In response to the growth of Olympics beauty, brands like Adidas and Nike have introduced beauty stations in their athlete houses, from barbers to nail technicians and makeup artists, to help athletes feel their best and facilitate content centred around their beauty looks. The Olympics is also slowly attracting fashion and lifestyle labels, from Jacquemus x Nike (which featured in the Nike athlete house) to Skims, who released an Olympics campaign in July featuring a group of athletes including Lee, track and field sprinters Gabby Thomas and Fred Kerley, swimmers Jessica Long and Caeleb Dressel, and runner-soccer player Nick Mayhugh. As the games draw to a close, fashion and beauty brands could benefit from tie-ins with this year’s athletes, who’ve built such resonance all summer.
To truly cultivate success from athlete partnerships, it’s important to focus on more than just performance. “We’re tracking medals just like everybody else, looking at where our contracted athletes are on the podium or how many times the ‘swoosh’ is showing up for us as it pertains to athletes,” says Hvizdak. “But in my role, I think it’s equally as important in regards to how our athletes feel served from the qualitative aspect. Are we showing up for them? From a consumer lens, do consumers see themselves in our brand? Our athletes are our greatest connection point to them. So it’s important our consumers feel connected to them.”
The key is to engage with rising talent early in their careers, brands agree. Omega is connected with Olympians from their earliest years, Aeschlimann says. “This allows us to build strong relationships and connect with the stars of the future… Everyone wants athletes when they become famous. But is that authentic? For Omega, it’s not just about scouting talent when they’re young. It’s about creating friendships. If you support them all the way through their careers, during all the highs and lows, it creates a mutual respect, and most importantly, an authentic relationship. Omega has many long-term ambassadors in sport, and it’s exactly for this reason.”
A new Olympics fever
With these viral stars, brands are feeling the halo effect, and Olympics engagement is growing. “We’re seeing athletes post behind the scenes, but also post their real emotions about their sport, the real ups and downs, challenges and triumphs. That’s why I think the Olympics are more engaging than ever today,” says Adidas’s Foster. Adidas sponsors 850 athletes across the games, spanning the breadth of sports, including track and field gold medallist Noah Lyles, diving gold medallist Tom Daley and gymnastics (floor) gold medallist Rebeca Rodrigues de Andrade.
