Paris 2024: Sponsors compete for Olympic spotlight “Be at least a little disruptive…”

The 2025 UKSA Awards will include a special prize for the Best Olympic-themed Sponsorship (more details to follow when the next edition of the Awards officially opens for entry in September). So who knows? Maybe one of these innovative partnerships will enjoy its own podium experience at UKSA’s gala event next March. 

Coca-Cola celebrates everyday greatness: Coca-Cola is the long-standing sponsor of the Olympic movement, having joined the party in 1928. With its current deal running until 2032, it is soon to hit its Olympic centenary. For the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the company has unveiled 'Celebrate Everyday Greatness’ as its theme. Brad Ross, Coca-Cola’s VP of global sports & entertainment marketing and partnerships, explained: “We will use this global stage to showcase how greatness in everyday moments can create real magic.” On the ground in Paris, the company will also make a big push behind energy drink brand Powerade, providing athletes with a location to mentally and physically prepare for their events.

Puma and Eurosport urge fans to “see the Games like we do”: The European TV rights to Paris 2024 are held by Warner Bros Discovery, which will be showing huge swathes of coverage via Eurosport and new streaming platform Max. Last week, Puma was unveiled as partner of Eurosport’s coverage of Paris 2024. Under the terms of the deal, Eurosport will support Puma’s worldwide brand campaign: 'Forever. Faster. See The Game Like We Do’. Fabio Kadow, director global media of Puma, commented: “As it’s our biggest marketing media investment in a decade, it was crucial for us to find the right partners that can help us to elevate Puma’s brand and enhance reach.”

NatWest 'gets going’ with Team GB: NatWest was named as Team GB’s Official Banking Partner in late 2023. At the time, the partners said the two organisations would “work to support local communities and champion the potential of people, in line with Team GB’s drive towards positive change for young people in the UK.” NatWest’s brands (NatWest, Royal Bank and Ulster) launched their first Team GB campaigns in Spring 2024. These featured Olympic medallists, Asha Philip, Max Whitlock, Emily Campbell, Duncan Scott, Helen Glover and Beth Shriever. The bank also promised activity that would focus on supporting customer savings and encouraging SMEs and startups to scale up through the bank’s Accelerator Programme.

Procter & Gamble targets billions of consumers via extensive product range: Olympic sponsor P&G has perfected the art of using flagship events to promote multiple products and services.  Before and during Paris 2024, more than 30 brands including Pampers, Ariel, Fairy, Gillette Venus, Gillette, Always, Head & Shoulders, Oral-B and ZzzQuil will reach “billions of engaged consumers in countries around the world”, according to P&G. In terms of on the ground activations in Paris, P&G says its brands will “be providing more complimentary services and products to athletes than ever before, so they can focus on achieving their best”. Highlights include The Village Nursery with Pampers, a beauty and grooming salon, period protection in restrooms, and laundry rooms supplied by Ariel. There’s even an Oral-B Dental Clinic.

Visa embraces the metaverse: Rights holder the International Olympic Committee has just announced the launch of the Olympic World presented by Visa – an immersive environment on Roblox that provides a new way to engage with the Olympic Games virtually. Olympic World features a variety of Olympic-inspired mini-games, while also allowing users to access virtual products in the Olympic Shop, learn about Olympic sports and receive the latest updates during Paris 2024. Aside from getting involved with the Roblox activation, Visa will have a heavy presence in the real world, acting as Payment Technology Partner for the Games. The company is also facilitating easy transport payments in parts of France and has been supporting around 100 athletes financially.

LVMH plays home advantage: French luxury conglomerate LVMH will be in its element during Paris 2024. With a campaign theme entitled The Art of Crafting Dreams, the company has created bespoke activations for brands including Berluti, Chaumet, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy and Sephora. Personal care and beauty brand Sephora has already a key role to play as official partner of the iconic Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays. The brand held events at many of its retail outlets and also created pop-up experiences at four cities along the relay route (Bordeaux, Nice, Lille and Paris). This article in the FT adds more detail and puts the LVMH deal value at €150m. Expect quite a lot of Moët champagne to be consumed.

Uber adapts Thames learnings to Paris 2024: Anyone familiar with the UK Sponsorship Awards will know that Uber has been partnering AEG on the sponsorship of Thames Clipper river boats. Now, the ride-hailing platform is offering Uber Cruises on the Seine - free of charge from July 12 to August 3. The move will promote Uber’s expansion of water transportation services across several iconic European cities and locations. The company will also be offering an automatic 10% discount on rides for passengers from Paris airports throughout the summer.

Athleta and the 'Power of She': Gap-owned sportswear brand Athleta has a partnership with US gymnastic phenomenon Simone Biles. Biles’ participation in Paris 2024 will be one of the highlights of the event and dovetails neatly with Athleta’s 'Power of She’ marketing platform. Athleta has engaged in numerous activations designed to support women and girls in sport – and the brand is sure to have a high profile over the next couple of weeks. The brand has worked closely with other women-focused brands like The Female Quotient and Goop in the run up to the Olympics.

Samsung showcases tech capabilities: Samsung Electronics has been involved with the Olympics since Nagano 1998. A Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, it officially kicked-off its ‘open always wins’ campaign earlier this year. At the same time, it launched its Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung | Champs-Elysees 125 showcase. Samsung’s ‘open always wins’ message articulates the brand’s belief that openness enables new perspectives and infinite possibilities and will serve as the heart of its Paris 2024 programming. Meanwhile, the rendezvous showcase will take fans on an epic journey to Paris 2024 through iconic experiences. They will get to relive the biggest highlights of past Games and explore Samsung’s latest innovations – notably Samsung Galaxy AI. In creating the showcase, Samsung collaborated with the architect Jean Nouvel.

Nike bets big on Olympic ‘pomp’: Sportswear giant Nike is reported to be spending more on Paris 2024 than any previous Olympic Games. Among the highlights, it is partnering with the Centre Pompidou for a celebration of sport and culture. Nike opened an ‘Art of Victory' exhibition on July 24 at the Centre Pompidou, celebrating the journey of Nike Air innovation. Alongside the exhibition, Nike will transform the Centre Pompidou’s façade into a canvas that showcases ground-breaking stories. Fabled Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield said: “I think the message of this partnership, for me, is to go ahead and be bold when you have a good idea. Go ahead and take a risk. Be at least a little disruptive so people notice what you're doing.” 

Register your interest in entering the 2025 UKSAs by emailing info@sponsorship-awards.co.uk