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How Real People Feel About… The Olympics

Aug 8

4 min read

They feel like biggest thing in the world right now – and certainly one of the biggest marketing opportunities – but just 4 in 10 Britons say they are interested in the Olympic games (YouGov*). That said, in the same survey 57% said they’d rather attend them than a Taylor Swift concert. We spoke to some real people around the country to understand how they feel about the greatest show on earth (the games…sorry, Taylor).



Much needed national pride

The Olympics is undeniably a big cultural moment for the nation, providing much needed conversational fodder in offices, pubs, shops and WhatsApp groups up and down the country. When the rest of the news feels dark and distressing, sporting endeavour provides much needed light-relief, as well as reasons to feel some much needed national pride.

“It gives us something good to talk about. It’s something positive and nice, not horrendous like what’s going on in the news. We need something uplifting” says Tracy from High Wycombe, 60, as she describes talking to other retired volunteers in her local charity shop.

“It’s about being proud of your country and wearing that badge. Supporting them brings us together” says Michelle, a bank teller, 55, from Dorset. Though The Olympics can’t shake the nation at quite the same scale as The Euros or World Cup, the more open, inclusive nature, and variety of sports gives it a broader appeal. “It feels more family, and more whole country than football or Wimbledon, because it covers more events. You can talk to anybody about it” Michelle continues.



Perhaps deeper than the national pride stirred up by The Olympics is the sense of immense local pride experienced when following athletes from your own community. Freddie made sure to tune in to watch a boxer for Colchester. Michelle was taking an extra interest in an athlete from Poole, and Colin’s young daughters were buzzing to train at a gym where an Olympian had previously trained. Advertisers would do well to dig one level deeper than Team GB, and try to tap into the pride communities feel about “one of our own”.

With most people agreeing that our athletes are more inspiring role models than footballers (who are all egotistic and out for themselves” - Michelle) there are clear benefits to finding the right ambassador for your audience, so long as it feels genuine and goes beyond simply being good at sport. Matt, 38, a Google Cloud Developer from Newark tells us, “To be a role model you have to demonstrate something outside of your sport. It’s not enough to just be a great sports person. You need to contribute to society… to your community.”


Yusuf Dikec shot to fame for his casual approach


That’s so random

Indeed, the conversation around the Olympics is driven by so much more than the sporting action, which mainly serves as a source for generating heroes, villains and most importantly… memes. From the stone-cold Turkish shooter who “people are saying is a hitman” according to Colin, 33 from Wales, to the dramatic pole-vault penis incident, to the beer-bellied pool attendant ‘Bob the cap catcher’ in his budgie smugglers, to the gymnast sponsored by wheels of parmesan cheese. These are the daily nuggets that are getting people talking. Not to mention the one-man-meme-machine Snoop Dogg’s baffling attendance and ability to make even “horse dancing” seem that bit more ridiculous.


Bob The Cap Catcher in his jazzy trunks


The Olympics’ strength and appeal lies in the randomness and unusualness (to British sensibilities) of some of the sports. “I can get into any random event” says Freddie, an 18-year-old student from Colchester, who hadn’t realised the games were happening until they started but has found himself sucked in, “I’ve seen some more interesting, unpopular sports. I got into showjumping the other day just because I was rooting for Team GB”. Colin agrees that “it gives you a chance to watch a load of random stuff you’ve not seen before”.


Brand Associations?

The only brand advertising that people could really call to mind was one riding the wave of social conversation, and the randomness – Aldi, who not only have “all the paraphernalia in the aisles” but are very much winning the meme wars. “They’re poking holes in the silliness of it. Almost like what a random person would put online without thinking about the legality of it, or how PC it is” Colin, enthuses. Another one that caught the imagination was Bandit Running, who prior to the games provided unsponsored athletes with entirely black kit, so they didn’t have to wear Adidas or Nike for free, while simultaneously standing out and allowing them to advertise that they’re open to being sponsored.

From our conversations, brands associations people could call to mind were few and far between. A victim of being on The BBC (with no advertising) and coming off the back of the Euros, perhaps. Or are the big brands simply not cutting through? Or are brands simply using the games as a badging exercise and hoping for the best? “Maybe it’s diluted because it feels like every single brand is there” says Matt as he recounts seeing the Olympic Rings on a box of Shreddies at breakfast, “But why?” he pleads.

So how can brands use the Olympics to connect with real people? Here’s 5 simple ways.

  1. Embrace the watercooler/WhatsApp moments – join in the real conversations

  2. Fuel the meme economy – be reactive and playful

  3. Tap into local pride, not just national pride – use the power of community

  4. Find ambassadors that transcend sport – create partnerships to be proud of 

  5. Be relevant and part of the sport it’s not just a badging exercise

If you want your brand to speak to the 99% of people who experience brands, not the 1% who create them, get in touch today.