KARE11, TEGNA’s affiliate in Minneapolis, is no stranger to Olympic success, and this year, is connecting small businesses from all over the region to the power of inspiration that the Olympics offer.
So far this year looks a lot different from the last. As we begin to distribute the vaccine and emerge from what was the worst year for most of us, everyone is looking to the Olympic Games for inspiration, for hope, for unity, and happiness.
As KARE sports anchor Dave Schwartz points out, “We’re all Team USA” and Team USA is poised to do big things at the Summer Games in Tokyo, especially after being postponed for an entire year amid the pandemic.
This anticipation has led Jill Cain, Insights and Sponsorship Director at 9News in Denver, to believe “The upcoming Olympic games are forecasted to be the most viewed event of all time,” she said. “Scale like this is unique in today’s fragmented media landscape. In addition to the scale of the events, both have the ability to create a positive oasis which is increasingly needed in today’s world.”
How does your brand get in on the action?
If you’re looking to join Team USA and share messages of hope, unity, and happiness, you’re in good company. We’ve asked our Olympic experts at KARE in Minneapolis to share their best practices for these types of campaigns.
1. Have Confidence
The Olympics have the power to present your brand message to millions and alongside content and inspirational moments that people will be talking about for years to come – like when Michael Phelps won his 23rd Gold Medal, or when Kerri Strug broke her ankle in that historic performance.
For smaller and more local businesses, being on such a big stage can be intimidating, but not a cause for concern, according to Kevin Carlow, Account Executive at KARE.
“I think the Olympics can seem too big for a lot of local clients when they first hear about it. They think it’s out of their league, and that’s just not the case,” he said.
Joanie Kraus, Director of Sales at KARE agrees. “Even if the brand doesn’t think they’re a fit, there’s something creative they can do. One of our retail clients, for example, we helped them create spots with outdoor furniture jumping into a pool for the Summer Games, and then outdoor furniture skiing and figure skating for the Winter Games,” she explained. “Everyone just loves it.”
2. Measuring Campaign Effectiveness with TEGNA Attribution
How will you know if your Olympic campaign is moving the needle?
We combine great data with good people to tell you just that. With TEGNA Attribution, advertisers can now know when your ads ran, how many people saw those ads, and what actions they took, such as visiting your website or storefront. This data then helps to pinpoint what is working, and what isn’t, in order to maximize a campaign’s efficiency.
“Being able to track an OTT schedule to both website and location data is huge for a lot of my clients, especially in e-commerce” said Briana Brandts, Account Executive at KARE. “The reporting data we gather with TEGNA Attribution shows that our brand recall efforts are working, and that’s huge.”
3. A Good Team
It is no coincidence that our mission is to serve the greater good of our communities. From a client perspective, it means that the nearly 17,000 clients who rely on TEGNA get access to good people doing good work, offering good solutions with good data that drive good outcomes.
Players like Carlow, Kraus, and Brandts are just three of the people that can help your campaigns go for gold. From brainstorming creative ideas to monitoring and measuring campaign results, you’re in good company.
When talking about working with a local healthcare client, Carlow noted one of the keys to their Olympic campaign’s success, saying, “With a few tweaks to our original plan, we were able to gain an extra million impressions for the same investment, so we were able to make the most efficient buy for the upcoming Games.”
About TEGNA
Sports have the unique ability to unite and inspire people from every city and every nation across the world. At TEGNA, our NBC stations are honored to be the home to three of the most iconic sporting events – The 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and Super Bowl LVI. It’s three world stages, three amazing showcases of unity, triumph, and victory. Contact us today to learn more and be part of this inspiring journey.
