By Barry O’Brien OAM, chairman at Atomic 212°
Every four years, around this time of the year, a familiar debate is heard between media agencies and their clients: “What we do about the Olympic and Paralympic Games later this year? Do we invest or do we hold our money?”
To me, the answer is pretty simple: the Olympics are one of the greatest shows on earth, they are a great marketing platform and a sound investment, and we will encourage our clients to be part of both the Paris Olympics from 26 July 26 to 11 August and Paralympics from 28 August to 8 September. Why? Let me explain.
If the great Matildas have taught us anything over the past two years, it’s that large audiences will be delivered when top-level Australian sports stars compete at the highest level. Australians love cheering on Australians in sporting competitions. They particularly love it when they win and they don’t even really mind when they lose (as the Matildas also taught us).
Heading into the Paris Games, our Olympic and Paralympics teams have a big number of strong medal contenders across various sports including swimming, rowing, sailing, shooting, skateboarding, diving, basketball and wheelchair basketball, rugby and wheelchair rugby, cycling, canoeing, boxing, BMX, hockey, equestrian, surfing, golf, football with the Matildas and the newly-added sport called breaking, which should be a real highlight.
A lot of Australians will be watching, reading about and listening to the Paris games. Nine’s television, audio, publishing and digital assets will deliver extensive and around-the-clock coverage (mainly free), while the QMS out of home Paris screen network will reach 80% of Australian adults, particularly as they commute to work.
Both Nine and QMS have created affordable packages for marketers who want to get involved with Paris 2024. They aren’t cheap, but both media owners are prepared to be flexible and work with partners to achieve what they need. Besides, Olympics ad packages shouldn’t be cheap: the Olympics is one of the greatest brands in the world, with a proven ability to boost sales, brand awareness, brand association and so on.
As media planners and buyers, we know that sport delivers the highest level of engagement and drives higher recall than any other content. The Olympics and Paralympics always deliver very premium, don’t miss content and big audiences, regardless of time zone differences.
Sport allows brands to connect seamlessly and contextually across large media platforms reaching highly engaged, passionate fans and audiences across moments of unrivalled impact and cultural significance.
And sport is the great leveller: it unites people regardless of their background as they cheer for their team, country or favourite athlete. When the Paris Games kick off, they will deliver amazing achievements, near misses and disappointments, and “Did you see that!” moments that we will all share, as the world’s best athletes across many sporting categories do their best for themselves, their families and their countries.
The Olympics and Paralympics are about commitment, sacrifice and the journey. They inspire and represent inclusiveness and equality, showcasing the value of doing one’s best and living up to the values and spirit of the Olympics. What brand wouldn’t want to be part of that?
See also: Atomic 212°’s Barry O’Brien is inducted as the newest Mediaweek Icon