What LSKD’s first television ad can teach brands about marketing around the Olympics

Australian activewear label LSKD is preparing to launch its first-ever television commercial, providing a golden example of how to channel Olympics fever — without shelling out massive sponsorship fees.

Promoting a new line of athletic apparel and workout gear, LSKD is preparing to debut its ‘1% better every day’ advert on July 26, the same day the Paris Olympic Games officially kick off.

The TV spot will air on Channel 9, the official Australian broadcast partner for the Games.

The clip showcases women weightlifting, sprinting, and diving, tapping into the excitement around those disciplines and the prospect of Australian success on the world stage.

“This campaign is our way of showing that we believe in you, ready to support every rep, every sprint, and every milestone,” the brand said on LinkedIn.

What viewers won’t see in the LSKD ad: direct reference to the Games themselves, or athletes competing in the Games.

By carefully selecting what to show, the brand appears to have navigated the International Olympic Committee’s firm rules around advertising for non-partner organisations.

How do brands manage Olympics advertising rules?

Advertising around the Olympics is tightly controlled by the International Olympic Committee.

Big-name global sponsors, known as Olympic Partners, pay handsomely to have their names attached to the Games.

The deal that carmaker Toyota penned with the IOC, spanning from 2015 to 2024, is reportedly valued around $1 billion.

That kind of fee comes with special privileges, including the ability for top sponsors to include Olympic properties — like the name, the five-ring logo, and imagery from the events — in their ad campaigns.

In the same vein, brands that sponsor national Olympic bodies, like the Australian Olympic Committee, can display certain Olympics-themed assets in their marketing.

The inverse is also true.

Brands which don’t pay up, known as Non-Olympic Partners, are excluded from using certain Olympics properties.

Olympic committees are not afraid to launch legal action to protect their most valuable trademarks.

What should brands know about sponsoring individual athletes?

Another set of rules applies to Non-Olympic partners sponsoring individual athletes participating in the Games.

A guidebook, released by the IOC in March, spells out how they can use images of Olympic athletes, providing vital advice to Australian brands sponsoring individual Olympic stars.

In general, Non-Olympic Partners may run advertising featuring Olympic athletes between July 18 2024 to August 13, if:

• They have permission from the athlete or athletes,
• No Olympic properties (like the ring logo, or Paris-related imagery) are displayed,
• The ad respects the values and ideals of the IOC and the athlete’s relevant national Olympic committee,
• The advertiser runs similar campaigns in years without Olympic events,
• The ad is considered ‘generic advertising’.

Generic advertising is defined as content that:

• Only has a connection to the Olympics through the depiction of a participating athlete,
• Is part of a campaign that has been active and publicly displayed before April 18,
• Does not become more prevalent during the Games.

Importantly, Non-Olympic Partners cannot publish congratulatory or commiseratory advertising during the Games period, and personal sponsors are largely forbidden from sharing thank you messages posted by athletes on social media.

Brands and athletes alike can access further information on the do’s and don’ts via the official Olympics website.

What brands can learn from savvy marketing campaigns

LSKD, a Non-Olympic Partner, appears to comply with those rules by avoiding direct reference to the Games or its athletes in its ‘1% better every day’ ad.

Advertising in and around official broadcasting channels can also pose significant financial barriers.

But in a statement, Oodle Media, LSKD’s media-buying agency, said it hopes to piggyback on the excitement of the Olympics.

“Usually people think the Games are reserved for institutional brands like Maccas and Nike because the financial barrier to entry is extremely high,” it said.

“That can be true, depending on how you buy.

“We’re stoked to have delivered an extremely cost-efficient schedule that doubles down on eyeballs watching the Olympics.”

LSKD’s public relations coordinator Bree Masters was not immediately available for comment: she is currently preparing to compete in the 4x100m sprint for Australia.

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