Whether or not you usually care about sports, for three weeks every four years (or five in this case) it is pretty much impossible to not caught up in the excitement of finals and medals when the Olympics comes around. From the old classics like athletics and swimming to the newer sports like skateboarding and surfing, there’s an event to spark everyone’s interest.
As one of the biggest global events there is, it’s natural for businesses to get involved with the hype and allow their marketing teams to get creative with the topic. Earlier this year, we shared some of our favourite April Fools’ Day campaigns, and now we’re back with some of the best Olympic-themed campaigns we’ve come across on social media this summer:
Innocent Smoothies
As the well-known masters of reactive marketing, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see Innocent Smoothies on this list. Using their usual tongue-in-cheek tone of voice and snappy style, their post lists 50 everyday activities as suggested Olympic sports, from ‘perfectly cooking pasta’ and ‘biscuit dunking’ to ‘speed emailing’: both normal and ‘passive-aggressive edition’.
Like a lot of Innocent’s social media marketing, the post doesn’t relate to their products in any way, but its relatable content makes it highly engaging, with thousands of people tagging friends in the comments, helping to increase brand awareness and their positive image.
Oreo Cookies
When it comes to sporting events, Oreo is always on the ball (no pun intended) and the Olympics are no exception. Having already done some pretty creative social campaigns this year for Wimbledon and the Euros, their Olympic campaign sees competing athletes coming together to share some of the famous cookies as they sing “The More We Get Together”.
But they didn’t just stop there; in America they have launched a limited edition triple stuffed cookie featuring red, white and blue filling and the American flag, to show their support of Team USA. These were then featured on their Twitter page to celebrate Simone Biles’ bronze medal win.
Congratulations on winning ?? @Simone_Biles! ???? pic.twitter.com/re4pOYT2Qf
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) August 3, 2021
Aldi UK
Aldi is one of the official partners of Team GB and they aren’t wasting a single opportunity to celebrate their achievements on Twitter. In addition to their official posts shouting out every medal won by the team, they are also sharing memes about the middle aisle and their gold-medal-worthy checkout speeds, Japanese-inspired recipes, and of course updates on Tom Daley’s poolside knitting.
All their posts are fun and casual, posting multiple times a day to make the most of Twitter’s fast-paced nature. The best thing about their posts is that almost all of them relate to their brand but without feeling forced or shoehorned in for a bit of online attention.
When you’re down the middle aisle and the prices seem too good to be true #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/UzVeucBQdd
— Aldi Stores UK (@AldiUK) August 2, 2021
Procter and Gamble (P&G)
As one of the official sponsors of the Olympics, P&G were sure to pull out all the stops with their advertising around the Games. Their #LeadWithLove campaign really tugs at the heartstrings, showing the journey of athletes from struggling children to victorious Olympians, and the impact that positivity and love can have on this. Although this advert was first released back in May, it feels even more poignant given the conversations surrounding mental health that this year’s games have inspired.
But you don’t need to be an official sponsor or an international corporation to get involved in a bit of reactive marketing. By creating a content calendar for your digital marketing, you can stay ahead of the game and be ready for anything that can relate to your products or services. Whether it’s a sporting event, popular television program, or a current news story, we hope these examples inspire you to get brainstorming and let your creativity flow!
For more information about how the team at Verto can help you create a marketing strategy, or even fully manage your social media channels, get in touch today on 01536 411153.
