Going for Programmatic Gold: Ad Strategy for the Paris 2024 Olympics

As the world tunes in to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the advertising arena is witnessing a revolution of its own. With programmatic media buying taking center stage, cutting-edge AI technologies optimizing ad strategies and viewership, and iconic brands rolling out their most ambitious campaigns yet, this year's Games are poised to redefine the marketing playbook.

The excitement of the Games brings together two of my passions: sports and advertising. Watching herstory makers such as Simone Biles , and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (FRA) compete in jaw-dropping events leaves the world in amazement. As I watch event after event, even multiple sports on one screen, I can't help but keep an eye on the advertisements in between. The 2024 Paris Olympics are proving to be a groundbreaking spectacle, not just in sports but also in the world of marketing and advertising. This year, NBCUniversal (NBCU) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) introduced programmatic media buying at the Olympics, allowing advertisers to bid on ad inventory in real-time. This innovative approach, combined with the participation of brands of all shapes and sizes, is set to revolutionize how many engage with the immense audience viewership during the Games.

Programmatic ad buying is an automated process of purchasing digital advertising space. Instead of manually negotiating and placing ads, programmatic buying uses software and algorithms to buy and sell ad inventory in real-time. This method allows advertisers to target specific audiences more precisely and efficiently, optimizing ad placements and budgets based on data and performance metrics. Essentially, it streamlines the entire ad buying process, making it faster, more efficient, and more effective at reaching the desired audience.

(Digiday) The 2024 Games could be “the ultimate case study” for programmatic buying on live sports coverage, said MiQ’s head of advanced TV Moe Chughtai.

As a new marketplace was launched in May, advertisers were granted access to ad inventory across a variety of different publishers. This opened up a diverse advertising base, and allows for more accessibility - allowing brands who had not considered running ads during previous Games, to have availability. However, there are brands that have exclusivity due to pre-set partnerships, such as Visa. Visa is NBC's exclusive "payments partner" for the Olympics, meaning that competitors can't run ads on the same channels as Visa. Due to these nuances, NBCU's president of Olympic and Paralympic partnerships Dan Lovinger mentioned that the network had surpassed its own record for digital advertising revenue, and brought in $350M from advertisers new to the Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) creates a Marketing/Media Guide for each Olympic season. This guide dives deep into the Games' various partnerships, many of them having advertisements run in between events. Several brands within this guide have stood out for their exceptional marketing campaigns. Bridgestone, known for their sponsorship of Team Bridgestone , a group of 20 Olympic and 20 Paralympic athletes who will represent the brand as ambassadors. The brand has partnered with these athletes to produce gloves, wheelchair hand rims, spike plates, and other sporting equipment using materials from its tires. Innovative and impactful marketing partnerships such as these, combined with elevated digital marketing strategies emphasize a diverse presence employed by various brands and teams.

“The Paris Olympic Games are going to be the most-watched media event of 2024.” - Rick Cordella, President, NBC Sports

Advertisers are anticipating this "new era" of programmatic buying to bleed into other live sporting streamed events (such as NBA games - whose rights are still being negotiated between the league and other publishers). If you ask my opinion, publishers have opened up pathways for long term partnerships by offering inventory in this way. Working with brands and various partners in my role has allowed me to participate in the process of these strategies. Seeing the success from this year's Olympic Games - the demand for programmatic premium opportunities will grow. Publishers and advertisers will see the opportunity for larger sponsorships, due to the introduction of buying and selling initial ad inventory.

Artificial Intelligence is also playing a big role during this years Games - in a couple of ways. NBCU works with AI and a visual learning software company, Hive , to automate the ad screening process. As the publisher reviews the ads, prior to the creative being viewed by audiences, the software detects any visual or script element that goes against NBCU or the IOC's advertising rules. Viewers even have a chance to witness AI in live action during the sport events. Alibaba , a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in e-commerce and technology, has employed it's cloud-based AI to revolutionize the way viewers watch athletes on-screen. Their cutting-edge technology uses machine learning and deep neural networks to generate high-quality 3D models from strategically positioned cameras. What we see as viewers shows up as virtual frames from unique perspectives, smoother replays, and a more immersive viewing experience for audiences around the globe.

An advertisement that specifically caught my eye during the Games would be Google's reoccurring advertisement on their newest AI model, Gemini . I have read articles on Gemini, as a product, and also the strategy behind the most recent commercials on the software. I am curious to see how Google responds to the public opinion on it's newest creative, and how this will impact the company's consideration, as they build upon this Olympic Season.

The convergence of advanced technologies, newest media buying strategies, and AI and are set to transform the landscape of sports marketing. From innovative ad screening processes to groundbreaking programmatic strategies, this year’s Games promise to be a showcase of how technology and creativity can elevate the viewer experience. As we witness these developments unfold, it's clear that the synergy between sports and advertising will continue to push boundaries and set new standards. I'm interested to see how these advancements will shape the future of Olympic advertising and beyond.

Some of my favorite sponsorships from the Olympics have sparked incredible conversations about creativity, strategy, and impact. I'd love to hear your thoughts and discuss how the ads during the Games resonate with you. Send me a message, and lets dive into this further!

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