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  4. Navigating Olympics Marketing Rules (and How Ripples can Help)

Navigating Olympics Marketing Rules (and How Ripples can Help)

Celebrate Sports Excellence!

Every four years, people all over the world gather to watch the Olympic Games. Other than New Year’s Eve and the Eras Tour, no live event draws more international attention.

That means it’s the perfect opportunity to capitalize on this huge attention-getting event, join the conversation online, and entice customers to come celebrate the games at your bar, restaurant, or cafe with specialized event branding. 

Or is it?

If you’re not an official sponsor – which this year includes the likes of Coca Cola, Toyota, and Visa – it’s illegal to post about the Olympic Games, even on Instagram.

  • You can’t say PARIS 2024
  • You can’t mention any team (e.g. Team USA, Team France)
  • You can’t say Go for the Gold. You can’t even say Gold
  • You can’t use the Olympic rings, show a torch, or a podium.
  • You can’t say “Olympics” or #Olympics
  • You can’t use an athlete’s name, image, or likeness without their express permission.

So… what’s a restaurant, bar, or cafe filled with [redacted] spirit supposed to do?

You’re just a bar or coffee shop looking to get into the Olympics spirit. And you don’t have millions of dollars for an official partnership. But you also don’t want to open yourself up to a million dollar lawsuit.

The Ripples Library has all of the royalty free content you need for worry-free posts to celebrate the Olympics

The trick to celebrating the Olympics without running afoul of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) is to… not celebrate the Olympics.

Instead, you’re celebrating Sports Excellence!

Ripples’ design team has been hard at work creating dozens of iconic new designs to celebrate all of our favorite Summer sports – from Gymnastics to Swimming to Break Dancing.

Use these designs to infuse your bar or restaurant with the spirit of a champion and a quadrennial sports activity celebration.

Create “Fire of a Champion” cocktails topped with red-flame themed cocktail foam art in honor of the Opening Ceremonies. Serve up printed macarons transformed into little volleyballs before the finals.

And don’t stop there, create Guinness foam art for your Instagram page when your favorite Irish athlete makes the podium (we have our eye on the 400m sprint), or open early and serve up a  coffee topped with swim-themed latte art for super fans who want to watch the preliminary heats.

Pair it with your own coffee branding (add your Instagram handle or logo to every drink) so that your brand is a part of the conversation for your community.

And as always, all Ripples Library content are royalty-free and designed specifically for your coffee printer. It’s the easiest way to join the excitement surrounding the Olympics without worrying about the already hard at work trademark lawyers for the International Olympic Committee.  Go Sports!

Stephanie Morrison
Stephanie Morrison - July 23, 2024