Written by Annie O’Leary, Trident DMG

It’s a simple montage, videos of athletes winning gold at the Olympics, hugging fellow competitors, some even brought to tears in what is certainly an emotional moment. The videos are set to a folk song, “Evergreen,” by Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners. A white text caption reads simply, “Olympic Spirit.” It has 2.2 million likes, more than 100,000 shares, and nearly 2,000 comments, many of which are individuals recounting their favorite Olympic victories, or expressing their appreciation for how “human” the athletes seem. They feel real, tangible, as familiar and approachable as you or I. You would hardly expect it to be an advertisement, and therein lies the beauty of it all.

This is a pinned video on the Paris 2024 Olympics social media pages from early February 2024. The success of this video is but one example of how well the Paris 2024 Team has honed in on trends to capture the attention and engagement of a Gen Z audience, something that many other brands have struggled to accomplish. But what exactly about the Paris 2024 marketing effort has set them apart, and what can other brands learn from them?

It’s important to properly tap into the marketing potential of social media, such as TikTok, rather than relying solely on more traditional broadcast and print forms of advertising. An October study by Deloitte found that nearly 50% of Gen Z and Millennials report their preferred method of ingesting video content is via social media channels, compared to Gen X and Baby Boomers. A 2023 article by The New York Times reported that nearly 75% of Discovery cable network viewers were over the age of 54. Solely using broadcast networks, therefore, limits the potential return on investment for advertisers. In contrast, TikTok reports over 1 billion monthly active users globally, with approximately 63% being members of Gen Z. Clearly if firms and organizations want to appeal to a younger demographic, they must adeptly utilize social media platforms like TikTok. But, as many have learned the hard way, communicating your brand on these platforms requires a completely different narrative strategy from traditional methods.

So where has Paris succeeded where other firms and organizations have failed? Simply put, the Paris 2024 account doesn’t overfocus on its content, rather giving an air of nonchalance. Research shows that Gen Z is the most difficult segment to which to advertise. Due to the sheer magnitude of digital advertising that Gen Z has been exposed to since birth, traditional advertisements are less likely to appeal. Rather, Gen Z are more willing to embrace “relatable” content that portrays a human side to brands and organizations. Nearly 92% of participants in an EY report disclosed that they believed authenticity was either a very (or the most) important value to them.

The Paris 2024 account embraces “relatable,” uncut, imperfect content, staying on trend without being overly manufactured. Most of its videos are not shot professionally or formatted perfectly, many feature members of the marketing team dancing with the Olympic mascot or interviewing each other. Well-timed posting, coupled with captions in a variety of languages, and refraining from posting in bulk, all work to boost the algorithm to achieve content produced by the team does not feel corporate, stuffy, or formal – it feels young and authentic, in a way that many advertisements to Gen Z do not. Other brands’ attempts often appear too pandering and are likely to face increased skepticism and lower engagement as a result. In contrast, the Paris 2024 team is marketing the experience of the Olympics through its camaraderie, its energy, and the aura of watching and participating, all of which especially appeal to the Gen Z audience post-COVID-19.

It seems that many brands and organizations have massively over-complicated how they build a reputation that entices the lowest maintenance generation. The key, here, isn’t being on trend – contrary to traditional wisdom, it’s better not to be perfectly edited and trimmed. It’s about not taking your brand too seriously, being candid, humorous, and warm. Successful marketing campaigns like the Tennessee Titans’ recent schedule announcement, Duolingo’s embrace of meme culture’s fascination with their mascot, or The Washington Post’s social media news team also understand this new era of reputation building. We’ll have to wait until the closing ceremonies on August 11 to know the full scope of how successful the Paris 2024 marketing has been. Until then, I remain “happy to be in Paris, oui!”