Game On: Beauty Goes for the Gold
PARIS — The 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games are an unprecedented opportunity for beauty brands to amplify their message worldwide through sports marketing.
Running from Friday to Aug. 11 and Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, respectively, they will be the largest event organized in France. More than 10,000 athletes are taking part and are expected to draw a few billion sets of eyeballs from around the globe over some 350,000 hours of viewing.
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Beauty brands are ready to dive deep into the Games and make a big splash. Find following some of the most creative tie-ins.
Procter & Gamble’s Beauty & Grooming Salon
World champion hairstylist Raphaël Perrier and Procter & Gamble are offering hair and nail services free-of-charge to the Games’ 22,000 athletes and employees. That’s at a beauty salon created by P&G, a worldwide Olympic partner, which measures more than 1,080 square feet and stands in the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic Village.
“We welcome all the athletes to help them find either a style that they like or help them do what they need to technically for their competitions,” said Perrier, who will have a team of about 30 stylists. He said the main idea is to put athletes in a positive mood, so they can concentrate on their performance.
A look book gives 20 different styles and services to choose from. These are for curly or textured hair, long hair, medium-length hair, short hair, facial grooming or nails, and are achieved with products from P&G brands, such as Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Mielle, Gillette and Braun.
“We will adjust and adopt [looks] to their body shape, discipline and hair type,” Perrier said.
Athletes can set up a 30-minute to one-hour appointment through an app. The salon will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from now through Aug. 13 and then again from Aug. 23 to Sept. 10.
Adidas House Paris
Adidas House Paris is opening at the base of Montmartre for athletes, partners and other friends of the brand. That will include services by its longstanding fragrance and beauty licensee Coty Inc.
“We have created the Adidas House Paris taking insights from our local team and community in the city, our family of athletes and using experience from previous similar setups at Rio in 2016 and London in 2012,” said Simon Cartwright, senior director Olympics and Paralympics at Adidas.
“Our ambition has always been to create a space that brings to life the best of the brand, provides a practical but comfortable setting to support and service our athletes, and a location in the heart of the city to enjoy the games from,” he said.
The two-floor location covering more than 16,145 square feet has a hospitality area, sports bar, calm zone, entertainment space, rooftop terrace and “Look Good, Feel Good Area,” where Coty provides personal care and beauty services.
“To enhance the services Adidas offers to athletes, such as speeding up recovery, we contribute to the holistic approach to well-being with an emphasis on care and beauty,” said Guillaume de Vitton, vice president of Adidas at Coty.
With the help of Coty, athletes can be treated before or after competing, interviews or award ceremonies. This will include makeup and nail art.
“’Feel Good’ moments will get delivered by our latest fragrance collection, Adidas Vibes,” de Vitton said. “This range of mood fragrances includes six eaux de parfum, scientifically proven to elicit positive emotions. Athletes can choose their scent, whether they need a burst of energy, an uplifting feeling or just want to relax.”
The Vibes collection is due out globally on Sept. 1.
Dermalogica
“This is a huge cultural moment,” said Julia Ramanadhan, vice president of global marketing at Dermalogica, who said athletes are being seen as influencers in a bigger way. “That is a huge opportunity and a huge conversation that we wanted to be a part of.”
Unilever-owned Dermalogica’s new “Dynamic Skin Performs” campaign centers on its hero sunscreen Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50. The idea is to show that the product is as multifaceted as athletes are.
The video-first campaign about skin health is social-led and involves three U.S. athletes: Dalilah Muhammad, Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth using Dynamic Skin Recovery.
Dermalogica has also launched guerrilla-style related activations in the U.S., such as with the Venice Run Club, and other markets.
“Sunscreen is as crucial as mouth guards and kneepads,” said the brand’s chief executive officer Aurelian Lis. “[With] Dermalogica partnering with athletes, we’re proving that performance skin care is non-negotiable. Forget logos. Science-backed skin care deserves its place in competitive sports and the Summer Games.”
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and global co-organizers, including the South African Sports Confederation and The Global Observatory for Gender Equality & Sport, created a worldwide photo competition, entitled “Overpower. Overtake. Overcome: A Visual Tribute to Women & Sports.”
For it, in May they invited photographers to submit images showing women and girls in sports’ resilience and determination. More than 120 submissions were entered and from those, 20 winners selected earlier in July. Their works will be showcased in an exhibition due to globetrot in real life to Geneva, Switzerland; Dakar, Senegal, and Johannesburg.
On Saturday, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is set to launch the virtual exhibition on social media.
Mad Rabbit
Mad Rabbit starting early July began offering free tattoo care for all Olympians with Olympic ring tattoos.
“A lot of athletes who participate in the Games end up getting the rings tattooed on them,” said Oliver Zak, cofounder and chief executive officer the Los Angeles-based clean and vegan tattoo care brand. “It’s a cool commemorative opportunity for an incredible time in life for these people.”
Among the athletes sporting them are Noah Lyles, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps and Leticia Bufoni.
The Mad Rabbit Ring Set includes Repair Soothing Gel, Tattoo Balm, Replenish Daily Lotion Tube and Refresh Exfoliating Bar Soap. The brand is also inviting any Olympian to get a tattoo at Mad Rabbit.
Zak said that as the U.S. is going through an unstable period, it is important for Mad Rabbit, a U.S. company, “to shine the spotlight on our athletes who are representing our country, and push for unity from that perspective.”
Schwarzkopf Professional
Schwarzkopf Professional launched a campaign “Up Your Hair Game” featuring athletes Venus Williams, Megan Blunk and Aly Raisman and colorists Brendnetta Ashley, Carly Zanoni and Devyn Pennell, to help relaunch the demi-permanent color Igora Vibrance.
The Henkel-owned brand will run the campaign through October. According to Schwarzkopf Professional in a statement, it “celebrates diversity and inclusive hair stories with the goal of empowering everyone to embrace their unique beauty.”
The new Igora Vibrance products will be sold starting August.
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