Though the Olympics need no introduction, some of the hundreds of athletes competing in the games on behalf of Team USA might.
On Tuesday, 100 days out from Paris 2024, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) rolled out a new brand platform called “One for All,” which highlights the stories of Olympic and Paralympic athletes who will represent Team USA across sports. The platform is meant to get fans better acquainted with the team and keep the games top of mind, according to Jess Park, chief of brand and fan engagement at the USOPC.
“It’s all about being at the center of cultural conversation,” she told Marketing Brew during a Team USA media event Monday. “How do we ignite that talkability of Team USA and our athletes so that we are unavoidable?”
Just like me fr
Olympians—they’re just like us! Not exactly, but there is a sense of universal accomplishment in the states when a Team USA athlete wins a medal, which is at the center of the creative concept for the 60-second One for All short film, Brandon Henderson, co-chief creative officer at Wieden+Kennedy New York, which helped the USOPC develop the campaign, said.
“When one athlete wins, that’s one person representing all of the US,” Henderson said.
The strategic and creative process took about two years from start to finish, and the creative team wanted to incorporate “the heavy hitters” of Olympic sports just as much as “the ones that are a little on the outside edge,” he said. The final spot features dozens of athletes from a range of sports including surfing, swimming, track and field, weightlifting, basketball, and volleyball.
The All for One film features Paralympians and Olympians, and one of the campaign’s goals is to “drive awareness and more understanding of the Paralympics,” Park said.
“It’s really important for us to showcase and represent our athletes, and the depth and breadth of our athletes, across Olympic and Paralympic sports,” she said. “We certainly want to continue to create those moments that are specifically shining a light on our Paralympic athletes. What is so special about Team USA is that we really are one.”
Social Olympics
The One for All film—first released on Team USA’s social channels and on TeamUSA.com—will air for the first time on Peacock and USA Network during the US Olympic Wrestling Team Trials later this week. It’s also set to show up during qualifiers and trials through June, and on “all fan-facing touchpoints” in the US and Paris during the games, according to the USOPC.
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On social media, the Team USA handles will feature several content series focused on athletes’ backstories and personalities leading up to the games. That kind of content could prove especially attractive to Gen Z and younger audiences, who like to feel as though they’re “rooting for an actual person” as opposed to “rooting for the uniform,” Henderson said onstage at the event.
Some of the Paralympians on Team USA have strong followings on TikTok, and the USOPC is leaning into the way they communicate with their fans “to help us set the tone” in discussing the Paralympics, Park said.
Park said she hopes the All for One platform—which is set to run through Milan-Cortina 2026—engages fans, drives consumption of Team USA content across platforms, including on TV and streaming, and catches the attention of younger audiences.
“When we think about younger audiences, their relationship with athletes is not as linear as some of our older audiences that need to start with the athlete contextualized in the sport,” she said. “They can come to us in a new way—because of an outfit of the day [post], for instance—but then be brought into the conversation and learn more about who that athlete is.”