What Brands Can Learn From the Olympic Games

The Olympics are in full swing, and it seems like every day is bringing a new viral moment. From Katie Ledecky’s record setting laps, to the many memes launched by the casual attitude of Turkish sharpshooter Yusuf Dikec, the games are making conversation, and staying fresh in the digital world.

But behind these feats of athleticism is an equally impressive branding achievement. Launching after years of anti-Olympics protests, and with pregame interest at a record low, the games have still managed to capture public attention — and win viewer’s hearts.?

Here’s the secret to how the Olympics stays relevant after all these years, and what your organization can learn from the games about keeping even the oldest of old school brands fresh.

How a (Literally) Ancient Brand Stays Fresh

The brand identity of the Olympic games has evolved considerably over the 125 years of their modern history, but some things stay consistent.?

“...[T]he Olympic Games have conveyed a message of inclusivity, universality and hope,” said Marie Sallois, the IOC’s brand management director. “It was time to bring together these timeless values in a comprehensive Olympic brand identity.”

How did Sallois and her team achieve this? By balancing their design heritage with a fresh new approach that’s purely 2024. They drew inspiration from what they call “...[T]he rich heritage of Olympic graphic design,” using classic iconography to create a new visual system that still adhered to the brand’s core values.

While their roots are in Ancient Greece, the modern iteration of the games began in 1896. The iconic rings logo launched in 1913, and although it has evolved over the years, the visual language of the rings and their color symbology has remained consistent.?

Representing the five inhabited continents, Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania, the colorful rings were originally rendered in a sketchy, hand drawn presentation framed with black lines. Thick, chunky and substantial, they conveyed a message of strength and emphasized the focus on fine arts that was still part of the games’ core mission, back when events in categories like architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture were still part of the games.

Paris’ rings keep those iconic colors, but their design is sleek, thinned out, and thoroughly modern. Their message is one of technology and speed, signifying a world brought together both online and on the field of athletic battle.?

Small but significant, these changes brought the games’ visual language up to speed. But as the years leading up to the 2024 games saw many cities, including Paris, whose citizens launched anti-Olympics campaigns. The games seemed more unpopular than ever before — so how could their brand evolve in response, and regain the public’s love?

Controversy and Categorization

The IOC prepared to launch the 2024 Olympics with a rebranding campaign that included three custom typefaces, a series of graphics and guidelines for an entire visual language. As the committee says, “Every element was designed to reflect the hopeful, universal, inclusive, vibrant and progressive qualities of the Olympic brand, and for use across publications, digital, environment design and more.”

Still, as any brand knows, a visual relaunch isn’t enough to turn public perception around. You need to make sure your core values are evolving too. This year’s Olympics have shaken things up considerably, starting with decisions made behind the scenes about prioritizing eco friendly design choices, like planting shade trees instead of installing air conditioning.

While they stirred up controversy, this leaner, greener approach signaled a value shift to athletes and audiences alike. More than a love of sportsmanship, these decisions launched a revitalized brand proposition about shared values that the IOC needed to use to entice everyone on board.

Then there are the aesthetic decisions the games have been making so far. Consider the opening ceremony, where untraditional and unexpected participants launched the games off with a bang — and in some cases a considerable share of controversy. The organizers knew that by making such a bold artistic statement before the first athlete stepped into the ring, they’d be making the public a promise: this is a new kind of game, and one that’s worth paying attention to.

These gambits have been paying off, with high public interest and an increase in ratings compared to the Tokyo games. But what can your brand learn from the IOC’s bold approach to the branding of the Olympics?

How the Olympics Should be Inspiring Your Brand

Too often in the world of branding we can rely on what we’ve always done, or what we see other, similar brands around us do. These established aesthetics and iconographic systems can feel set in stone, like the right way of doing things.?

But without taking risks, we don’t evolve. That’s something that we at BrandCulture have learned through our history of stepping out of the established modes of branding, creating a new space that’s entirely our own.

We started out as an organization offering a new combination of branding and organizational development services outside of the traditional categories — a risk that alienated some (just like the Olympics have), but also paid off with truly meaningful relationships with the clients who are aligned with what we’re trying to do. In those early days, we often had potential clients who told us they didn’t understand exactly what we were about.

It’s always scary to stand out in this way — but when you work to distinguish yourself, the people who understand an appreciate your unique value, they become your strongest supporters and advocates. When the Olympics committed to going green, and made creating a new visual language a cornerstone of their prep, they signaled to their peers that they were doing things differently. And when they stepped out onto the international stage with an opening ceremony designed to shock and inspire conversation, they made sure they would draw the attention of audience members who would understand and appreciate their reimagined brand.

Like the Olympics, even the most storied brands need to remember not to rest on their laurels, to use an appropriate phrase. It is only by thinking big, constantly evolving, and not being afraid to step outside of the expected that brands can continue to grow.