With the Winter Olympics upon us, we are reminiscing back to 2 years ago when the Summer Olympics were here in London. What new marketing, advertising and social ads will come out of these games? That is still unfolding, but we will take a look back to the best ads from the 2012 games to see if it sheds any light on what is happening during this year’s commercial breaks.
Last year, Fast Company listed the top 12 commercial ads from the 2012 Olympics. Here is that list:
12. Visa’s “Go World” strategy asked Olympic fans to support athletes via social media postings.
11. EDF, UK’s power company illuminated the London Eye during the Olympics and Paralympic Games.
10. Paddy Power, the controversial Irish bookmaker came up with a clever idea that was, of course, controversial too. Controversy gets people talking, and that is what advertising and marketing is all about.
9. Coca Cola uses an inclusive theme with their Olympic campaign that was aimed at getting teens involved and excited about the Olympic Games.
8. British Airways was the official airline of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Their campaign was aimed at conjuring images of London throughout the commercial with an interactive component available on social media.
7. John Lewis Partnership featured Olympic-themed items in their commercials that were available for purchase in their department stores throughout the country.
6. NIKE was not an official Olympic partner so, like Paddy Power, they had to find creative ways to joing the party and stand out while obeying the stringent advertising rules. Paddy Power featured London, France; and NIKE featured London, Ohio in the US. This allowed both of them to clearly get the message across without breaking any rules.
5. Lego’s Great Building, Great Britain campaign was an outdoor campaign that changed Lego athlete images as the different sports were featured.
4. The Guardian newspaper developed a fun interactive game that allowed viewers to play along and see if they can medal too.
3. Procter & Gamble continued with its popular “Thank You, Mom” campaign that was successful in 2010 and continues to work because it tugs at the heart strings while featuring specific athlete stories.
2. Channel 4 Paralympics brought attention to the Paralympics and showcased the channel as the official broadcaster of the Olympics and Paralympics.
1. ADIDAS did an excellent job of pairing the top British athletes with an encouraging themed ad entitled What Will You Take? “Take the Crown” advertising in print and television ran well in advance of and straight through the Olympic Games.
