Olympics and Paralympics sponsorship ‘won't impact brand perceptions’

The study, conducted by Greenlight Digital, also revealed that 18% of people said they wouldn't notice if a brand was to sponsor the tournament.

There was a slight improvement in the figures among younger respondents – 49% of 16-29 year olds said their opinion of a brand would be improved if it was to sponsor the games. This was the highest of any age group. 

Looking back to the previous Olympics in 2012, no UK consumers remembered one of its biggest sponsors, Acer. Only 17% recalled Samsung’s campaign and just 11% remembered P&G’s campaign. Coca Cola and McDonalds fared better, with 42% and 38% recollection respectively. 

The research also found that TV advertising was seen as the best way to communicate with consumers during the games ( 30% recalled previous brand sponsorship of the games from a TV advert), followed by product design ( 21% recall). Eleven per cent remembered social media sponsorship campaigns.