There are many lessons for brand sponsors of this year's Summer Olympics to learn from the previous Olympics. And just because it's a high-profile global event, brands shouldn't let their guard down when it comes to publicity or negative publicity.
Some of the most important lessons include:
- Olympic venues are not without controversy and negative press. It doesn't matter whether the game takes place in a democracy or a totalitarian state. Negative coverage will occur.
- Sponsors are not immune to negative publicity and must be prepared for such publicity. That's because from the moment the host city is announced until the games begin, the media focus is not on the athletes, but on the issues surrounding the Olympics, many of which are negative.
- Therefore, protecting your brand from negative news associations is just as important as garnering positive earned media, and for some brands, may be even more important.
- And despite PR professionals' best efforts, they can't always protect their brand from becoming the target of protest groups or negative press. However, there are some strategies that may help.
The historic Olympic dilemma
In 2021, a column by Kurt Streeter in the New York Times stated: “Displacement, human rights abuses, health concerns and waste have dogged the Games for years. The Olympic mission is in disarray and requires long-term fixes.”
What Streeter wrote has been part of Olympic history for decades, and perhaps forever.
for example:
How can brands respond to negative attacks?
One might think that in a democratic Paris, there would be no controversy. However, media coverage leading up to these Games has mostly been about bribery, the relocation of the opening ceremony due to terrorist threats, and the IOC's insistence on allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete. It concerns the threat of countries boycotting the Olympics.
Brands that partner with the Olympics already know the risk of becoming targets of human rights and other political protests. But history also shows that they don't develop good strategies for responding to negative attacks. A common reaction is, “We just follow the athletes.”
Here are some suggestions on how brands should prepare for and respond to protest groups and negative media.
- Having a crisis management expert in the Olympic Account Group is essential. However, not all negative events need to be addressed. Sometimes the best response to a negative article or attack from a protest group is to do nothing and wait to see if it continues.
- If the attacks continue, brands should respond with a statement acknowledging that they understand the reason for the protests, but also explaining why they believe the Olympics are a force for good and should be supported. I should explain. This may include press releases and social media posts, but should also include in-person meetings between brand representatives and protest leaders.
- Sponsors should demonstrate that sponsoring the Olympics does not automatically mean ignoring the concerns of activist groups. An example of this would be assigning a portion of a sponsor's website to an essay that makes the case for an activist group.
- Sponsors must appoint an ombudsman to maintain ongoing contact with activist groups during and before the Olympics.
- Sponsors should publicly insist that peaceful protests by activist groups in host countries are not suppressed by governments.
There are two years until the Olympics. This should provide enough time for the publicist to create her two different Olympic programs. One can be used when things are going well, and the other can be used when a crisis response is needed.
Although time is limited, there is still time to prepare a “if things go wrong'' program for the Paris Games. And if it can't be held this year due to budget constraints, please hold it at his 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
Arthur Solomon was a senior vice president/senior advisor at Burson-Marstella, where he was responsible for the restructuring, management, and leadership of significant national and international athletic and non-sports programs. He is a key figure in the Olympic marketing program and has worked directly in high-level positions within the Olympic organization.