The Brand Olympics: Who’s winning after all?

With just one day to go until the world's most anticipated sporting event, excitement is at an all-time high. Brands have been on the defense from the get-go, strategizing for months for the grandest stage in sports. It’s a showcase of the world's greatest athletes and the ultimate battleground for brand supremacy.

What's more? Social media is bursting at the seams with content, and opinions are clashing over the beasts of brand marketing. Here’s a deep dive into the best, the boldest, and the brands that need a bit more polish.

Nike gets feisty.

Close-up shots of fierce athletes. Willem Dafoe’s voiceover that sends shivers down your spine. A script that makes you remember what it feels like to be truly competitive. No inhibitions, no mercy, nothing that can stop you—just you and your goals. Because “Winning isn’t for Everyone.”

It’s spicy, and it’s unlike anything you’ve seen before from Nike . The shock factor makes for contrasting opinions on why this ad doesn’t seem to work for many. 

But here’s my take: Does it truly celebrate the meaning of sportsmanship? No. Does it embody the Olympic spirit of unity? Not necessarily.

But does it remind you of what it takes to be a winning athlete? To want something with every ounce of your body and to fight for it? To put your best foot forward day in and day out? Hell yes.

Conceptualised and created by Wieden+Kennedy, the ad focuses on that ruthless drive to be a winning athlete. And it doesn’t disappoint.

Love it or hate it, it leaves you talking about the brand. As always.

On- the gift that keeps on giving.

Talk about making an entry. Walking into a stadium (well, not a room in this case) and commanding presence. A solid entry into the Mother of all sports leagues. Not just with an ad, but by unveiling a whole new technology and a brand-new shoe.

On kept its passion project, The LightSpray™, a secret since 2019. This groundbreaking technology has been under wraps, and now it’s ready to revolutionize the sports industry. Imagine a robot weaving 1.5 km of filament into a high-performance racing midsole in just three minutes—no glues, no seams, just pure innovation.

Contrary to the likes of Nike and Adidas, the brand, through a seven-part series of reels, unveils the Cloudboom Strike LS (LightSprayTM )- all set to unravel on the eve of the Olympics. On chose a product-centric approach, focusing on cutting-edge technology rather than traditional aspirational storytelling- positioning it as a fierce competitor ready to challenge the industry giants.

As expected for a brand hoping to come to the limelight, it comes out guns blazing against its competition. After all, at the end of the day, it is truly superior product that takes the cake.

The story of how the LightSpray shoe came into being is even more admirable. The world was introduced to Johannes, last week. The architect of this project, who drew inspiration from a mere hot glue gun that made spider webs on Halloween, and went onto create an innovation that has the potential to change the face of the industry.

Kenyan runner Hellen Obiri won the Boston Marathon in them in April 2024; and is slated to wear them again at the Games. Will On take the cake after all? Stay tuned.

Adidas plays it safe.

adidas had a stunning start to the summer. The Euros was where the brand shone in all its glory and drowned out all the competition. All anyone could do was eat, sleep, breathe the Euros and Adidas. The biggest OOH activations, branded gear everywhere, stadiums flooded with the logo and brilliantly crafted topical content- the German sportswear brand was at the top of its game.

But did the brand play a bit too safe with the Olympics? In contrast to the Euros ad films “Hey Jude” and “You Got This”, the Olympics Ad Film created by TBWA\Neboko lacked “oomph”. The ad on the whole seems to be directed towards the athletes themselves (based off of research indicating that one in five athletes lack confidence in their abilities) but seems to lack that mass appeal- making it less memorable.

Brooks Running makes a surprising entry.

Needless to say, Brooks Running took most people by surprise. An underdog in the sporting goods industry, no one saw the brand coming with an ad film that would move you to tears. Featuring everyone’s beloved Jeremy Renner, the 3:22-minute film is an ode to human beings and their perspective.

While the ad has no direct link to the Olympics whatsoever, its inspiring, its motivating and its honestly pretty darn good. Its Brooks’ first new global campaign in 25 years, and what a solid one it is indeed.

Its authentic and so real a story- that almost anyone under the sun can resonate with it. The best part? The ad was created in-house and truly focuses on how great of a product it is. While Renner shares his two cents on life and the uphill battle it has been for him post his accident, the ad showcases shots of him getting back on his feet and running in Brooks’ shoes quite literally.

Storytelling 101.

Puma has potential to raise the bar.

Leading up to the CONMEBOL Copa America, UEFA Euro 2024, and The 2024 Summer Olympics, PUMA Group unveiled its first global brand campaign in a decade, "FOREVER. FASTER. - See The Game Like We Do." The campaign aimed to reinforce Puma’s position as the Fastest Sports Brand in the world.

However, it falls short of making a lasting pre-Olympics impact. Despite Puma's legacy of strong campaigns, this ad feels more like a decent digital-first video than a standout effort. Does it cut through the clutter? No. Is it uniquely Puma? Not quite.

For a company renowned for its stellar work in the Sportstyle division, both from a business and marketing perspective, the Olympics ad is merely an average attempt to position itself in performance sports. What does elevate this campaign though is their social-first series of athlete interviews, offering fans and users a personal glimpse into their favorite athletes' pre-Olympics training, nerves, and emotions.

Overall, it’s a commendable effort, but maybe they could have elevated their game with this one?

As the excitement in Paris reaches fever pitch, watching brands unleash their best work is an exhilarating experience. Unexpected players have stepped onto the creative field, seizing the moment to be part of this global celebration of sportsmanship and unity.

Olympics 2024. Road to Paris.

The brand race is on.