Paris 2024 adverts: The best and worst Olympics commercials
As the sports advertising world attempts to catch its breath after the highs and lows of the Euros, the Olympics and Paralympics have other ideas, with Paris 2024 welcoming the world’s best athletes and the world’s biggest brands for a month of sporting excellence.
Whilst every brand and his dog tried to tap into authentic fan insights during the Euros, it’s the athletes and their stories that take centre stage in the work adorning the City of Lights.
Channel 4: Considering What?
Channel 4’s work for the Paralympic Games is becoming a bit of a moment in the advertising calendar, perhaps not yet on the scale of John Lewis Christmas, but it’s consistently brilliant and boundary pushing. This year feels like a punch in the gut compared to the more joyful work of Olympics past, but it’s potentially even more affecting.
The writing is superb, ‘it’s keeping your skin as a souvenir’ just one example of an ad littered with great lines.
The hypnotic sound design and repetitive cuts keeps the audience hooked, as we see the intensity, strength and superhuman ability of the athletes.
Coca-Cola: ‘It’s magic when the world comes together’
Whilst the idea of sport bringing people together, even fishermen during a storm, isn’t the most original thought, I do feel less cynical about advertising like this post Covid-19.
It feels right strategically, the Olympics after all is the event at which we usually see remarkable acts of sportsmanship.
We’ll undoubtedly see thousands of embraces during the games, so the adapted Coca-Cola logo, whilst not new to this campaign, gives a clever visual hug to anything it’s placed on.
Aldi: ‘Has Kevin met his match?’
I’m not a fan of brands who simply make adverts to wish our athletes good luck or tell us they’re their biggest supporters, (have a point of view for goodness sake) but I can’t be too harsh on Kevin the Carrot.
Aldi’s orange mascot is a firm favourite with my toddlers, especially when he makes underpants puns.
Visa: ‘Level up your game’
This has all the hallmarks of an advert made by a very large committee. I’ve watched it five times and I still can’t tell you exactly what the message is.
“Level Up Your Game” is not only very generic, it feels like a brand trying to be down with the kids but using stock footage to do it.
Allwyn: Paris 2024
Strategically I really like this ad, it’s reminding me that I can have a guilt free flutter on the lottery and some of my losses will help support British athletes, win win – or, more likely, lose win.
Some charming vignettes and interesting match cuts leave for a nice little spot.
BBC ‘Welcome to the City of Love’
The BBC raised the bar in craft with its Tokyo 2020 advert, so this film had big shoes to fill for Paris 2024.
Going all in on The City of Love is brave, as I am sure other brands might play in the same area, but this beautiful animation really hits the chord emotionally.
The music choice could have been cliched, but paired with the well written VO it really works.
Warner Bros Discovery ‘Break free’
This ad packs a punch and builds to an impressive crescendo, but I can’t help notice it’s attempt to riff on Nike’s ‘You Can’t Stop Us’ film, which was a masterclass in editing athletes together from different worlds.
Using that technique for an ad like this feels a bit forced to me.
Adam Burns is the Creative Director at Dark Horses.