Understanding how the world sees the Olympic & Paralymic games

Olympics & Paralympics
The greatest show on Earth

Client

International Olympic Committee

Services

Design Strategy

Markets

UK, US, Brazil, India, China, Germany, Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, Japan

Sample

Sports Coaches, Sports Psychologists, Social Anthropologists, Members of the Public

The IOC wanted to understand how the Olympic and Paralympic Games were perceived.

With the largest audience of any global brand, the IOC was tired of hearing the same old platitudes about the events. They commissioned us to uncover fresh insights on the public’s true relationship with the Games, across four continents.

Using Sense It to get beyond the rational

Feelings are difficult to express.

When we talk about our emotions, we’re more than likely to use a metaphor to help us articulate the way we feel. We talk about ‘feeling close to someone’ or ‘feeling under the weather’, because emotions in and of themselves are intangible.

The same is true of our relationships with brands and design.

We might feel affinity with a brand, but it can be difficult to explain why. As researchers, if we fail to give consumers the tools to help them articulate these emotions, we risk placing too great an emphasis on the more functional aspects of these relationships.

We used SenseIt, a range of multi-sensory tools designed to reveal the emotional response to creative work and brands. This bespoke tool helps us get under the skin of what the Olympics really means to consumers across the world in a way that transcends languages.

Using textures, emoticons & image projectives helps consumers express nuances in design communication effectively – and makes for an inspiring debrief.

Our research engaged sports coaches, sports psychologists, social anthropologists and members of the public from all over the world to capture a rich and full picture of how the Games engaged different cultures around the world.

We used a range of tools to get under the skin of the public’s relationship with the Games. This enabled us to deliver a holistic story that blended nuanced local insights with actionable global strategy.

Working in collaboration with quant partners, we brought the global public’s relationship with the Olympic and Paralympic Games to life in a rich and vivid way, giving the IOC a strong platform to build from.