The Paris Olympics has been a breeding ground for viral moments, where athletes have become instant global stars as their moment on the world stage — be it triumphant, heartwarming or just plain funny — is turned into a wildly virulent meme. From Turkish sharpshooter Yusef Dikec to viral pommel horse star Stephen Nedoroscik, the games have shown that it’s not just about winning medals — sometimes, it’s about becoming an internet sensation. As we watched a new generation of sporting heroes being created in real-time, and with more set to emerge in the forthcoming Paralympics, it’s natural for marketers to wonder if there’s anything in this magic that brands can steal for themselves.
Moving at the speed of memes: a double-edged sword
On the one hand, yes there are opportunities — primarily in the potential for brands to align with these viral moments and tap into the cultural zeitgeist. However, they also present a challenge, which is that these moments happen so quickly that traditional marketing strategies often struggle to keep up.
We often hear that moving at the speed of a meme allows brands to own a moment. But that means that brands need to be agile, ready to react in real-time, and capable of seizing the moment before it passes. An athlete can be propelled to meme stardom in a matter of minutes, requiring brands to strike the right balance between timing, concept, and execution. If the moment passes, or if the brand’s response feels forced or out of sync with the meme, it can backfire. You can’t plan for it, so you have to be set up for being reactive. This is where social and marketing teams come into their own. These teams need to be empowered to make quick decisions and act on emerging trends. The key is not just to react, but to do so in a way that feels authentic and adds value to the conversation.
Brands that have succeeded at moving fast
There have been several notable examples of brands successfully capitalising on viral moments. One is beer brand Corona’s reactive OOH campaign featuring a viral photo of their athlete Gabriel Medina, the surfer who appeared to levitate above the ocean. Corona’s poster campaign hit 58 locations across the UK in under two days — and simply would not have had the same impact if it had launched even a week later, demonstrating the importance of speed in reacting to viral moments.
Another example is MAC Cosmetics, which was the first brand to work with the viral sensation ‘Tube Girl’. MAC quickly incorporated her into their Face Show runway at Fashion Week, shortly after she began going viral — a move the brand said reflected their ability to ‘move slightly ahead of culture’.
And it might not have been the world’s most involved reactive campaign, but thousands of people enjoyed steak bake purveyor Greggs’ ‘The Department of Tortured Pastry’ social media post, which appeared a matter of hours after Taylor Swift’s new album dropped in April.
Longer-term engagement with meme-worthy moments
Once the initial buzz from a viral moment fades, brands need to think about whether there are possibilities to do something more involved. This is where creative and talent strategies come into play. Coors Light did this brilliantly with their ‘Lights Out’ campaign. It started with a foul ball during a baseball match, which left a square of dead pixels in a Coors billboard, and could have remained little more than an ‘and finally…’ moment, except Coors ran with the idea, adding black squares to other Coors Light ads and to special edition packaging — all with the line ‘Hits the spot’.
So instead of merely riding the wave of a viral moment, brands should look at ways to build longer-term partnerships with these athletes.
The Paralympics: too late to prepare?
As the excitement from the Olympics fades, attention is turning to the upcoming Paralympics, which begins on Wednesday, 28 August. With athletes so clued into the power of the viral moment, we can be sure that another wave of meme-worthy stars is about to emerge. For brands, there’s extra mileage to gain by joining in with big social media trends while demonstrating an affinity with those living with disabilities.
It could be the perfect time to empower your social media team by giving them carte blanche to embrace the moment, move quickly and decisively and see how audiences react. My guess is that if you’re agile, authentic, smart — and ideally funny — you’ll end up with some great responses.
Featured image: Coors Light, Toronto
