs’ (a leading medical apparel company) breakthrough Olympics campaign focusing on its sponsorship of Olympics team healthcare providers.
Advice to Sponsors
When asked, “What aspects of current or past Olympic sponsorships do you find least appealing?” the most notable findings included:
Another piece of advice that’s always worth considering: look for authentic connections between an aspect of the total Olympics experience and your brand. Then think about relatively affordable ways to highlight that connection. The Figs campaign is a great example. It’s far cheaper to provide scrubs to the medical doctors and therapists supporting the Olympic team than to spend tens of millions on overall brand sponsorships.
Another favorite: Chinese sporting goods brand Li-Ning, couldn’t afford an Olympics sponsorship for the 2008 games, so they sponsored the broadcasters and commentators that every Chinese viewers experienced the games by watching.
Data-Driven Opportunities for Future Olympic Sponsorships
Building off of viewer’s advice to improve sponsorships, respondents shared what they believe will enhance the connection between brand and viewer.
One thing is clear: brand relationships with events like the Olympics can still matter.
During the Olympics, some brands have a unique opportunity to forge meaningful connections with global audiences. Since authenticity and a careful look at audience attitudes, emotions, and top-of-mind awareness are so central to success and any ROI, the right kind of research is essential.
Contact Glimpse to conduct your own market research and unlock actionable insights for your company today!
America just had a big night of presidential debate, but do the issues discussed reflect what voters really think? Our recent survey, conducted before the debate, uncovers surprising trends that are already shaping the upcoming election.
As the back-to-school season heats up, most brands focus on kids with new supplies, clothes, and schedules. However, parents are the ones behind the scenes juggling it all. Could there be a hidden opportunity for brands to cater to stressed-out parents during this hectic time?
For a decade, marketers have heard that brand campaigns are obsolete, performance marketing is key, and personalization is all that matters. So, should brands abandon the Olympics? It's expensive, crowded, and hard to measure ROI, with declining global viewership.
