THE OPENING CEREMONY SPECTACLE
Paris’ main-character-energy has been in full swing. With popstars, metal bands, mechanical knights, a dance party intermission, weather threatening to put a stop to the whole affair and its fair share of controversy, the Opening Ceremony of the Paris games at times felt like a fever dream...
French Metal band Gorija’s performance of “Ah! Ça Ira,” was one of the talking points that captured the imagination of viewers of the opening ceremony. Telling the story of France's revolutionary past, it was the first time a heavy metal band took part in an Olympic opening ceremony, tying in old and new in a unique way that caught headlines. Pop icons of different generations bookended the ceremony bridging the gap between Gen X and Millennial audiences. Lady Gaga opening and Celine Dion closing saw two of the most standout performances of the ceremony. Twitter users were quick to sing the praises of Celine since she’s been suffering with chronic illness over the past few years, sidelining performances:
“Honestly, this could have been a 4/10 and we’d have been cheering Celine on just the same… but the fact that at 56, after years of a debilitating chronic illness that has affected her voice to such a degree, she just gave probably the performance of her career… I’m truly in awe” @sillyolddaniel via X
The ceremony as a whole showed us that in a world of ‘low-fi’ and self-produced content, there is still plenty to say for over-the-top, even surreal, highly produced storytelling and multi-layered entertainment.
ATHLETES AS CREATORS: HUMANISING THE SUPERHUMAN
One thing that’s apparent from the Paris Olympics is that it’s reminded us of the power of athletes as creators. When the US women’s gymnastics team won gold, they excitedly started planning what team TikTok they were going to make in celebration (see here and here).
Sportspeople as brand ambassadors is nothing new, we’ve seen the Micheal Jordans, Serena Wiliams and Messis of the world in advertising and brand deals for years - but what’s new about this generation of athletes taking part in Paris is that the athletes are driving and creating the content themselves. This means that fans get what feels like a more real, raw and authentic glimpse behind the scenes. How this manifests is the humanisation of those considered superhuman with their authenticity and realness having massive appeal to Gen Z audiences. American Rugby star Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher) has become the most followed rugby player online due to her raw, personal and funny short form video content, alongside becoming an Olympic medalist this week.
One of the other biggest social media stars to come out of this year's Olympics is Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa. Unexpected images of the athlete with giant blocks of cheese (sponsored by Parmigiano Reggiano, a consortium of parmesan cheese producers) have made her arguably the world’s most famous cheese ambassador.
FANDOM & CONTENT: THE WITTY ARMCHAIR EXPERTS
Olympic fandom is as global as it is niche. Whether it's in the name of positive patriotism or just an expression of individual quirks - it's difficult to find NOTHING about the Olympics to get excited about; Snoop Dogg knows. Youth Olympic fandom has been shining online in creative ways with recreations of Gymnast routines, funny Opening Ceremony tweets and the playful expression of armchair expertise in TikToks and memes.
Storytelling potential and hype is boosted by media and entertainment brands like Netflix, who timed the release of its Simone Biles Rising documentary perfectly. Ireland’s national public broadcaster, RTÉ, also developed a dedicated page for all the Team Ireland athlete profiles, and a documentary series following Irish competitors, Path to Paris, bringing the public closer to the athletes and driving hype and audiences for their Olympic performances.
Fandom is also boosted by incredible creative professionals who help capture sublime feats of sport and athleticism. The defining photo of the 2024 Olympics is likely to be Jérôme Brouillet’s floating surfer Gabriel Medina that went viral this week. It has over 6.5 million likes on Medina’s Instagram page alone.
Read more about how young fans are reshaping the sports landscape here.
BRAND TAKEOUTS
Yes, Go Over the Top: If there’s anything to be learned from the Opening Ceremony is that there’s still an appetite amongst audiences for the maximalist, the artistic and the surreal in live events.
Platform Hope: Palestinian athletes competed. The refugee team competed. Egypt's Nada Hafez competed 7 months pregnant. As the House of Beautiful Business reminded us this week, the Olympics, at its very best, produces hope. How can business do this? Go against the odds. Uplift. Respect. Continue to invest in a future worth competing for (shout out to WWF for capitalising on the attention for ‘The Climate Games’).
Find Your Niche: Nike’s controversial and punchy Olympics ad tapped into a niche insight ‘Winning Isn’t for Everyone.’ It avoids the usual celebration of sportsmanship or teamwork. Watch here. When in doubt, remember everyone loves to celebrate giant wheels of cheese.