Powerade, Reese's, Old El Paso's Olympic Influencer Strategy Unveiled

Brands are employing various strategies for their Olympic Games campaigns, including:

• Sponsoring governing bodies for sports, as Samsung did with Skateboarding UK, to capitalize on the novelty of sports recently added to the Olympic Games.
• Partnering with athletes who have significant social media presence, like Powerade working with athletes such as Alberto Abarza, Mathilde Gros, and Simone Biles, leveraging their Instagram and TikTok followings.
• Selecting athletes based on their comeback stories or public awareness, like Powerade's choice of Simone Biles for her authentic comeback story, fitting their 'Pause is power' positioning.
• Creating content that resonates with broader themes, such as Old El Paso's association between families and teams, featuring Olympians in their family settings.
• Timing promotional work to align with the Olympic Games, as Reese's did with their Medals product and TV spots featuring Will Arnett, shifting focus to the athletes as the games approach.

To leverage Olympic athletes' social media presence for brand campaigns, marketers are:

• Involving athletes in traditional advertising, such as TV spots, while also planning to use the athletes' own social media channels.
• Boosting posts made by athletes on their personal channels rather than the brand's own channels, as this can offer greater organic reach.
• Choosing athletes with established social media followings and engaging personalities, like Noah Lyles, who is both a top athlete and 'social native'.
• Allowing athletes to control the frequency and timing of their posts to ensure that campaign activities do not interfere with their training schedules.

Under Rule 40, updated in 2023 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the advertising rules are quite strict:

• Athletes are not allowed to issue brand endorsements or imply that a product enhanced their performance during the Olympic Games.
• Even 'thank you' messages to brand partners are limited to one per advertiser.
• Marketers must tread carefully when working with athletes, ensuring that brand work does not interfere with the athletes' training or violate IOC regulations.

Choosing the right athletes is crucial for Olympic campaign success because:

• The selected athletes should have a strong social media presence and the ability to reach a broad audience organically.
• Athletes should align with the brand's messaging and campaign themes, such as Powerade's selection of athletes with comeback stories for their 'Pause is power' campaign.
• The athletes' personalities and public awareness can enhance creative potential and media placement, offering a 'sweet spot' for the campaign, as seen with Adidas and Noah Lyles.
• It is important to ensure that the athletes are comfortable with the campaign activities and that these do not interfere with their training or competition schedules.