Gold Medal Marketing! Video Marketing Examples #35

^{Obligatory disclaimer: This isn't an ad or sponsored content. We simply wanted to share this analysis with you as a great, recent example of video marketing.}

Everyone stop what you’re doing, because Friday sees the opening ceremony of the (delayed) 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

And that means it’s time to set aside your usual interests - and instead start aggressively re-learning all the stuff about ‘fencing’ and ‘modern pentathlon’ you’ve forgotten since you were glued to Rio 2016!

Something that’s really inspired us this week is finding out a little about the story of the Olympics ‘pictograms.’

Everyone knows that the Olympics are, by definition, a truly international event. 

So - how do you communicate with athletes, spectators and TV viewers around the world, taking into account the enormous number of languages and alphabets these nations use?

That was the challenge that gave birth to the Olympics pictograms. These illustrations - depicting each event - have evolved throughout the storied history of the Olympic Games, transcending linguistic and cultural boundaries.

Tokyo 1964 is often credited as the ‘first’ games to use pictograms - although this is disputed. However they certainly were the first to use the stripped back, minimal style we’re all now familiar with.

And now, as the games return to Tokyo in 2021, the pictograms are set for further innovation. For the first time ever, they’ve been animated. 

You can check out the full set here - one for each event:

This story really underlines something we already know: story, illustration and motion are a real universal language. By telling stories with images - rather than words alone - you can truly reach a global audience.

Feeling inspired?

We’d love to help you tell your story - to a global audience! - with motion graphics. 

Click the button below to get in touch!