The Olympics, the global sports phenomenon where the world’s top athletes compete for national glory, is also a staggering revenue machine, even when it comes to advertising and marketing. The 2024 Paris Olympics were predicted to generate almost $11 billion in net economic benefits for the Paris region alone. Yet, with the (COVID delayed) Tokyo Olympics in 2021 drawing record-low viewership, the stakes were high for NBC’s marketers to reignite global interest this year, making these games a make-or-break pivotal moment for the Olympics’ future. Through partnerships and out-of-the-box thinking, NBC homed in on three key aspects to generate viewership: content creation, content distribution, and engaging personalities. These strategies were executed on NBC, Peacock and Peacock’s Gold Zone, USA Network, CNBC, E! YouTube, and of course, numerous social media platforms.
Entertainment-First Approach
With two of the USA’s funniest comedians, Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson sharing commentary on Olympic highlights, viewers were able to experience unique and entertaining takes on the Games’ events. NBC took an ‘entertainment-first’ approach, and it worked. With trends and tastes always evolving, NBC learned that in terms of viewing and attention, simply being “the Olympics” is not enough. To capture the audience’s attention, NBC found success in taking a bold step in having comedians deliver sports analysis for millions of viewers. NBC pivoted younger with opening ceremony hosts too, subbing out Bob Costas and Savannah Guthrie for Peyton Manning and Kelly Clarkson. Plus, we can’t forget Snoop Dogg, who reportedly made $500k per day for his presence and presentation. This was a clear demonstration of the power of new perspectives bringing in fresh talent in today’s crowded content landscape.
Captivation Before the Start
NBC teamed up with the one and only Steven Spielberg to create a four-minute opening film for their 2024 Olympic coverage launch. This aired July 26th before the opening ceremony took place. The Olympics were viewed overall as a massive, ‘world’s watching’ campaign that needs exposure and a special level of excitement before it kicks off. Anticipation needed to be built from ground zero, and having one of the most iconic filmmakers of all time involved drew in the audience quickly, helping set the stage for what was to come.
Finding Unique Target Market Angles
The next big NBC success was announcing Alex Cooper, host of the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast listened to by women all around the world, as a contributor for Paris Olympics coverage. She hosted live watch parties on Peacock, a strategic move by NBC to tap into her massive following. Through the partnership of Alex and NBC, they created a draw and offered a voice for younger women, an Olympic audience that was lacking, yet vital for a successful viewership turnaround.
Connecting with New Audiences
NBC partnered with Scott Hanson, the rising star and host of NFL RedZone, to lead a fast-paced cliff-notes-like “Gold Zone” on Peacock’s livestream that mirrored his popular show’s format. Hanson is part of a new wave of sports broadcasters who captivates younger sports audiences. NBC knew that keeping the sports core of the Olympics was integral, and having this partnership helped perfectly blend expertise, credibility, content, and (once again) younger demographic appeal.
The Paris Creator Collective
Through agreements with Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, NBC partnered with the top twenty-seven influencers across these multiple social media platforms to create content. Influencers like Livvy Dunne, Kai Cenat, and Harry Jowsey, among others, were employed to capture all manner of Olympic experiences through the influencer lens. These PR experts collectively have tens of millions of followers consisting of mostly younger audiences, making this another orchestrated strategic shift from traditional Olympic marketing to appeal to younger demos. This was a way to lean into personalities and how they can truly help develop brands; in essence, a masterclass on showing that half of social media success comes from how content is distributed and the voices that do it.
Removal of Athlete Content Restrictions
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) eased restrictions on athletes filming content at the Olympics. This led to more authentic and personal footage which aided in deepening the connection between athlete and audience. This shift boosted engagement throughout the games. As a teaching moment, companies can find that letting employees build on their own personal branding builds confidence and a more personal connection they can employ themselves. Opportunities to build one’s own brand can and should be viewed as beneficial, rather than seen as a threat.
And the Winner is…
As NBC leveraged their strengths and creative, out-of-the-box ideas, the ratings numbers spoke for themselves. The 2024 Paris Olympics saw an average of 30.7 million viewers over seventeen days across viewing platforms. This was an 82% increase for American viewership compared to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. This was the highest rated Olympics in the US since the 2012 Olympics in London. Capitalizing on fresh perspectives and taking a multi-channel/multi-layer and multi-platform approach will be the path to success of marketing in the future, and NBC just showed us the way.
USA! USA! USA!
Co-authored by:
Bruce Thiem, CMOco Director of Integrated Media
Zoey Tonkin, CMOco Marketing Coordinator
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