During these Olympic Games we noticed the presence of Nike with its new campaign “Winning isn’t for everyone”, anticipated with an epic trailer before the start of the Olympics.
More than anything, I was fascinated by the strategy with which each post or creativity was tailored to each athlete, and above all the timing and readiness, keeping up with the performances of each individual athlete.
The power of having the majority of the top athletes, Nike was able to exploit very well with a pungent campaign that aims, as always, to communicate who is the best sports brand.
As for the design, the choice was a minimalist composition, with maximum importance given to typography (consistent with the main stage they gave to William Dafoe’s narration in the epic trailer).
Amplifying the overall impact is a color palette typical of Nike when they use these bright colors and iconic portraits to highlight the facial expressions of the winners in glorious moments.
We have seen how these Olympics were among the most stylish ever, not by chance we are in Paris, the capital of fashion and with sponsors from the LVMH group such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chaumet and Moët Hennessy involved in the design and sponsorship of the event.
Everything had the flavour of Paris, the medals, the team uniforms, every element reflects the distinctive aesthetic of the city, even the track which was not the traditional brick red colour, but a charming “lavender purple”. The design project extends to the sports equipment used in the competitions, every detail, from the colours to the icons has been redesigned to give a touch of French elegance.
In addition to the 32 sports, there is another discipline at the Olympics that entertains athletes, fans and professionals: the exchange of commemorative pins, defined by the International Olympic Committee itself as "the unofficial sport of the Olympics".
Already in 1896, each member of the delegations was given a sort of pin made of cardboard and only for identification purposes, but we have to wait until the Paris 1900 edition to see a metal version appear, and that of Stockholm 1912 for the first gadget for spectators.
The real turning point, however, came with the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, when Coca Cola set up the first official area for the exchange of pins, in addition to the production of 200 branded versions.
From that moment on, everyone created their own commemorative pin, from the individual competing nations to the security staff, from the television broadcasters to brands of all kinds.
And so the exchange of these memorabilia became a way for athletes to socialize when they were not competing, while for fans it became a thing to be repeated every four years.
Speedo’s new look, designed by Anomaly, aims to modernise the swimwear brand for the Olympics and a new generation of swimmers.
The concept expands on the idea of ‘for the love of swim’ to guide the design development and give consistency to the project.
The logo has been repurposed to work better in digital formats and is designed to “perform and stretch” across products and fabrics.
The brief read: “To reposition the swim category’s biggest player, Speedo, in order to propel swim culture forward as a whole.”
I leave you with some pre-Olympic spots that really struck me.
Sources: Creative Review | Sport Media House | Outpump
