Jodie Hawkins, Brendon Harrington, Scott Mathison and Moritz von Sanden. Credit: Amy Jordee Photography.
Small and mid-sized brands could be the surprise winners of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games as media and sports marketing leaders warn the next decade of Olympic activity won’t just be dominated by the biggest sponsors.
The message from AdNews' Brisbane L!VE was clear, brands without multi-million dollar rights deals will still have a path to cut-through if they know their audience and think tactically.
Paris offered an early glimpse of that approach.
Swimming Australia’s Jodie Hawkins said the strongest ad work at the Paris Games didn’t rely on screens or tech ambition, but on brands integrating with the city itself.
Hawkins said activations in Paris tailored everything not just to the Games environment, but also to the city.
She added the experience created a unique Parisian experience that immersed spectators in the culture and the Games atmosphere.
As a result, the Brisbane Games will soak into streets, neighbourhoods and cultural precincts rather than being confined to ticketed venues.
Hawkins said it’s a ready-made opportunity for brands that can’t buy sponsorship but can buy ideas.
Audience 360 head of sales, Moritz von Sanden, said the Olympic model is changing and smaller brands can capitalise.
He pointed to the Australian Open as a blueprint for how smaller players can still own moments around a mega-event.
“There are so many tactical opportunities for smaller brands,” he said.
“If you work for a brand that can afford the big spend, great, but Brisbane 2032 will offer so many opportunities for smaller brands too.”
Blis group head, QLD and WA, Scott Mathison said the work that resonates most with fans doesn’t always come from major sponsors.
He pointed to Optus during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup as an example of emotional targeting outplaying budget weight.
“The "Every Goal Has a Story" campaign explained exactly how I feel,” he said.
“When audiences and the right creative come together, campaigns really work regardless of budget.”
M&C Saatchi’s Olympic’s work for Woolworths showed how non-sponsors can anchor themselves to athlete stories, using its Fresh Fuels the Best in All of Us platform to highlight the supermarket’s support of Olympians and Paralympians ahead of Paris.
Woolworths also used AI to launch its Dream Team Storytime series in support of the Matildas, enabling fans to wake up to match recaps narrated in the voice of captain Steph Catley.
Together, the work underscored how brands are finding creative ways to tap Olympic energy even when audiences are asleep and official sponsorships are out of reach.
The data piece sits behind this shift.
Von Sanden warned agencies to get sharper about identity, privacy and audience stitching ahead of 2032.
“Right now, sports marketing is like turning on a fire hose across all of Australia with inspirational messages,” he said.
“But when it comes to conversion, we only need a small part of that audience.”
Mathison agreed, saying geo-targeting lets brands shape communications around the real fan journey rather than a generic sports audience.
“We need to be where fans are. Fans are like sponges on game days, they’re hungry for content,” he said.
“We can see engagement spikes live, report on them next day, and use that data now, not in the future, to shape planning for 2032.”
That thinking is reshaping how sports bodies see their own role.
Hawkins said Olympic sports don’t have the budgets of the professional codes and are behind on segmentation, which is forcing them to rethink engagement as Brisbane approaches.
She said the focus now is on increasing engagement and using data to talk to people about what they actually want, instead of blanket emails.
Hawkins said LA will focus on intimate fan experiences, a model Brisbane will likely adopt.
“Technology and AI will change how we consume sport,” she said.
“The challenge is balancing that with retaining the intimate, physical moments.”
The picture painted by the panel was one of a decentralised Olympic economy, fewer all-encompassing sponsorships and far more brands winning through local activations, data-led precision and messaging that fits the fan mood.
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