The 2022 Olympics are having a rough time. The 2020 Summer Olympic hangover, diplomatic protests, COVID restrictions, saturated sports market and unfortunate timing have all made this years Winter Games a muted affair.

The biggest challenge marketers face is the ongoing China human rights issue with the Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslim populations. Multiple countries have boycotted the games by keeping their officials and diplomats from attending shifting the attention to Olympic Sponsors. Companies advertising during this time could be easily accused of promoting and glorifying a genocidal regime”. This puts sponsoring companies in a hard spot as they don’t want to be seen supporting human rights abuse, but they also don’t want to risk alienating the world’s largest consumer market.

The 2022 Winter Games also falls at an unfortunate time. The Summer Olympics just ended half a year ago, and brands are being slower to activate with such a quick turnaround. February is also a sports heavy month. This year, for the first time in history, the Super Bowl and the Olympics will happen concurrently. February is also the time of the NBA All-Star Game, the NHL All-Star Game, the Daytona 500 and the FIFA World Cup UAE.

Source: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/olympics-present-multiple-challenges-for-marketers-beyond-covid/617965/