Michelob Ultra
During today’s Opening Ceremony, many brands advertising began running their new commercials. Ally Financial—which scrapped its 2020 creative work and restarted filming earlier this year to make sure the ads felt contextually relevant—isn’t an official sponsor for the Olympics. However, along with a main TV ad, the company is also showcasing nearly two dozen athletes who don’t have official brand sponsors.
Toyota’s decision to pull out of Japan could “do them well in Japan” by “sort of siding with the people against the powers that be,” said Neeru Paharia, a professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. And while she thinks Toyota’s decision to advertise in other markets might not hurt the brand, pulling out of the host country is “a vote of no confidence.”
Even if people aren’t entirely against having Olympics during the pandemic, there’s also the question of whether they’ll tune in. A survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers conducted by the marketing technology firm Zeta Global found that 45% weren’t looking forward to the Summer Games while another 17.5% were still undecided. The results showed that adults ages 18-34 had the highest proportion of interested viewers. Meanwhile, 48% of women were interested compared to just 41% of men.
“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a rallying point that brings the world together, creating the first truly global marketing platform in Bridgestone history,” Dobbs said in a statement emailed to. “These partnerships provide a consistent and powerful opportunity to tell fans and customers around the world more about who we are and what we do, as well as strengthen our global culture by engaging our 140,000 employees.