Building a story-starting engine for Team USA
Olympic & Paralympic Team USA | 2024
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) needed a new direction.
Before the 2024 Paris Olympics, they sent out an RFP for a new social media partner to galvanize a new generation of fans amid declining viewership. My team and I pitched, won, and quickly got to work tackling the problem.
I was tasked with devising a social strategy to drive a resurgence of interest in the Olympics & Paralympics
in an audience that currently lacks enthusiasm for sports
We saw that, in American culture, athlete stories matter far beyond sports,
We started by listening to athlete stories. my team surveyed the biggest conversations surrounding athletes and sports of late. Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles had just crossed over into nation-wide conversations about mental health in sports. Basketballer Giannis Antetokounmpo had recently scolded a reporter for a tone deaf question about failure. The moment went viral. The conversations they sparked were widespread and enduring.
and that sports fans are de-centralized.
Our research found that today’s fan is second screening to follow live updates, engage with other fans, check their fantasy sports teams and live-stream their favorite commentary. And their interest is actually growing. Global usage of TikTok for sports news and content grew 30%; and Twitch grew 21% (April 2020 - August 2021) Statista*
Gone are the days where everyone watched the same event, on the same channel, at the same time.
This was the context in which we had to breakthrough.
We also saw that athletes themselves are invested in more than just sports
My team was granted access to athletes and those that know them. Some were active gamers, anime fans, and sneaker heads. Some were pursuing graduate degrees in unrelated fields and running businesses. Some were immigrants whose stories of perseverance and dedication garnered them small but dedicated followings of Americans who saw their own selves in them.
and knew we couldn’t tell just one story about Team USA.
Though diverse, our current and potential viewing audience is engages with when they have connections with athletes that transcend their sport. And their eager to amplify the stories that move them.
More than ever before, US athletes aren’t just athletes — they contain multitudes.
This was to be Team USA’s drum beat on social.
In collaboration with the USOPC, we built story-starting system to drive a groundswell for Team USA.
With a team of brilliant strategists, analysts, and designers a playbook was crafted to guide Team USA’s content and channel strategies and a scalable creative toolkit that could scale to meet the needs of 700+ athletes, and countless future-fans, with unique interests and audiences.
Our strategy
Put Team USA’s story in the hands of athletes and fans.
Before launching the system, we started with a spectacle,
Faux OOH ads launched at the start of the campaign to drive engagement and conversation amongst followers.
and gave unique assets to National Governing Bodies to post.
Collaborating with Team USA’s partners and stakeholders furthered our reach and created a holistic creative world across our multimedia narrative.
Team USA compilation videos were brought to life across owned social
We aligned these assets with competition schedules to drive tune-in to NBC broadcasts and surrounding coverage.
and we connected with unexpected fandoms.
The Team USA playbook took insights from athlete interviews to find ways to leverage our athletes’s cultural interests to make new connections with potential fans.
Turns out, Team USA athletes are Bravo & Anime fans. So we sent them to BravoCon and LACon.
At the height of the campaign, we launched a Team USA Cheer Generator
The Cheer Generator was an easy-to-use, web-based experience where fans from around the country can create a digital “Cheer” for Team USA.
The fan’s selfie will be the centerpiece of each Cheer.
Cheers can be further personalized with bespoke digital stickers that relate to their home state, favorite sports and more.
and an interactive Cheer card filter on TikTok.
The Team USA AR Lens was an easy-to-use TikTok experience where fans from around the country could create digital polaroids in support of Team USA during the Paralympics. They were prompted to strike four poses and show off their Team USA spirit in each shot.
Then we tapped in creators
These unexpected faces helped us effectively reach diverse communities and generate buzz around the Cheer Generator.
and sent them to the Games as our unofficial commentators.
Before the Games, fans got to know the athletes through quick-hit content.
Our work made an impact.
“The independent surveys demonstrate that… the Olympic values truly resonate with younger generations. These were Olympic Games of a new era.”
-President Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee Executive Board President
Team Stats
Our campaign ecosystem included a final delivery of 65 unique assets.
1 gold medal playbook (which I’m so, so proud of,) 1 digital experience , 49 athlete and sport assets, 5 Team USA Compilations, 2 faux out-of-home social assets, 5 paid assets, 1 TikTok Lens, 2 Broadcast videos.
Most importantly, we showed up as radically human in a competitive media landscape.
Athlete followings grew. Viewership was up. Diverse stories were told that captured the rich complexity of our country and Team USA. My team couldn’t be prouder.
Go Team USA!