The Olympics is the ultimate pursuit of perfection for an athlete and it’s also an advertisers dream. Whilst many fall short of gold in the advertising category, others rise to the podium to lay claim to a medal.
Following the recent Rio Olympics and with the Paralympics set to begin shortly, we decided to showcase the adverts we feel have been worthy of gold so far. These haven’t just been aired during Rio 2016 but are from games gone by too.
We haven’t selected adverts from this summer alone but from games gone by too. Let us know if there are any you would add in the comments below!
British Airways – Don’t Fly – London 2012
An advert that actively encourages people not to purchase your service sounds like absolute madness but national carrier BA succeeded in picking up gold for doing just that.
Tugging on the patriotic heartstrings of the British people, the advert shows a BA plane navigating its way through London before arriving at the Olympic Stadium.
‘Don’t Fly, Stay At Home’ reads the tagline as the plane’s passengers arrive at their destination. The advert endeared the British public to BA, during a time when people were feeling proud of the nation.
A clever game-plan from the gold medallists.
Apple – The Human Family – Rio 2016
From joining forces as a nation to bringing humanity together as one, Apple’s Olympic advert ‘The Human Family’ succeeded in being evocative of everything the Olympics stands for.
Apple uses shots from its iPhone range in the advert to help demonstrate their prowess but they also manage to send a profound message.
Using the words of the late-great activist and poet, Maya Angelou, the advert showcases pictures of a variety of people whilst a voice over reads from Angelou’s iconic ‘Human Family’ poem:
I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
Nike – Find Your Greatness – London 2012
Olympians are humans reaching the peak of their physical prowess and abilities and who hasn’t looked enviously on at the adonis-like structure of many of the athletes?
Whilst many brands use these iconic sport stars to bolster their advertising campaigns, Nike turned this logic on its head.
This advert appeared during the London 2012 games and Nike didn’t feature a single recognisable face in it; opting instead to showcase normal people who were attempting to improve their sporting performance.
Filmed in locations called ‘London’ around the world, such as ‘London, Ohio’, Nike utilised the people who would be inspired by the games rather than the competitors themselves.
In keeping with BA, Nike recognised that no one person, brand or thing is bigger than the games themselves- the Olympics stand for so much more, as Apple’s ad insinuates.
Simple, brilliant and incredibly effective.
Any you would add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
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