Our Favorite Olympic Ad Campaigns

Written by: Natalie Alvarez

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Olympics were forced to reschedule to the summer of 2021.  This came with lots of creativity in the Ad world and gave many brands the opportunity to push out their best work.  

Nike 

Nike’s campaign of “The Best Day Ever,” created by Wieden+Kennedy, was a part of their “Play New” campaign.  This ad used well-known athletes such as Serena Williams and Sha'Carri Richardson to promote this campaign.  The video highlighted accomplishments that athletes make to better their tomorrow.  This ad also shone a light on mental health and the importance of athletes taking care of themselves.  

Nike also released another ad titled “The New Fairies,” the same day Rayssa Leak, a 13-year-old Brazilian, won the silver medal in the first-ever women’s Olympic skateboarding street event.  This ad used the song “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes,” which is famous for its feature in Disney’s Cinderella.  The ad includes visuals of Disney animals and shows the creative mind of a young 13-year-old and she skates around town. 

Dick’s Sporting Goods “There She Is” 

Dick’s Sporting Goods came out with their “There She Is” ad by focusing on female athletes.  The tune “Miss America” by Johnny Desmond was used throughout.  This ad not only fits the tone of focusing on the Olympics but can also be used as a way for female empowerment.  The chief marketing director of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ed Plummer, stated in an interview with Fast Company that “we’ve thought about this as more broad than the Olympics.” 

Beats By Dre 

Beats by Dre released an ad starring track star Sha’Carri Richardson.  Richardson was banned from the Olympics after a positive marijuana test and was unable to compete.  This ad also promoted Kanye West and the drop of his new album “DONDA,” by using a song that was to be featured on the album.  Richardson is dressed in Nike and is wearing the Beats by Dre headphones.  Although Richardson was not allowed to participate in the Olympics due to the drug test, other companies such as Nike showed their support for her by including her in their ads. 

Facebook

As Skateboarding made its first appearance in the 2021 Olympics this year, Facebook took advantage of this new sport to create their “Longboard Family” ad. According to an article by CNN, many skateboarders were not happy with the fact that this has now been added in the Olympics.  Most see Skateboarding as a lifestyle rather than a sport. This ad was created by Droga5 and directed by FKA Twigs.  Throughout the ad, it shows skateboarders putting their skills on display, while also promoting the Facebook app through sharing their creative videos.

United Airlines 

The official airline sponsor of the Team USA 2021 Olympics, United Airlines, released their “Time to Let Yourself Fly” campaign to promote air travel during the 2021 Olympics. Because the Olympics were hosted in Tokyo this past year, United wanted to promote air travel since the world is now opening back up after the pandemic. This ad campaign used athletes such as gymnast Simon Biles and surfer Kolohe Andin. This year marked 40 years that United Airlines has sponsored Team USA along with their partnership to fly out athletes along with all their equipment.

Skittles Broadway Super Bowl Commercial

Written by: Elise Oler

In the weeks before the Super Bowl, Skittles announced their unorthodox take on advertising for the coming game. They would be creating one of the most over the top Super Bowl commercials to date that would not air during the Super Bowl or broadcasted anywhere. This decision was made to combat one of the largest problems companies like Skittles face.

“People buy snacks for Super Bowl parties in the days leading up to the game, not during it.”

-Ari Weiss, DDB’s North American chief American creative officer

This leads to a rather large problem to solve. How does a company like Skittles create enough buzz before the Super Bowl to promote sales before the game? In order to battle the noise before the Super Bowl, Skittles would have to come up with a very unexpected commercial that could not be ignored. With that, the idea of Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical was conceptualized.

This musical commercial hybrid was designed with the full intent of not being aired or broadcasted. This leaves the only insight into the production to the teaser video or viewing the live performance at Town Hall. Skittles chose Michael C. Hall, best known for his performance as Dexter, to be the celebrity personality and the face of the production. The teaser video addresses his apprehensiveness to do a commercial, but this was far from any traditional commercial. The musical featured four songs within a thirty-minute time frame. The songs featured comedic commentary on advertising. Anyone who missed the performance can find the songs on Spotify.

