With days left in the 2024 Summer Olympics, the news has been buzzing around record advertising revenue, celebrity spokespeople, and controversial commercials. Catch up on the biggest marketing and advertising stories coming out of the Olympics in our Marketing Must Reads.

Paris Olympics Break Advertising Records

In the first week of the 2024 Summer Olympics, NBCUniversal announced that it had already surpassed the record for Olympic advertising spend, surpassing $1.2 billion in sales. Notably, a larger portion of that spend came from digital advertising, with digital ad revenue more than doubling the total from the Tokyo Games. Additionally, nearly half of all ad sales came from first-time Olympic sponsors.

The record spend and changing trends around Olympics advertising suggest a new era is dawning for future promotions surrounding the Games. With more viewers turning into NBCU’s streaming service Peacock for coverage, we expect to see more programmatic strategies from brands of all sizes during future global sporting events. Find out more about NBCU’s record-setting Olympics ad revenue here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/nbcuniversal-breaks-olympic-advertising-records-2024-paris-games/722905/

NBCU Partners with Alex Cooper

One of the strategies NBCU has utilized to boost viewership of the Paris Olympics is partnering with non-traditional commentators. To capture the younger female audience, Peacock tapped Alex Cooper, host of the popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast, to host interactive watch parties during events like the women’s gymnastics all-around finals and US women’s soccer games. Cooper’s stream appeared on Peacock as a picture-in-picture during the competitions, offering viewers behind-the-scenes and interactive Q&A sessions.

In addition to the Peacock-hosted watch parties, Cooper is also extending the reach of the Olympics with a “Call Her Daddy” episode filmed in Paris and Olympics-related content shared to her social media pages. In addition to Alex Cooper, NBCU also partnered with fan-favorite celebrities like Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning to celebrate the Opening Ceremony. Learn more about NBCU’s celebrity-focused strategy here:  https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/alex-cooper-call-her-daddy-paris-oiympics-nbc-sports-1235958890/

Snoop Dogg as the Olympics’ “Ambassador of Happiness”

Perhaps the best celebrity Olympic partners for NBCU has been none other than Snoop Dogg. Despite having no prior affiliation with the sports world, Snoop Dogg has become a viral star of the Paris Games. The rapper has made frequent guest appearances during the Olympics broadcast, popping in as an attendee at various events and filming hilarious segments as he tries his hand at sports like swimming and judo. Viewers of social media have praised NBCU for selecting Snoop as a partner for the light-hearted humor and genuine excitement he’s brought to the Games.

According to NBC Olympics executives, Snoop has become the “ambassador of happiness” for the Olympics, with some fans referring to him as the new “national mascot.” The rapper has previously used his mass appeal and fun personality to serve as a partner for brands like Corona and Sketchers. Dive deeper into the marketing impact of Snoop Dogg at the Olympics here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/soniathompson/2024/07/31/snoop-dogg-is-a-shining-star-at-the-olympics-why-it-matters-to-marketers/

Google Pulls AI-Focused Olympics Ad

Another tech giant is pulling a tone-deaf, controversial ad from our TV screens. Last week, Google aired a commercial during the Olympics, highlighting their new AI assistant “Gemini” by telling the fictional story of a father who encourages his daughter to use Gemini to write a letter to her favorite Olympian. The ad quickly faced backlash across the Internet, as consumers called it disingenuous and the “antithesis” of the spirit of the Games. Experts also called out problems with the ad suggesting Google can provide more guidance to children than their own parents. Within days, Google issued an apology and pulled the spot from rotation.

The controversy represents a rare misstep for Google, a brand that is usually known for its emotionally touching advertisements. They follow in the footsteps of Apple, who had to pull a commercial earlier this year after consumers interpreted the message as technology crushing creativity. In an era of scrutiny around technology’s growing presence in our lives, it seems brands are struggling to strike the right tone in their marketing. Read more about Google’s controversy here: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2024/07/30/it-s-official-the-internet-despises-google-s-gemini-olympics-ad-what-went-wrong