Win Gold In 2026 With Influencer-Driven Winter Games Campaigns

Every few years, the world gathers around one shared tradition: the Olympic Games. And if Paris 2024 proved anything, it’s that interest in the games is only accelerating. Independent research commissioned by the International Olympic Committee found that around five billion people (84% of the potential global audience) followed the Games. 

Unsurprisingly, viewers didn’t stick to one screen, either. About 70% bounced between television and digital platforms, fueling record-breaking coverage that reached 28.7 billion hours viewed across media rights-holders worldwide. 

Social platforms told an even bigger story. An estimated 412 billion engagements, powered by 270 million posts, marked a 290% surge from the previous Games. Searches tied to the Olympics climbed 200%, and athletes, federations, and committees collectively gained 85 million new followers during the event window.

The appetite for Olympics-related content is massive, multi-platform, and growing across demographics. With the Winter Games approaching, brands are facing one of the most visible global stages of the decade.

That leads to an obvious question: How do you participate? And, what do you do if you’re not an official sponsor? Do you step back and watch the moment pass?

According to Michelle Abdow, president and CEO of Market Mentors, the answer is no. We spoke to her to understand how brands can participate in the fun and remain compliant.

How brands can align with Winter Games energy without sponsorship rights

Most marketers won’t have access to official marks, naming rights, or visual assets. That reality leads many marketers to assume they’re locked out of the conversation. But Abdow told us that brands have far more creative freedom than they think. The opportunity sits in the themes surrounding the Games, not in the event itself.

“You don’t necessarily need the rings or the rights to capture the energy. The key is to align with the emotion, not the event. That means storytelling rooted in perseverance, teamwork, and personal bests rather than the games themselves,” she said.

And that’s where influencer partnerships become essential. Creators who already carry cultural momentum can interpret these themes through their own lens. Their audiences already look to them for motivation and perspective, which gives brands a natural pathway to participate in the moment through voices people trust.

“Influencers can post about ‘chasing their goals,’ being on the ‘edge of impossible,’ ‘defying gravity, defying limits’ or ‘training for their moment,’ all without mentioning Milano-Cortina or using protected marks. Conceptual alignment beats literal reference every time.”

That naturally leads to the broader dynamic behind these campaigns—why creators are so effective when the world is watching the same event.

The emotional lift creators bring to Olympic-season campaigns

The upcoming Winter Games sit at the intersection of athleticism, national identity, and collective aspiration. It’s a rare moment when audiences from diverse backgrounds pay attention to the same stories.

Abdow stressed that that’s exactly why creator-driven campaigns can thrive. “It’s one of the few global events that unite audiences across geography, demographics, and interests. The winter games embody ambition, resilience, and national pride, which are timeless human themes that transcend sport. For storytellers, that’s fertile ground: everyone can see a bit of themselves in the pursuit of excellence.”

This kind of storytelling is emotional. When creators filter the spirit of the Games through their own experiences, audiences pick up on the feeling behind the story. Psychologists call it emotional salience: the idea that people hold onto messages that move them. 

For brands, that gives creator-led narratives an edge during a cultural moment already charged with shared anticipation and meaning.

Choosing influencers who love your brand and naturally reflect “Winter Games energy”

The Winter Games spark a rush of branded content, but not all creator pairings make sense. Abdow shared which creator partnerships make the most sense.

“Look for creators who already live those values. I’m not just talking about athletes, but anyone whose content celebrates discipline, growth, and teamwork. A chef perfecting a recipe, a teacher guiding students or a small-business owner hitting milestones all reflect that same spirit. The goal is to have a shared mindset, not matching uniforms,” she said.

Audiences can feel the difference between a collaboration that is naturally aligned and one that is artificially stitched together. The most successful campaigns during cultural moments tend to be the ones where creators would have shared similar content anyway, because the message fits who they are and how their community already sees them.

“Authenticity shows when the creator’s existing tone and community stay intact. If their audience already responds to motivational or lifestyle content, a ‘push your limits’ campaign feels natural. Red flags are sudden pivots, when a creator’s voice or visuals change overnight to mimic the event rather than interpret it,” Abdow explained.

The creator types who thrive during global sporting moments

Abdow also notes that while attention spikes during the Winter Games across all age groups and platforms, not all creator categories capture that momentum equally.

Certain types of voices rise to the top because their communities see them as credible guides during high-energy cultural windows.

She explained that “Yes: micro-influencers, athletes and wellness creators perform particularly well because their audiences trust their lived experience. But employee creators are a hidden advantage: real people inside the company sharing how they ‘go for gold’ in their work bring credibility no paid endorsement can match.”

That last point is key. Employee creators (people who already represent your brand from the inside) often deliver higher trust and better engagement than outside partners. Their stories feel grounded. Their pride feels earned. And during a moment centered on national teams, grit, and discipline, internal storytellers bring a parallel energy that audiences understand intuitively.

How the Winter Games reshape media planning and creator spend

We couldn’t have a conversation about marketing campaigns without talking about budget. Large-scale events come with inflated media costs, premium inventory, and fierce competition for attention. In that environment, Abdow believes influencers offer brands a different kind of advantage.

In her view, “They shift spend from pure reach to relationship-based attention. During high-cost media windows, influencer partnerships stretch budgets further. They insert the brand into cultural conversation organically while paid media reinforces visibility. It’s not ‘either/or,’ it’s amplification across earned, shared and paid channels.”

Influencers give brands a foothold in the cultural conversation, even when budgets can’t compete with major sponsors. And when that presence is paired with smart media strategy (supporting creator content with targeted paid, or running complementary OOH or programmatic) it strengthens the full funnel without overspending.

Staying compliant with alternative themes that still resonate

The conversation eventually turned to the practical side, including how to join the moment, stay compliant, and keep the creative energy intact.

Most brands worry about restrictions: event names, protected marks, official imagery. Abdow said those guardrails aren’t obstacles. They’re creative cues. She explained what language and imagery worked best to use.

“Use inspiration-first language: ‘go for gold,’ (go for the gold is trademarked) ‘moment to shine,’ ‘peak performance,’ ‘find your edge,’ ‘chasing your goals.’ Visuals of movement, cold tones and light can all imply the season and spirit without crossing legal lines. It’s about evoking emotion, not duplicating IP,” she advised.

This structure allows brands to participate without tiptoeing around risk. The tone becomes seasonally grounded rather than literal.

She also noted that, “During past games, smaller brands created ‘everyday athlete’ campaigns, like a local gym series spotlighting members’ personal records, or a coffee brand showing how ‘morning fuel powers your win.’ We’ve produced similar creative using training metaphors and momentum visuals that felt part of the global conversation without naming it.”

Measuring success when conversions aren’t the primary goal

Finally, we discussed how to measure success. Abdow recommends focusing on indicators that reflect depth rather than breadth. She pointed to metrics like engagement rate, content saves, sentiment, and share velocity as the clearest signs that a message resonated. Those behaviors reveal whether the story connected emotionally and created a positive association with the brand.

And when conversion isn’t the point, the long-term picture matters. As she put it, “Look for brand lift: awareness, follower growth, employer brand perception and earned media mentions. Major cultural moments are about positioning or being seen as part of the conversation with integrity. The return often shows up in reputation and recruitment before it shows up in sales.”

This rounds out the tactical side of the story: brands can participate meaningfully without official sponsorship, and still walk away with outcomes that matter.