Since this “commercial” is being hailed as not only an advertisement but also a work of commentary art, how does the Skittles method of advertising affect how this ad will be received and by who?

Author: Elise Oiler

#LikeaGirl

Written by Elle-Kaye Terry

One advertising campaign that has stuck with me for quite some time now was the Always #LikeAGirl campaign. I still remember the initial time I saw this campaign when I was 14 at an all-girls camp. The message was so inspiring to all of us at that time and still is today. When the campaign was first released, ‘Always,’ had been falling behind to competitors and needed to revamp its strategy to reach younger girls. The brand released a few statements about the campaign that said, “We set out to champion the girls who were the future of the brand,” and, “Girls first come in contact with Always at puberty, a time when they are feeling awkward and unconfident-a pivotal time to show girls the brand’s purpose and champion their confidence.” The campaign showed that many women lose confidence as they go through puberty and tend to forget what it means to be a girl. Always wanted to change the way it means to do something, “Like A Girl,” and take the negative connotation away from it. The response to the ad was more than Always would have ever thought. They received over 85 million youtube views from countries all over the world. The campaign won numerous awards and even went on to become a halftime segment at the Super Bowl. The fact that the ad came out in 2014 and is still being talked about today shows just how relevant it is in our lives and just how much of a hit it was. This ad was extremely cool and unique to me because it showed just how important the creative team behind the production was. The creative team came up with the idea, supported it the entire way through, and executed the idea successfully in the end. #LikeAGirl is an ad that, I believe, will continue to be shown for years to come.

Our Favorite Holiday Ads

It’s heart-warming to experience the joy of the holidays.  Tis the season for family and giving, but also an exciting time for advertisers to spread happiness, cheer, and love.  We wanted to share some of our favorite holiday commercials from years past. We hope it puts you in the holiday spirit.  Happy Holidays!

John Lewis’s “Buster the Boxer”

With all the basics of a happy holiday commercial, this one has a comedic twist. It features a little girl getting the perfect gift for Christmas, a father working tirelessly to assemble this perfect gift for the daughter he loves, and some adorable wilderness animals adding extra fun. The main message being John Lewis products are fun for everyone.  We love the execution.

Amazon Prime’s “A Priest and Imam Meet For a Cup of Tea”

This ad takes a more serious note, but does a phenomenal job of spreading the message of love, which is appropriate for the holidays. It features two men from different walks of life finding common ground through the season. After meeting to share some laughs and tea, they find a connection and end up purchasing the same gift for each other.  We admire the message of love and inclusiveness that this ad conveys.  

Toyota’s “R+S”

With a similar message of love, Toyota’s “R+S” conveys its message in a different fashion. Featuring a large family working hard together to create something beautiful and sentimental for their grandparents, this is a traditional story of family love that is sure to cause a few tears.  Toyota emphasizes the togetherness and sentimental value of the holidays.  We appreciate the “family brand” image that Toyota shares with this ad.

M&M’s “Bring Everyone Together”

Who doesn’t love M&M’s and their light-hearted commercials?  When one of these M&Ms causes Santa to faint, he decides to do his job for him. However, he fails miserably, leaving it up to the citizens to give their gifts to the intended receiver.  We love this reworking of the original ad for a funny and sweet message of togetherness that’s sure to bring a smile to your face.

Folger’s “Peter Comes Home”

Originally broadcasted in 1986, this classic commercial became such an integral part of holiday ads that it has been recreated several times and still used today. It features a son coming home unexpectedly and waking up his family to the smell of freshly brewed Folgers coffee. Over the years variations have been made, changing details about the characters and adding unique personal touches. However the message is always the same: families should be together to enjoy the beauty of the holidays.