Sochi 2014: Which Winter Olympic Ads Are Attracting The Most Buzz Online?

The Winter Olympics has arrived with a bang – and we’re not just talking about the jammed door US bobsleigher Johnny Quinn smashed his way through.

We are only days into the Sochi Games and we’ve already seen gold medals galore, some nasty falls and even a GB athlete winning a medal in the snow! Wonders will never cease.

But how are advertisers faring off the snow? Which ads are creating the most attention online? And, most importantly, are advertisers making the most of this huge opportunity?

The answer to the last question is unfortunately, no. The global TV audiences for the opening ceremonies at London 2012 and Sochi 2014 dwarf that of the Super Bowl. Yet ads from the Super Bowl easily outperform Olympic commercials.

For example, if you look at the top 3 most shared ads from the Olympics, as well as the top 3 from the Super Bowl and the World Cup, the US sporting event dominates the two more global tournaments.

Top three Super Bowl ads, combined, have generated 11,466,280 shares
Top 3 Winter Olympics ads have generated 659,701 shares
Top 3 Olympics (both Winter and Summer) ads have generated 2,928,150 shares
Top 3 World Cup ads have generated 2,502,939 shares

Similar conclusions can also be drawn when you look at the top 50 most shared ads of all time, which is topped by VW’s The Force, an ad from the 2011 Super Bowl. We can see that:

6 come from the Super Bowl
1 comes from the World Cup (Nike’s 2010 “Write The Future” appears at #36)
1 comes from the Olympics (P&G’s “Best Job” appears at #21)

Of course, the World Cup will have its chance to shine this summer, but what about the Olympics? With the exception of P&G, no brands have really created a campaign that has resonated around the world, which seems like a wasted opportunity.

After all, it’s an event where emotions run high and where athletes perform the impossible – all under the world’s steely gaze. Everything about the Olympics should be geared towards success, yet like a certain speed skater from the UK, they tend to fall flat on their faces on the big stage.

That being said, some brands are making waves during Sochi 2014, and we have compiled a list of the top 6 most shared ads – so far at least.

They range from official ads to some rather cheeky spots from advertisers just hoping to get in on the winter action.

Is your favourite in there?

6. BBC And Team GB: Official Sochi Trailer

Shares: 29,505

5. Molson Canadian: The Beer Fridge

Shares: 29,835

4. Nike: Play Russian

Shares: 78,956

3. Channel Four: Gay Mountain

Shares: 97,313

2. Canadian Institute For Diversity And Inclusion: Luge