The Olympic Winter Games are now underway in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, and brands are rolling out major marketing campaigns to capitalize on one of the world’s largest global audiences.
The 19-day event is expected to draw hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide across television and digital platforms. That scale makes the Olympics a prime opportunity for companies seeking broad exposure and long-term association with elite sport.
“It’s huge,” Lauren Anderson, director of the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon, said. “Every few years, it’s something the world aligns around.”
Longtime Olympic partners such as Coca-Cola and Omega are again visible during broadcasts. Newer sponsors including Airbnb, Samsung and Honda are also expanding their presence while looking ahead to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Olympic marketing is tightly regulated. Only official partners can use Olympic symbols such as the rings or directly reference the Games in advertising. Organizers also enforce rules aimed at preventing “ambush marketing,” in which non-sponsors attempt to create an unauthorized association with the event.
Italy has introduced additional anti-ambush marketing laws for Milan Cortina 2026. The measures apply to commercial activity visible in Italy, including digital campaigns that target Italian audiences, adding complexity for global brands planning cross-border promotions tied to winter sports.
Official sponsors are investing heavily in new campaign strategies as the Games unfold.
Honda, the official automotive partner of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, launched a campaign titled “This is the Power of Dreams” ahead of the Winter Games and is now updating ads in near real time. The effort features U.S. athletes and runs across television, streaming and social media.
The campaign uses a modular format that allows Honda to insert same-day Olympic highlights into commercials.
“Within two hours, say one of our athletes wins the gold, we could edit that footage, put it in the spot and have it on air,” Ed Beadle, vice president of digital services and marketing at American Honda, said.
Beadle said the approach reflects the pace of social media, where audiences quickly move on from repeated content. Honda is also using artificial intelligence tools during the creative process to speed up concept development and production.
Samsung, a longtime Worldwide Olympic Partner, is focusing on technology integration rather than traditional commercials. The company has brought back its “victory selfie” initiative, which allows
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medalists to take podium photos using special Olympic-edition Galaxy smartphones. The devices also include translation and wellness features aimed at supporting athletes during the Games.
“We actually let our athletes enjoy their own moments by owning those moments,” Sophia Kim, vice president of global marketing at Samsung, said. She said the company’s goal is to remain relevant and engaging, not just visible.
Research from sports marketing firms shows Olympic fans tend to have strong purchasing power and follow Olympic sports year-round, not only during the Games. That has led brands to view Olympic partnerships as long-term investments rather than short-term campaigns.
Sponsors are already planning activations for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, aligning product launches and marketing strategies years in advance. Broadcasters such as NBC, which is airing the Winter Games in the United States, also see the Olympics as part of a packed sports calendar that includes other major events.
The cost of Olympic sponsorship is high, and brands face strict rules around how they can reference the event. The potential payoff remains significant: global reach, association with elite performance and the chance to connect with audiences during one of the world’s most watched sporting events.
As competition continues in Milan and Cortina, advertisers are competing as well, seeking a place alongside one of sport’s most enduring global stages.