How Internet Personalities are Shaping the 2024 Paris Olympics
Author: Haley Walker
The 2024 Paris Olympics are in full swing, and the integration of sports and entertainment continues to evolve. One of the most notable trends of the 2024 Olympics is the blend of internet personalities and influencers into the Olympic experience, enhancing viewership, audience engagement and overall appeal. As a marketer, the merge of traditional sports with modern digital culture is a game you can’t miss; a unique and dynamic atmosphere that captivates a broader audience. Here’s a look at some ways internet personalities are becoming an integral part of the 2024 Paris Olympics:
Unconventional Ambassadorship
This year, the Olympics took an unexpected route with securing "Call Her Daddy" podcaster Alex Cooper as an ambassador for the Olympics to help bridge the gap between traditional sports fans and her younger, primarily female, cult following. Some may say this partnership comes as a surprise, begging the question: what does Cooper have to do with sports? Well, her past with Barstool Sports and recent takeover at Fenway Park argues otherwise. Cooper’s wide appeal, likeliness and frank personality brings a level of rawness to the Olympics coverage, generating buzz and engagement across social media.
Real-Time Experience
If you’re paying attention to the Olympics across social media, it’s likely that you’ve stumbled across the Gold Medal of Olympic skit comedy from Ilona Maher. Maher is an Olympic rugby player competing in the 2024 Olympics while leveraging the event to create buzzy content for her side gig, influencing. Maher’s series of humorous videos offers real-time, behind-the-scenes content of what it’s like as a participating Olympic athlete in an entertaining and engaging way. If you weren’t already rooting for Maher, skimming her socials will convince you otherwise.
Furthermore, when Simone Biles and Suni Lee brought home the gold, they had a plan to celebrate with the world through current TikTok trends, further enhancing their relatability to the average fan at home. By sharing their wins and personal moments directly with fans and in a raw format, they’re fostering a more intimate and immediate connection, amplifying their victories beyond traditional media coverage.
Branded Partnerships
Whether it’s through formal partnership or not, brands want to be involved in the hottest current topic of American culture, recognizing a window of opportunity in reaching audiences around the world. Influencer-led brands are no exception – take Emma Chamberlain for example, one of the internet’s greatest influencer success stories. Her brand, Chamberlain Coffee, dropped an Olympic-themed champion travel cup just three days before her appearance at the event in partnership with Ralph Lauren. Emma was able to promote the Olympics across three channels – her coffee brand, personal social platforms and Ralph Lauren’s audience. Way to kill three birds with one stone and make a buck while doing it, Emma.
All this to say, internet personalities and influencers are not only enhancing the Olympic experience for existing fans, but also drawing in new audiences who might not have been interested in the Games otherwise. Their ability to create relatable, entertaining and personal content helps bring an edge of realness to the Olympics, something modern audiences not only crave, but demand.