Thread by @timjcarden

In 1996, Reebok paid $50 million to sponsor the US Olympic team and thought they hit the jackpot.

But Nike came up with a genius stunt to steal the show and win the Olympics branding war.

Here's how Nike outsmarted Reebok at the Atlanta Olympics:

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics were set to be a landmark event.

Not just for athletics — but for marketing too.

10 official sponsors including Coca-Cola, IBM, and Kodak had collectively spent $400M on sponsorship...

What did this mean for Nike?

Nike had to compete without official status. What's more:

In 1995, Nike's revenue was $4.8B. Reebok was close behind at $3.5B, & the Olympic showdown could tip the scales in the fierce "sneaker wars."

What did Nike do?

Nike's CMO said: "We're going to show that you don't need to sponsor the Olympics to win it."

Reebok was an official sponsor. But Nike wasn't going to sit this one out.

Their plan? An ambitious, ingenious guerrilla marketing campaign.

Let's break it down:

Step 1: The Nike Center

Nike constructed a 15,000 square foot hospitality center just 150 yards from the Olympic village entrance.

A 15,000 sq ft, multi-story glass and steel structure.

Free for athletes to meet family, relax, and conduct interviews.

That's not all:

Step 2: Billboards galore

Nike purchased 1,000+ billboards throughout Atlanta.

One famous slogan read: "You don't win silver — you lose gold."

Total outdoor ad spending?

$5.7M - far exceeding any official sponsor, who focused on traditional avenues.

These ads were everywhere except Olympic venues themselves.

Nike estimated 632 million impressions from this outdoor campaign.

But their biggest winner:

Step 3: Spotlight on star athletes

Despite Reebok being the official sponsor, athletes were free to choose their footwear.

The most iconic: Michael Johnson's gold shoes in the 400m final.

Custom-made by Nike, the metallic gold spikes drew every eye to Johnson.

Result?

Johnson not only won gold, but smashed the world record.

The image of him in his golden Nike shoes became iconic.

It was splashed across newspapers and TV screens worldwide.

Nike couldn't have asked for better publicity.

4, Flags for fans

Nike produced thousands of branded flags & distributed them free to spectators entering Olympic venues.

TV cameras panned across seas of Nike swooshes in the stands.

A clever workaround of rules prohibiting non-sponsor ads inside venues.

Overall:

A study found 22% of Americans thought Nike was an official sponsor.

Only 16% correctly identified Reebok as a sponsor.

Nike's sales rose 22% following the games.

Their ambush marketing strategy had paid off spectacularly.

But it wasn't without fallout:

Reebok was understandably frustrated.

They sued the Atlanta organizing committee for failing to protect sponsor rights.

The case was settled out of court in 1998.

But there's a key learning here:

Spending money on ads ≠ successful branding.

Often, the best branding is free.

And this lesson is more applicable today than ever:

Paid media is getting SERIOUSLY expensive.

Platforms are getting saturated with companies who don't know any better.

Meanwhile, consumers are getting tired: When was the last time you saw an ad you didn't scroll past?

But if you're a founder, there's a solution...

Ingenuity. Authenticity.

Today's consumer values authenticity above all in the content they consume.

And like Nike's ingenuity, there's an ingenious solution for companies hoping to reach millions that follows this strategy:

Creating content.

Today's founders are reaching millions — without spending millions.

How? By creating authentic content that gives free value to their audience.

This is how David beats Goliath today:

The big companies are stagnant. They're stuck in their old ways.

Which means if you're trying to beat them, you need to build a personal brand & share your authentic journey online.

It's this generation's answer to 1996.

Are you ready to be ingenious?

Founders: We’ll build your entire personal brand on 𝕏 without you lifting a finger.

To date, we've already helped 30+ founders get 1.3 Billion combined views.

Interested in how we can do this for you? Book a call here:

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Thank you to One Percent Wealthier on YouTube for the drawing clip in this thread: