The Road to Tokyo

The Impact of Major Advertisers Pulling their Commercials

Source: The Olympics

With the 2020 Opening Ceremonies set to take place today (Friday July 23rd), the Tokyo Summer Olympics are getting underway with a lot of questions and concerns. As reports of athletes contracting COVID-19 begin to raise doubts about the safety of participants, many wonder how TV viewership and global hype for the Olympics will be impacted.

Something we’ll be on the lookout for is Olympic athlete endorsement and sponsors. Usually, fans expect to see their favourite Olympians be the star in commercials and advertising for all of the major global brands. However, with Toyota being amongst a few global sponsors pulling their Olympic commercials and scaling back their brand presence at the games, it remains to be seen if athlete brand deals may also be impacted.

Many of Canada’s top tennis stars have opted to skip the Tokyo games, and only 30-40 Canadian Olympians will be allowed to walk in the opening ceremonies, which is typically when fans meet the athletes for the first time and begin to get hyped for the games. With 370 athletes representing Canada, athletes will have a small window to capture the hearts and minds of fans all over the country. With a fanless audience for the events, there is a lot of excitement in how athletes will perform and be able to create a name for themselves on the biggest stage on the planet.

Here’s to wishing our athletes the best in health and success as they represent the Maple Leaf and bring some medals home.

Published: July 23rd, 2021 - Issue 1 of The Sport Marketeer