Olympics Ads Winning Gold for Audience Attention

The 2024 Paris Olympics kicked off Friday and with it, a flurry of advertising activity. To engage audiences, many brands are harnessing celebrity appearances, humor and emotional storytelling — and it's working. Here are just a few of the Olympics spots that have garnered above-average viewer attention so far, according to iSpot.tv:

• Tugging at the heartstrings: Eli Lilly's "One Body" spot celebrates the strength of the human body while recognizing that some health issues are out of your control. Tylenol takes a related approach, acknowledging that sometimes "Greatness Hurts." Meanwhile, joyful dancing fills a Comcast ad declaring how Team USA is "bringing inspiration home for the team of tomorrow."
• Athletes on display: Delta packs a punch with a spot highlighting lesser-known Olympics sports, featuring athletes including Jagger Eaton (skateboarding), Brooke Raboutou (sport climbing), Victor Montalvo (breaking) and Evan Medell (para taekwondo). Wells Fargo takes a humorous approach with "Speed Test" featuring U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles.
• Star power at work, no sports necessary: Notably, Nespresso and Salesforce have scored high attention with ads that don't include Olympic themes. Instead, they're leveraging celebrities and humor: Nespresso's "The Bet" features George Clooney, Julia Garner and Simone Ashley, with 30% of surveyed viewers citing the characters as the single best thing about the ad, per iSpot's Creative Assessment. Salesforce tapped Matthew McConaughey to play a sheriff in "The Great Data Heist," highlighting how its AI doesn't steal or share customer data.