One of the cutest moments thus far at the Olympics was at the women’s gymnastics balance beam final. Silver medalist Zhou Yaqin glanced over at gold medal winner Alice D’Amato and bronze medal winner Manila Esposito biting their medals, widened her eyes, and then proceeded to do the same. She has been hailed as Olympics’ “little sister” with numerous memes recounting times when one decides to go with the crowd. Advertising and endorsements abound at the Olympics, so let’s see if America en masse is also responding to some of the most viral athletes and brands out there.
First up is athletic apparel. Sportswear giants like Nike and Adidas are perennial favorites. We’ve also seen a ton of Athleta commercials featuring golden girl gymnast Simone Biles. Compared to a May 2024 baseline, we indeed see much greater foot traffic by the end of July. The perfect storm of being surrounded by athletic programming coinciding with back-to-school makes for a positive trend.
There have been some absolutely nail-biting moments during track and field. Omega-sponsored athlete, Gabby Thomas, took the gold in the women’s 200m. Noah Lyles’ victory over Kishane Thompson by .005 seconds in the 100m men’s final had the audience in a state of suspense as they waited for the Omega photo finish showing that it was Lyle’s torso that crossed the finish line first. He can thank his Adidas sneakers for making him the fastest man in the world in that race. Another track and field star, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, won her 2nd gold medal in the women’s 400m hurdles decked out in New Balance shoes. It makes sense that athletic apparel, shoes, and timekeeping would be natural fits as Olympic sponsors. But what about the other mentions that have popped up in the news?
Has Norwegian swimmer Hans Christiansen’s love for the chocolate muffins in the Olympic Village encouraged people stateside to indulge in baked goods? That, coupled with France’s love affair with boulangeries must have an impact on viewers, n’est-ce pas? It looks like Paris Baguette was on a roll even before the Olympics, with its rapid North American expansion. We’ve also written previously about Paris Baguette and its success in 2023 as well. Perhaps they can capitalize on the goodwill stemming from these Parisian Olympics and consider some French athlete endorsers like Jules Bouyer and Anthony Ammirati.
Other Olympic greats, like Suni Lee, when asked what she plans on eating to celebrate her gold and bronze medals responded “I want, like, some pho. I’ve been craving pho or some type of soup anywhere I look here, but I just, I can’t find it.” We hear ya Suni, there’s nothing like a great bowl of satisfying hot beef broth that’s been simmered for hours with chewy rice noodles and featuring favorite custom toppings like Sriracha, hoisin, lime, cilantro, and Thai basil. In Paris, she can check out Paris Chinatown in the 13eme arrondissement, but stateside, there are lots of options for pho. Pho Saigon Noodle House is a brand that franchisees may want to keep an eye on, given its growth over the past year.
If all this talk of bakeries and noodles is causing carb overload, one can always drop in on some gym-lover favorites for protein, fruits and veggies, and vitamin supplements. Beyond Juicery + Eatery features innovative smoothies like the Wildberry Glow with 20 beauty-focused ingredients. Given the success of Erewhon’s celebrity-inspired smoothies, it looks like they’re on the right track as well. Kreation Organic is another brand that is seeing increased foot traffic year-over-year.
And in a shoutout to a protein powerhouse, gold-medalist long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall lauded the virtues of beef, saying “My nutrition, I’ve been eating red meat, and it’s the best thing I’ve probably done.” While year-over-year foot traffic to these steakhouse chains was largely up in March and May, July has been a bit of a downer for this food choice. PR mavens, it’s time to feature Tara extolling how eating a juicy steak can help you too become an Olympic champion.
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