2016 Rio Olympic Games: How Events Can Shape Advertising

The opening scene shows a young girl looking out onto a torn field on the American prairie, a tornado ripping up grass, dirt and trees in its path. Her mother grabs her arm, beckoning her into a basement safe-house; reassurance that everything will be ok. Another scene is of a mother and daughter in a car, shaken by a collision as a vehicle slams into them from the side. Even in her jolted state, the mother’s only interest is to console her traumatised daughter.

These scenes form part of a series of flashbacks from a number of well-known athletes as they prepare to compete in various events at the Olympic games. They think back on traumatic periods in their lives where a mother’s reassurance carried them through, inspiring them during their physical feats at the Olympics. These inspirational scenes are components of the new P&G advertisement, and reflects their commitment as a brand as being a ‘proud supporter of moms’.

Other identifiable brands, such as Gillette and Coca-Cola, have begun their event advertising campaign developed around the 2016 Rio Olympics as Olympic partners. Additional brands, without partnering with the Olympic committee, are using the event as an advertising platform. Red Bull, Adidas, Under Armour, Asics, GoPro and Johnson & Johnson have revealed their intentions to use the popular event as a theme and subject within their popular advertising schedules.

Why Is Event Advertising Important?

The sheer number of brands who are invested in the Olympics shows just how important event advertising really is. The reason why this strategy is so important is because of the increased visibility that a brand renders by tying in its advertisement strategy with a popular and highly-anticipated event. A factor that influences the market’s behaviour has a lot to do with the context of an advertising campaign. All too often, consumers are delivered conventional product advertising, but an event allows brands to connect with consumers within a context of which they are interested and invested. An ongoing and incredibly relevant event, such as the Olympics, provides brands with an opportunity to connect with millions of engaged viewers.

Local Event Advertising

On a local, and smaller scale, event advertising is used by prominent South African brands. Although it is unlikely that they will use the likes of the Olympics games directly within their advertisements (as International Olympic Committee royalties are costly), they can be expected to use Olympic sports and references within their campaigns. Apart from sports events, local brands usually use entertainment events, trade shows, corporate networking events, publicity stunts and mega exhibitions as subjects within their event advertisement campaigning.

For more news, views, and information regarding brand advertising in South Africa, make sure you keep checking up on the AdCheck blog page by clicking the link.

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