Apparel and watch brands sponsoring Olympic Games walk a tightrope on the tone and messaging of their campaigns

If you’re an Olympics sponsor what’s your pitch to consumers, some of them in places recovering from Covid-19 but others still in the grip of the virus?

For the likes of Omega, Nike Adidas and Asics, finding the right message to convey in Tokyo Games ads, and choosing the appropriate tone, will be difficult

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Published: 4:15am, 31 May 2021Updated: 7:02pm, 1 Jun 2021

A gold medal for anyone who correctly predicts whether the Olympic Games will go ahead in Japan this summer and, if they do, what exactly they will look like.

At the moment, it’s not an easy call: a poll in May showed more than 80 per cent of Japanese people want them cancelled as the country descends into its fourth wave of Covid-19.

United States health officials and the US State Department have warned Americans against travel to Japan because of the recent surges in coronavirus cases in the country. However, as recently as May 18, Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek said he was sure the Olympic Games would happen.

Hayek has a lot of skin in the game(s). The Olympics are sponsored by the group’s flagship Omega brand – the only fashion or accessory label that is an official global International Olympic Committee partner. Other brands can sponsor National Olympic Committees or individual athletes only: Nike, for example, is a partner of Team USA, whereas Team GB and Team Japan are respectively sponsored by Adidas and Asics.

Omega is the only fashion or accessory label that is an official global International Olympic Committee partner.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that, while athletes can negotiate their own deals with apparel companies, there are restrictions on how much promotion they can do. The rules are strict: they can’t wear a branded T-shirt in an Olympic environment or make any references to the Olympics, use Olympic marks or even words associated with the Games in their advertising.