This year’s Olympics games have been fraught with controversy. Just today, news broke that Brazilian police had arrested 10 people planning a terrorist attack during next month’s games. Moreover, there have also been numerous talks of athletes pulling out of the games due to fear of Zika virus.
No doubt, the games have been a PR nightmare. Yet, brands are still playing their part, hoping to inject some positivism back into the games. Here are some that we spotted.
Gillette
Athletes around the world put blood, sweat, and tears into their silenced training. Gillette is hoping to highlight these sacrifices and showcase the Olympic training of athletes such as Neymar Jr., Ning Zetao, Ashton Eaton, and Andy Tennant. The spot also sheds light on coaches striving for the success of their athletes along with the pressure from fans everywhere cheering them on. Since its launch on 13 July, this video has garnered 7,724,270 views on YouTube. Check out the spot here:
Samsung
Banking on the sense of global unity, Samsung created the spot titled ‘The Anthem” using national anthems from different countries with people of all ages and races taking turns singing a snippet of their nation’s pride and glory. The video starts off with a young girl singing Botswana’s national anthem and ends with South Africa’s national anthem. The video was released 21 July 2016 and has since garnered 26,799 views on YouTube.
Visa
A turn for a lighter side on the inspirational campaigns, Visa brought together a handful of Olympians for a carpool joy ride to Rio. The video shows Olympians enjoying their time together and Visa’s new device, Visa payment ring, which works with a tap for payment. The payment ring will also be used by all athletes around the Olympic Village and the games. Since its release on 19 June 2016, it has garnered 2,487,182 views on YouTube.
Virgin Media
Virgin Media pays tribute to Usain Bolt and his world record of 9.58 seconds for 100m. The video emphasises 9.58 seconds from different angles including intense training, celebrations, a boy running, people dancing in a club, with additional cartoons. The video has garnered 679,058 views on YouTube since 6 July 2016. It also gathered 5,000,001 views on Facebook with 10k reactions, and 2,357 shares.
Minute Maid
Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid brand shows US Olympian, Missy Franklin at a regular press conference but with her parents in attendance. She surprises them with a letter, thanking them for their continuous support and endless love, which everyone can relate to. The spot is launched with the hashtag #doingood and has garnered 4,570,494 views on YouTube since its release on 1 May 2016.
Written by Ruth Chae.