The Olympic Games start this weekend in Paris, and like any sporting event that big corporations throw money at, there are do’s and don’ts when creating brand content for clients who aren’t sponsoring the games. The IOC has softened guidelines for the 2024 games when it comes to the athletes participating, stating that they face “the increasing challenge of controlling content in the digital age, where social media platforms like TikTok, X—formerly Twitter—Snapchat, and Facebook Live empower individuals to share experiences in real-time.“
For comparison, at the last Summer Olympic Games in 2020, athletes were not allowed to:
- Share any content from accredited areas used for a sporting competition or ceremony.
- Post about their sponsors.
The 2024 guidelines state that athletes can:
- Take photographs/audio/ video at the Olympic Games. This includes both inside and outside accredited venues such as the Olympic Park and the arenas themselves.
- Share photographs on their personal social media accounts.
- Share videos on personal social media accounts but only if they are no longer than 2 minutes and fall outside “an hour before and after their event.”
A key inclusion in the IOC handbook for athletes in 2024 is that they are not allowed to post images or videos that have some form of AI involvement. Depending on the interpretation of the rule, this could mean applications that remove objects from photos or even Google’s “Best Shot” functionality are barred.
For the athletes, it’s promising to see that there is now some breathing space for them on social media to talk about their experiences. How does this look for brands who are not, as the IOC calls them “Media Rights Owners” or those not signed up with a Rule 40 permission? Here are some quick rules to help guide you and your clients as you attempt to capitalise on Olympic fever.
Rule #1: Don’t use any of the Olympics’ trademarked words or phrases.
If you wanted to create content for a fitness brand that includes the tagline – both in caption and video content – that says “Train like an Olympian” then you can’t. Terms such as “Olympic”, “Olympian”, “Team GB” are all no-go.
Rule #2: Don’t reference the location of the games.
In social post captions, phrases such as “Road to Paris” or even “from the Paris games with love” infringe the IOC’s rules. Instead, you could use iconography that is synonymous with France within your creative but never directly refer to the event.
Rule #3: Don’t include words that incorporate the word “Olympic.”
Baguetteolympic is banned, so don’t even consider it.
Rule #4: Don’t use hashtags that include Olympic trademarks.
The Olympics, like all major sporting events, have a host of hashtags that can be used by fans, athletes, MRC’s and those companies who have applied for a Rule 40 exemption. If that’s not you, then you’re out of luck. This is commonplace but is always more prominent at the Olympics.
Rule #5: You can’t use any official Olympic logos.
This also applies to creating your version of the Olympic logo using your product. For example, you can’t create a logo using your brand’s products unless you are authorised by the IOC. At the 2012 Olympics, Durex created an advert using their product to replicate the Olympic rings. Depending on where you look online, the reports are mixed about whether they were officially allowed to do the stunt or not.
Rule #6: You can’t post any photos taken at the Olympics.
This rule makes sense; it’s similar to any photo taken at any event where you don’t have the rights of the holder to use. At the Olympics, the IOC owns it all.
Rule #7: No posts of athletes competing at the games in your social posts.
Someone with deep pockets has sponsored these athletes. Under IOC ruling, you can’t post images of those athletes. This rule means that any idea that has high-divers eloquently diving into pints of your client’s beer is a no-go.
Rule #8: No results.
Just like spoilers for any great TV show or movie, you can’t share the results of any Olympic event on social media.
