Olympic sponsors Samsung, Coca Cola, and Toyota have secured the greatest interest online across both reach and engagement, according to data from Meltwater.
Samsung stole the show globally gaining the highest reach (189m) and engagement (1.11m) of all the major sponsors. Coca Cola scored the second highest engagement (845k) and Omega the second highest reach (62.8m). Sentiment for all brands was overwhelmingly positive or neutral.
Ross Candido, VP Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, Meltwater, said “Providing athletes with a phone was a brilliant move with many using them to take selfies at the medal ceremonies, giving huge exposure. What we assume was Samsung’s assumed exclusive tagging arrangement by the official Olympic social accounts also shows the power of a focused digital strategy and effective hashtag use.
“Their success suggests a strategic exclusivity arrangement and smart influencer partnerships, demonstrating the immense impact a well-executed social campaign can have.”
Through an Australian lens, Toyota secured the highest reach, but Coca Cola saw the highest engagement among social media users.
See also: CMOlympics: Vin Naidoo on the power of Toyota’s ‘Team Everyone’
Omega, Qantas, and Hancock Prospecting also saw good reach.
Also performing well on social media were Australia’s female athletes.
Social data from August shows that swimmer Ariarne Titmus’ performances in the pool earned her an Australian social gold, with posts about her and by her generating more than double the reach and engagement of all other athletes, both at home and abroad.
Ariarne Titmus
Jess Fox was a close second, with swimmer Kaylee McKeown, cyclist Grace Brown, skateboarder Arisa Trew, BMX racer Saya Sakakibara, swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan, and pole vaulter Nina Kennedy coming in as highly commended.
Tennis (18m+) and swimming (16m+) took gold and silver position in terms of social media activity.
Hockey (~9m) came in third, with basketball and football also featuring prominently.
Notably, boxing took gold in terms of the total number of posts mainly due to the controversy surrounding Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif.
Breaking won the highest number of engagement actions, likely due to breakdancer Raygun going viral.