Keeping the flame alive: How the Olympics sustain cultural relevance
For a nation mostly obsessed with sport, the Olympic dream is ingrained in Australia’s cultural narrative. However, beyond the traditional sporting events, these games are showing us how fashion, social content and skate culture are reaching a fragmented audience and building cultural relevance.
Lucinda O’Brien, strategy director at Amplify, explains more.
According to YouGov, two thirds of Australia will have tuned in to this year’s Olympics Games in Paris by the end of the closing ceremony.
For a nation mostly obsessed with sport, the Olympic dream is so ingrained in Australia’s cultural narrative as we idolise our Olympians for their dedication, ability and resilience to reach the podium. However, beyond the traditional sporting events, these games are showing us how fashion, social content and skate culture are reaching a fragmented audience and building cultural relevance.
“Fashion Olympics” & Creative Expression
This year’s games have been referred to by many as the “Fashion Olympics”. In reference to the cultural fabric of the host city, Paris but it’s also as a nod to one of the games’ lead sponsors, LVMH. Case in point, the awe-inspiring spectacle of fashion during the opening ceremony, which saw one of a kind styles from LVMH luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior as well as a selection of emerging, independent French designers including Jeanne Friot, Charles de Vilmorin and Alphonse Maitrepierre.
Fashion at the Olympics isn’t anything new [see The Australian team in Barcelona 1992], but what we’re seeing now is how fashion provides an avenue for audiences to dive deeper into cultures, practices and brand partners across social channels. In the lead up to the games, we also saw conversation online surrounding the kits and opening ceremony ensembles from countries around the world. This is an opportunity for designers from around the world to showcase on a global stage like the Ulaanbaatar-based fashion label, Michel & Amazonka’s design for Mongolia , which took over TikTok feeds earlier in July.
Connecting through storytelling & TikTok
Speaking of TikTok, the platform was labelled the unofficial sponsor of the Tokyo games with 6.9 billion views between July and August 2021. This year in The States, NBC has partnered with TikTok, Snap and YouTube to include social media creators as part of the official coverage.
This speaks to the reach that the platforms have with a now fragmented, global and primarily youth audience but also the desire for fans to connect with athletes first-hand and get a backstage pass to the games. In the lead up to the opening ceremony, TikTok feeds were full of athletes showing off their kits, touring the Olympic village and swapping pins. Olympic officials are expecting this trend to continue and social media coverage to take off in Paris.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach recently said the IOC has estimated more than half a billion posts from the Paris Olympics and if you look at each one for just one second, you would be looking at posts until the 2040 Olympic Games.
Skateboarding as a sport & sub-culture
This year, we’re also seeing Breaking (aka break dancing) making its Olympic debut as the IOC continues the mission to attract a younger audience. This follows the introduction of skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing at the Tokyo Games.
According to YouGov, 31% of Gen Z and 34% of Millennials in Australia say they are more likely to tune in for skateboarding. This highlights the reach of skateboarding and the opportunity it presents to bridge different cultures and communities.
The addition of skateboarding to the Olympic games taps into broader skate culture and with it brings a new type of Olympian. At the Paris games, there are five Australian women on the skateboarding team, including 14 year old skateboarding prodigies, Chloe Covell and Arisa Trew.
Looking Ahead: Brisbane 2032 Olympics
It’s less than a decade until the Brisbane River replaces the Seine and the Olympics return to Australia with the 2032 games. The games hold an opportunity to position Brisbane as more of a global city but also tap into the local cultural narratives in a meaningful way.
As we look ahead, brands should consider how the Brisbane Olympics will bridge across cultures, connect fragmented audiences and, ultimately sustain relevance.
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