You haven’t been able to miss it over the past few weeks: the Olympic Games are taking place in Paris, and everyone’s talking about it!
🇫🇷🔥 The Paris 2024 Olympics have invaded social networks, with numerous images of the opening ceremony or the Olympic cauldron and even the athletes’ daily lives in the Olympic Village on TikTok or Instagram.
The subject is on everyone’s lips, on every screen, but also in the streets, on transport and even on the metro!
And with good reason!
This extraordinary global event is a golden opportunity not to be missed.
Brands are also keen to capitalize on the event’s popularity, even if they are not official partners.
This is what we callambush marketing.
In this article, we explain the principle behind these campaigns and how brands use them.
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What is ambush marketing?
Ambush marketing is a marketing strategy in which a brand seeks to benefit from the visibility of an event, often a major sporting or cultural event, without being an official sponsor.
This technique enables the brand to benefit from the visibility of the event without having to pay the often very high costs of official sponsorship.
For example, a brand can use themes or contexts linked to the event to promote its products, without explicitly referring to the event itself.
It can also take advantage of the event to draw media and public attention to itself by creating special activities or promotions around the event.
This can include promotions, contests or special events organized in close proximity to the main event, without actually being an official sponsor.
Clever, isn’t it?
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The Paris 2024 Olympic Games: an opportunity not to be missed in terms of communication!
The organization of the Olympic Games in Paris is an incredible opportunity for brands to shine in France and around the world.
The event is internationally renowned, and no one can ignore it!
The Paris Olympics are therefore the perfect opportunity for many brands to roll out creative and daring ambush marketing campaigns, and ride the wave of notoriety that the event brings.
🎖️ Here are a few examples of successful campaigns that caught our attention: Intersportthe sports brand, relied on humor, with visuals in subways, on buses and in Paris shopping malls.
The messages are strong, with references to the challenges of transport in the Paris region during the Olympic Games.
For example, a poster showing one of their swimsuits reads: “To avoid traffic jams this summer in Paris, take the Seine”.
A light touch of humor as we like it, referring to the Olympics without quoting them directly.
🏊🏼♂️ 
Several of the campaigns read: “New discipline: leave Paris in record time!
Added to this little touch of humor, there’s a paradisiacal vacation backdrop of a woman kayaking in dreamy turquoise water.
On another poster, still in the same setting amid turquoise water, a woman bronzes in a buoy with the following text: “There’s better than Paris to aim for bronze this summer.” We want to go now too.
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McDonald’s also pulled off an ambush marketing campaign, capitalizing on the international aspect of the event.
The brand transformed its famous tagline “Come as you are” into “Welcome as you are”.
The campaign aims to welcome foreign tourists to its restaurants in France.
In a 30-second TV spot, the brand takes us on a journey through the different nicknames given to our famous “McDo” around the world.
It’s a humorous play on the different representations of the brand among our neighbors around the world, before we all agree on the name of the “Big Mac”, which doesn’t change whatever the country.
McDonald’s France has also introduced flagship products from different countries to its French menus, offering the French a global culinary experience.
Yum!
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By drawing a parallel between the view from the Eiffel Tower and that from the park’s castle, the brand seeks to encourage tourists who come to visit Paris to also come and dream during their stay.
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Last but not least, restaurant chain Quick has also decided to ride the wave of the Olympic Games, offering “French Burgers” with a range of three burgers: one blue, one white and one red.
By calling on Tony Parker for the collaboration and using the national colors, Quick has subtly evoked the spirit of patriotism and the Olympic Games through visual elements that speak to everyone.
We’d love to taste the blue!
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The limits of ambush marketing
💡 While ambush marketing can be an interesting way of taking advantage of an event’s notoriety without being an official sponsor, you still need to be careful and use it in the right way.
It can pose legal and ethical problems, particularly for official sponsors who invest heavily to associate their image with events such as the Olympic Games.
Although creative and highly effective, this type of campaign carries significant risks for the brands that use it.
If done incorrectly, non-sponsoring brands can find themselves in conflict with the organizers and official sponsors, which can lead to legal action and fines.
It is forbidden, for example, to directly quote the event’s name or use its logo.
Ambush marketing campaigns can also damage a brand’s reputation if they are perceived as opportunistic, unethical or create bad buzz. 
To sum up
Ambush marketing is therefore a powerful strategy for brands seeking to capitalize on the immense visibility of global sporting events such as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
However, it must be used with care.
A good knowledge of regulations and a respectful creative approach can enable brands to benefit from this visibility without falling into legal and ethical traps.
The example of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games shows that, when properly executed, ambush marketing can create a significant and positive impact for a brand.
🚀 Want to boost your communication?
Don’t hesitate to contact us.
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