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Ambush Marketing: How Nike Made Olympic History
The marketing campaign that broke the rules.
Just like serial killers ruined hitch-hiking, Nike ruined Olympic marketing with their 1996 ambush.
Our story takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-90s. The Macarena is the latest dance craze. Braveheart proved you didn’t need historical accuracy to win an Oscar, parents went animalistic over Tickle Me Elmo, and a little competition called the Olympics was taking place.
July 19 to August 4, 1996, marked the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games. 10,318 athletes from 197 nations competed in 26 different sports, including the first appearance of women’s football, rhythmic gymnastics, beach volleyball, lightweight rowing, and mountain biking.
The cost of the Games
In the late 1980s, Atlanta spent approximately $6 million in its two-year bid to win the Olympics. On September 18, 1990, Atlanta learned they had won!
Regarding this victory, former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young stated, “when they said, ‘You’ve won the Olympics,’ they gave us a letter and a bill for $1.5 million for the victory party. Frankly, we didn’t have a penny.”
Truth be told, the fundraising committee was broke.
